Crabs in the Cinema

Since Roger Corman's 'Attack of the Crab Monsters' in 1957, the humble crab has played its part in the history of the cinema.

Giant crab monsters were seen in Hammer Studios 1968 film, 'The Lost Continent', based on Dennis Wheatley's novel 'Uncharted Seas'.

And it was those scavenging crabs that discovered the first victim in 'Jaws' 

In 'Dr No', Honey Ryder emerges in that iconic scene on the beach at Crab Keys.

A crab is also seen on the beach in the film 'Thunderbirds' before the Hood arrives.

It is a crab that releases Irwin's message to the 'Original' which sets in course the events that lead to the climax of the French film 'The City of Lost Children'.

There is a new film of the Smurfs about to hit the cinemas, here's hoping that this Smurf makes an appearance. 

The horror film 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' brought screams of delight from this member of the audience at the sight that greeted us from the trunk of the car.

Here we see some crabs with two of their co-stars, Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Move the mouse over the picture to reveal the real stars.

In the film 'Constantine' a crab is seen walking across Keanu Reeves hand just before the 'Bug Demon' attacks.

Candy striped crabs were observed by the great Steve Zissou in the film 'The Life Aquatic', and marauding crabs are to be found in 'The Haunting in Connecticut'.

An article in the Metro (18 Feb 09) stated that method actors often create an unique physicality by mimicking an animal. Robert De Niro played a crab in Taxi Driver - he thought the character was indirect and tended to shift side to side.

Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' is a fantastic film, and one would that where there are giant primates, there would be giant crabs. Although not clearly seen on Skull Island in the film, The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island by Weta Workshop provides us with some tantalizing descriptions for the intrepid crab hunter.  

On the coast there is Osteodomus (Bone House) a hermit crab that uses seal skulls rather than shells for its home. Cunaepraedator (Nest plunderer) is a land crab remarkable for its two sets of pincers that forages in birds nests and the edge of the jungle.

In the wetlands Impurucaris (Unclean crab) and Funucaris (Corpse crab) scavenge the kills made by the larger Skull Island predators. As well as the parasitic Cutisidis (Skin crab) that lives within the rivers.

Within the Abyssal Chasms lurk the large Deplector (Reaper) land crabs that live in the canyon walls, along with the smaller Absycidis occisor (Killer Crab-of-the-abyss).

If only the film had concentrated on these instead of the gorilla, here's one cinema goer hoping for an extended DVD edition of 'King Kong with Crabs'. 

In this picture from the movie Yes Man (based on Danny Wallace's book), we can see behind Jim Carey a lovely picture of a crab.