Can anyone name this movie?

[Mud Monster]

I was wondering if you know a movie I saw as a child, which would put it sometime in the 70's (but then again, I don't know how old the movie was at the time).  I'm not looking to buy or even watch it again--I'm just looking to identify it.  It was about some people (couples?) on an island and there was either a monster(s) on that island or some of the people turned into a monster(s).  They were either mud monsters, or fungus monsters or something.  Anyway, the only way to kill them (or it) was with salt, so the island brain trust decided to lure the monster to the pier or dock and trip the monster into the ocean, and voila!, no more monster.  I remember a scene in a cabin where the monster is trying to break in and gets his hand chopped off in the door as they slam it shut, and they accidentally spill salt on it, and the severed hand bursts into flames.  That's how they discover how to kill it.

Does this ring a bell?

[Andrew]

I have not seen it, just know of it.  A couple of people have emailed me looking for this "lost film."  It also pops up on the IMDB's "Need to Know" board often.

Here is the IMDB entry:
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0235068

And a whole webpage by another person who did not know the title, but found it:
http://home.earthlink.net/~usondermann/mud.html

[Chadzilla]

It's The Horror of Party Beach, a nifty little no brainer that got the MST3K treatment a few years back.

[Rob Phillips]

I got this from Joe Bob Briggs page:

2/27/2003
I remember the movie well because I wrote about it in my diary. It aired on CBS, Friday January 27, 1978. I was 11 years old and it scared the hell out of me. I have been searching for information for years with no luck, then my husband finally found this sight for me. As there seems to be no copy to be had, I continued my research and I contacted CBS who informed me that Colombia pictures in Colver City, CA. own the rights to the film, The World Beyond AKA World of Darkness. I called Colombia pictures and I was told that there must be some sort of legal issues over the music or something else and that is why the film cannot be released on video or dvd and although the director has his own copy, he cannot legally supply anyone else with a copy. However, I asked if a station such as Scifi could air the film and she said probably if they requested to do so. I then e-mailed the scifi program department (program@www.scifi.com)which "cannot provide individual responses." So I called and left a message with a gentleman at the Scifi station about our dilema and put in my request for the airing of the film or any other helpful information - but unless they can come through for us it looks like an unfortunate and diappointing dead end for us thriller seekers. Maybe if more of you contacted Scifi with a request they would notice the demand. I'll keep in touch as I hope anyone else with new information will too.
I just received an E-mail back from Noel Black and he also suggested that we flood the Sci-Fi channel (station manager and programming manager) with requests to re-run the episode. He said he would also try to contact them about televising it as well. He also mentioned there were two different movie versions one with the mud monster and severed hand, the other without, so we need to specify the mud monster version.
K Scheffey razmatzjo@wmconnect.com

http://home.earthlink.net/~usondermann/mud.html

Rob

[Andrew]

Chadzilla, that was exactly the movie that I originally thought it was the first time I ran across a searcher's description.  What usually makes it "The World Beyond" (that the person is looking for) is the mud man bit, along with the setting being an island.

[Chadzilla]

I guess it isn't The Horror of Party Beach, it was that dang sodium kills the monsters that got me confused.

[Chadzilla]

It was the sodium that got me.  Tell you, if I were armed with a bucket of ice, a salt shaker, and a cold there wouldn't be a monster that would dare to mess with me.

[Mud Monster]

Thank you - everyone.  You answered in a matter of seconds (literally) something that has bothered me for years.

[JohnL]

>Thank you - everyone. You answered in a matter of seconds (literally)
>something that has bothered me for years.

For many years, I was searching for the title of this movie also.

[Dunners]

"Sodium!!!!!!!!!!!..............(sodium , sodium) SODIUM! Yeah its sodium, its sodium!"

loved that stupid little song