Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

Attack of the Giant Leeches is an American science fiction/horror film directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and produced by Roger Corman. It was released theatrically and in drive-ins in October, 1959. Produced on a budget of only $70,000, it is considered a b-movie and one of dozens of such features filmed during the 1950s as a response to Cold War paranoia. The setting of the film takes place in the Florida Everglades and begins with a trapper named Lem Sawyer who spots a giant leech that has been living in an underwater grotto. Soon after, nearby townspeople begin disappearing, their bodies eventually turning up with large sucker wounds all over them. Game Warden Steve Benton investigates the occurances and learns about the race of giant, mutated leeches living in the caves.

Notes & Trivia

 * Attack of the Giant Leeches is in the public domain.


 * Filmed in Los Angeles, California.


 * Released in the UK under the title Demons of the Swamp.


 * US promotional title for this film is The Giant Leeches.


 * The film was remade in 2008.


 * Director Bernard L. Kowalski also directed Night of the Blood Beast in 1958 and will go on to direct Sssssss in 1973.


 * The audio stock samples used in this film were also used in Night of the Blood Beast.


 * Attack of the Giant Leeches was featured as a season four episode of the movie-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in July, 1992. It's included on the Mystery Science Theater 3000, Volume 6 DVD collection, along with Gunslinger, Mr. B's Lost Shorts and Teenagers from Outer Space.


 * Guy Buccola and Ross Sturlin, who played the giant leeches wore thin, plastic sack suits and used SCUBA equipment for their underwater scenes. In some instances, their SCUBA tanks are clearly visible.

Recommendations

 * Attack of the Crab Monsters
 * Attack of the Giant Leeches
 * Attack of the Puppet People
 * Komodo vs. Kobra
 * Leeches!