My mom is trying really hard to connect with the Monster Kid right now. It’s difficult for her, because she has no interest in Minecraft, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Godzilla, or B-movies, but I will give her credit, she is really trying. She is totally confused, and asks lots of questions, and he’s very impatient with her. And most recently, he started talking about killer crabs (pretty random choice, I know) and describing the plot of Attack of the Crab Monsters. She looked at me and said, “Killer crabs are a thing?”
Yeah, Mom, they are. There aren’t, to my knowledge, huge quantities of books out there about them, but Guy N. Smith’s Crabs books are well-loved in some circles. Dylan, the original Monster Librarian, was a gigantic fan of them. In his honor, and for unbelievers like my mother, I present a brief list of books and movies with killer crabs.
Night of the Crabs and the Crabs series by Guy N. Smith
Night of the Crabs is the first book in the Crabs series, a killer animal cult classic. Giant man-eating crabs invade the Welsh coast, and mayhem ensues. Guy N. Smith is not a literary giant, but his reputation for killer animal horror is well-deserved. I implore you to read the positive reviews on Amazon to see what I mean– the Crabs books are truly beloved by their readers. This fast-paced, quick read is the book that allowed Smith to become a full-time writer.
If you are willing to take the jump, or your original copies have crumbled, the entire series has now been released on Kindle. There are seven books in the series: Night of the Crabs, Killer Crabs, The Origin of the Crabs, Crabs on the Rampage, Crabs’ Moon, Crabs: The Human Sacrifice, and Killer Crabs: The Return.
Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams
Giant crab-like creatures are invading the small town of Philipsport, Maine, and they’re fleeing even more terrifying creatures– the Dark Ones. Dylan absolutely LOVED this book, with fanboyish delight. It’s not for the faint of heart, though. Gory and violent, with a Lovecraftian tinge, this is an homage to killer animal B-movies that received praise from Edward Lee and Richard Laymon. Clickers is the first book in a series, and is followed by Clickers II: The Next Wave, Clickers III: Dagon Rising, and Clickers vs. Zombies, all co-written by J.F. Gonzalez and Brian Keene.
Crustaceans by William Meikle
I have to admit, it makes me giggle to see that our original review of this book is quoted in the editorial reviews on Amazon. Meikle dedicated this book to Guy N. Smith, and was clearly inspired by his books.
Want a movie with your seafood? Try one of these:
An early Roger Corman film with giant, killer, papier-mache crabs stealing the show and knocking off the human characters fairly efficiently, but mostly off-screen.
Crab created by Ray Harryhausen– need I say more?
This evidently isn’t easily available, but reviews describe it as “relatively blood-free”, so it’s probably safe to watch with your 10 year old.
As always, not every book or movie is appropriate for every reader (or viewer). But if you are looking to dip your toe in the water of killer animal horror with lots of action, crabs might be a good place to start. Enjoy!
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