Track of the Moon Beast

1976
PG
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

In New Mexico mineralogist student Paul Carlson is struck in the head by a tiny shard of a meteor causing him to unknowingly transform into a bloodthirsty reptilian creature.In New Mexico mineralogist student Paul Carlson is struck in the head by a tiny shard of a meteor causing him to unknowingly transform into a bloodthirsty reptilian creature.In New Mexico mineralogist student Paul Carlson is struck in the head by a tiny shard of a meteor causing him to unknowingly transform into a bloodthirsty reptilian creature.

Director
- Richard Ashe
Writers
- Bill Finger
- Charles Sinclair
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

2.3/10

3.9K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Richard Ashe
Writers
- Bill Finger
- Charles Sinclair
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos9

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Frank Larrabee and his band performed their song "California Lady" in the film after they were coerced by the filmmakers. The film crew and the band were both staying in the local Ramada Inn in Albuquerque where the performance footage was shot.

Goofs
In the hospital scene with Paul, Longbow and McCabe, there is not a single piece of medical equipment in the room. There's a bed, a chair and a privacy curtain. That's it. There isn't even one of those tables that slides across the bed.

Quotes
Janet Price: This is a great stew, what's in it?
Johnny Longbow: Lots of things. Chicken. Corn. Green peppers. Chili.
[sigh]
Johnny Longbow: Onions... well, it's an old recipe around here.

Crazy credits
The movie has no ending credits at all, not even the traditional 'the end' title card. The final scene just fades to black.

Alternate versions
For its appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1999 some scenes were edited from Track of the Moon Beast. Most notably a scene of Johnny Longbow and his students examining a mysterious "flaw" in one of Kathy's photographs from the museum is cut.

Connections
Edited from FrightMare Theater: Track of the Moon Beast (2016)

Soundtracks
California Lady
Written by Frank Larrabee
Sung by Frank Larrabee

User reviews81

Review

Featured review

5/10

And what a cheesy track it is!

Fragment of meteorite gets lodged in young man's head, causing him to turn into a monstrous lizard-man when the moon rises.

Track of the Moon Beast is a fine example of drive-in B movie schlock! The movie consists of a thin story line, hokey dialog, less than impressive cast, and an all around look of 'we filmed this scene in my back yard'. It's a wonder the movie managed to hide from the people at Mystery Science Theater 3000 for ten years.

Yet despite all its campy trappings, I can't really say that I dislike this movie! Being a lover of B cinema it's rather enjoyable in a non-serious kind of way. I do give the film kudos for its surprisingly decent horror makeup, it's not surprising that this was early work from Rick Baker. The moon beast should have gotten more screen time though. Star Chase Cordell makes for an OK hero/victim and Gregorio Sala is memorable as a long-winded native American expert. Alas the rest of the cast is pretty weak, especially the wooden Donna Leigh Drake who doesn't have a believable line in the whole film! Still the tongue-in-cheek qualities keep it entertaining.

So, for those who enjoy their horror on the cheesy B movie side, you just might like this amusing monster flick.

** 1/2 out of ****