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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  The Milpitas Monster (1975) « previous next »
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Author Topic: The Milpitas Monster (1975)  (Read 5314 times)
akiratubo
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« on: June 23, 2009, 10:44:04 AM »

The garbage heap in Milpitas, California comes to life and begins raiding the town at night, looking for garbage cans to eat.

For the most part, your standard '70s no-budget monster flick.  The monster itself is actually pretty cool, pity the copy I have is so grimy and dark you can barely see it.  Its scenes are for the most part well-staged.  Oddly enough, it seems to be a giant moth-man (?).  Kind of weird for a creature supposedly made of garbage.  Maybe it was a leftover monster suit from another production.

There was one very nice touch when the town council finally formed a committee to deal with the monster.  The movie skipped over character introductions and exposition with, "We all know each other and why we're here, so let's get down to business."  We didn't really need to know anything about those people and the movie knew it.  Good job, I say.  They don't spend any time worrying about where the monster came from, either, just how they can find and destroy it.

Unfortunately, the movie is otherwise very stupid.  "Bad" I can handle, stupid not so much.  Throughout the first and second acts, the monster (which is 50 or more feet tall) flies or stomps into town in full view of individuals or, in a couple of cases, dozens of people, yet no one sees it or appears to pay attention to it even if they do.  There's a scene in which a famous scientist sends the town an "odorolla", which tracks down the foulest smelling thing in the area.  The de-facto main character is the town drunk, who is painfully unfunny.

Worth a watch if you can find it, but even at only 70 minutes it was wearing out its welcome.
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hellbilly
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« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2009, 11:16:05 AM »

I watched this the other week and it was just awful. Sadly no redeeming values whatsoever.
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Raffine
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« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2009, 11:40:24 AM »

This one has a fairly interesting history. The story goes a group of Milpitas high school students created a fake movie poster for a class assignment, and then decided along with their photography teacher to turn it into a full length monster movie. Eventually the whole community got involved in the making of the film, including local politicians and celebrities.

As one imdb reviewer put it: "If Corky St. Claire in WAITING FOR GUFFMAN had directed the citizens of Blaine in a horror movie with comic undertones the result would have been very much like THE MILPITAS MONSTER."

The final result is pretty much a goofy mess. I was able to get through it exactly once.

« Last Edit: June 23, 2009, 11:44:29 AM by Raffine » Logged

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The Burgomaster
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« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2009, 02:50:50 PM »

I watched this a few years ago and posted the following comments here:

This is another stinker that you can find in the CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK.  Although it is VERY low-budget and terrible, there are two points of interest that might make you want to watch it:

1.  It is narrated by Paul Frees (you'll recognize his voice from various animated films and other movies);

2.  According to THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE, it was made by a high-school teacher.  In this case, you might applaud the ambitious (but cheesy) special effects.

The movie is about a monster who grows out of garbage and pollution in the town of Milpitas, California.  Sometimes the monster (which looks like a giant two-legged fly wearing a gas mask) is played by an actor in a costume stomping through sets of miniature buildings.  The rest of the time, the monster is created with stop-motion animation (which is very mechanical and jerky).

You might find it okay for a laugh or two, but other than that, this is nothing but a waste of film.
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Raffine
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« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2009, 03:18:22 PM »


2.  According to THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE, it was made by a high-school teacher.  In this case, you might applaud the ambitious (but cheesy) special effects.



You know, a movie about the making of THE MILPITAS MONSTER could be quite entertaining!

Out of morbid curiosity I checked the City of Milpitas home page, and sure enough, the production of this film is featured prominently on their history and folklore page.

http://www.gomilpitas.com/booksMilpitas.htm

Surprise Milpitas Trivia!
The film THE RIVER'S EDGE, about some heartless murdering teens, is based on a true event in Milpitas. "Not our proudest moment" the town historian comments.

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akiratubo
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« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2009, 04:15:51 PM »

This is another stinker that you can find in the CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK.

I have that movie pack and The Milpitas Monser is not in it.  Is there more than one edition of CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK?
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The Burgomaster
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« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2009, 04:20:11 PM »

This is another stinker that you can find in the CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK.

I have that movie pack and The Milpitas Monser is not in it.  Is there more than one edition of CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK?

Let me check the accuracy of my statement.  I have many of the Mill Creek sets, and this movie may be in one of the other ones.  It's possible that I incorrectly stated it was in the Chilling Classics set.  The post I quoted above was from 2005 and I haven't watched this movie since then.
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Javakoala
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« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2009, 05:06:48 PM »

This is another stinker that you can find in the CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK.

I have that movie pack and The Milpitas Monser is not in it.  Is there more than one edition of CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK?

Disc 6, Side A

My ex lived in Milpitas around the time they finished the movie and made a big thing out of the premiere.  Her and her brother went to see it, and her mother remembers when it was being shot.  Considering it was done by mostly high school talent, it isn't bad.  I've seen it about 4 times, and it gets better with each viewing.
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akiratubo
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« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2009, 05:14:32 PM »

I'll look when I get back home but I'm sure The Milpitas Monster monster is not in the set.

You're talking about this one, right?
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Javakoala
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« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2009, 07:47:20 PM »

I'll look when I get back home but I'm sure The Milpitas Monster monster is not in the set.

You're talking about this one, right?


The very same.  I went in, checked the back, then pulled the individual sleeves out to verify.

Just as I keep hearing "Devil Times Five" is in one of the 50 packs but I swear I have gone over the film lists dozens of times and have never found it. I still haven't found it.

But I assure you "The Milpitas Monster" is there. At least, it is on the one I have with that cover.

I just did some research and there are 6 films on the list at Mill Creek that are not on the same set I have:

Mill Creek titles show DEVIL TIMES FIVE, I EAT YOUR SKIN, MURDER MANSION, PASSENGER TO BALI, SNOWBEAST and WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY

On the set I own, we have instead MEMORIAL VALLEY MASSACRE, DEADTIME STORIES, CHRISTMAS EVIL, CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD (in black and white, sadly), THE SNAKE PEOPLE, MILPITAS MONSTER  and VIRUS.

I have no idea why the difference.  But you might check your boxes.  This makes me want to buy it again just to get the titles I don't have.  Nah, it isn't worth it.


I sent Mill Creek an email about the variations to confirm them. I've interacted with them previously on a blog of mine and they are usually prompt and friendly, so I'll report the response when I get it.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2009, 07:57:35 PM by Javakoala » Logged
Raffine
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« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2009, 07:49:57 PM »

Indeed - THE MILPITAS MONSTER in included in the Chilling Classics set.

Disc 6, Side A.

Yup.

For some reason it's not listed in the product description on Amazon and other sites.
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akiratubo
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« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2009, 08:38:56 PM »

Disk 6, Side A:

Virus and Devil Times Five

There evidently are different versions of this set.
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Javakoala
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« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2009, 08:44:58 PM »

Disk 6, Side A:

Virus and Devil Times Five

There evidently are different versions of this set.


Lucky snot.  I had to breakdown and snag the Code Red version of "Devil Times Five" but it was worth it to get the extras.

Here's an idea.  Could you scan the listing at this link and compare it to the titles on your set and list the variations?  If you have the time.

http://www.millcreekent.com/ViewProductDetails.asp?productid=14
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akiratubo
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« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2009, 09:03:15 PM »

1. Alien Zone - *see below
2. Alpha Incident, The - Yes
3. Bad Taste - Yes
4. Bell from Hell - Yes
5. Blancheville Monster, The - Yes
6. Bloody Brood, The - Yes
7. Bucket of Blood, A - Yes
8. Cathy's Curse - Yes
9. Cold, The - Yes
10. Death Rage - Yes
11. Deep Red - Yes
12. Demon, The - Yes
13. Demons of Ludlow, The - Yes
14. Devil Times Five - Yes
15. Devil's Hand, The - Yes
16. Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon - Yes
17. Driller Killer, The - Yes
18. Drive-in Massacre - Yes
19. Funeral Home - Yes
20. Ghost, The - Yes
21. Gothic - Yes
22. Hands of a Stranger - Yes
23. Haunts - Yes
24. Horror Express - Yes
25. Horrors of Spider Island - Yes
26. I Bury the Living - Yes
27. I Eat Your Skin  - No
28. Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter - Yes
29. Lady Frankenstein - Yes
30. Legend of Big Foot - Yes
31. Man in the Attic - Yes
32. Medusa - Yes
33. Messiah of Evil - Yes
34. Metamorphosis - Yes
35. Murder Mansion, The - No
36. Naked Massacre - Yes
37. Oasis of the Zombies - Yes
38. Panic - Yes
39. Passenger to Bali, A - No
40. Revenge of Doctor X, The - Yes
41. Scream Bloody Murder - Yes
42. Shock - No
43. Silent Night, Bloody Night - Yes
44. Sisters of Death - Yes
45. Slashed Dreams - Yes
46. Snowbeast - No
47. Track of the Moon Beast - Yes
48. War of the Robots - Yes
49. Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory - Yes
50. Witches Mountain, The - Yes


Ones my set has that are not listed above:

Snake People
Virus
Crypt of the Living Dead
House of the Dead - *Evidently an alternate title for "Alien Zone"
Memorial Valley Massacre
Deadtime Stories
« Last Edit: June 23, 2009, 09:07:54 PM by akiratubo » Logged

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Javakoala
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« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2009, 10:00:33 PM »

Wow
 so that makes at least 3 versions of this set out there.

On the back, mine shows a copyright date of 2005.  What date does yours show?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but this has me both puzzled and intrigued.
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