1977’s The Crater Lake Monster takes place in a small town in Northern California.

There’s not much to the town of Crater Lake, other than it’s beautiful lake and the dreams of brave residents like Arnie (Glenn Roberts) and Mitch (Mark Siegel).  Arnie and Mitch are convinced that they’re going to get rich by renting boats out to tourists.  “Our boats …. our boats …. our boats,” as Mitch puts it.  Arnie has long hair and a beard.  Mitch is going bald and seems to be a little bit goofy at times.  One gets the feeling that they may have dropped too much acid in the 60s but they still seem like good people.  They’re the type of people who you could only find in a town like Crater Lake.

When a group of scientists explore the caves near the lake, they discover drawings that suggest that cavemen knew about dinosaurs.  The drawings prove that cavemen and dinosaurs existed at the same time!  Take that, Charles Darwin!  However, a sudden meteorite strike causes the cave to collapse.  The scientists manage to escape but what of the drawings?

Actually, the scientists may not need the drawing to prove that men and dinosaurs existed at the same time.  After the meteorite hits, a real dinosaur — perhaps the same one from the drawings — shows up and people start of disappear around the lake.  The local sheriff (Richard Cardella) is skeptical but soon, even he has to admit that a Plesiosaurus has apparently claimed the lake as its own.

At one point, a U.S. Senator (Marv Eliot) rents a boat from Arnie and Mitch so that he can enjoy a peaceful day on the lake.  The Senator gets eaten.  I think something like this would usually be considered a national emergency but no, the National Guard never arrives.  It’s left to the citizens of Crater Lake to deal with their monster.

Oh, how I love this stupid movie.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s definitely a low-budget affair.  With the exception of Glenn Roberts and Mark Siegel (Arnie and Mitch forever!), the cast is forgettable.  The sheriff looks more like a struggling bass player than a member of law enforcement.  The film moves a bit slowly.  There are some scenes that appear to be way too underlit, though that may have more to do with the bad quality of the uploads that I’ve watched than anything else.  The Crater Lake Monster is one of those films that has appeared in a countless number of Mill Creek Box Sets.

And yet, I can’t help but enjoy the film.  No matter what else you may want to say about the film, the stop-motion dinosaur is a lot of fun to watch and, in a few scenes, it actually does seem to be genuinely menacing.  At its best, the film is an enjoyably goofy tribute to the monster movies of the 50s and, as such, the bad acting and the risible dialogue feels rather appropriate.  That said, it’s still a film of the 70s and the ending is surprisingly bleak.  You’ll be saying, “Our boats …. our boats….” for hours after watching The Crater Lake Monster.

The Crater Lake Monster is a fun, low-budget monster flick.  On this Friday the 13th, it’s a reminder that Jason isn’t the only thing waiting in the wilderness.