| Track of the Moon Beast | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Ashe |
| Produced by | Frank J. Desiderio Ralph T. Desiderio |
| Written by | Bill Finger Charles Sinclair |
| Starring | Chase Cordell Leigh Drake Gregorio Sala |
| Music by | Robert G. Orpin |
| Cinematography | R. Kent Evans |
| Distributed by | Cinema Shares International Distribution |
| Release date(s) | 1976 |
| Running time | 81 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Track of the Moon Beast is a 1976 horror film, directed by Richard Ashe and written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair.
Contents |
Mineralogist Paul Carlson (Chase Cordell) is struck by a lunar meteorite while observing a meteor shower. Lodged in his brain, the meteorite causes him to transform into a strong and vicious lizard (the titular "moon beast") whenever the moon comes out. In his lizard form, Paul loses all traces of his human self and goes about killing people at random. While human, Paul is subject to spells of dizziness and nausea, causing his girlfriend Kathy Nolan (Donna Leigh Drake) and friend and former teacher Johnny Longbow (Gregorio Sala) to become concerned.
Eventually it is shown that Paul is the monster, and deduced that the meteorite fragment in his brain is the cause of his transformations. Plans are made to remove it from his skull, but the NASA brain surgeons realize, after another X-ray and Johnny remembering some Native American legends documenting similar phenomena, that the meteorite has disintegrated and will eventually cause Paul to self-combust. When Paul learns of this, he escapes into the desert, presumably to kill himself so he will not cause any more harm. Kathy, Johnny, and the local law enforcement follow him, and Johnny shoots him with an arrow made of the original meteorite, which causes him to explode.
The film was featured in a Season 10 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Fodder for mockery included, but was definitely not limited to, the "brain-dead" expression of the lead actress, the "horrible" dialogue, and the suggestive name and unctuous nature of the character "Johnny Longbow", whom they repeatedly refer to as "Johnny Longbone". The scene in which Johnny names ingredients in his stew quickly became a running gag and one of the writers' favorite moments from the series. Writer Kevin Murphy stated that his world-weary sigh of "onions..." made Johnny Longbow one of the "best" characters they've ever encountered. Another popular part from the episode was when Mike Nelson had an entire host segment about The Band that Played California Lady which was a made up band that had a song called California Lady in the film.