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» » Attack of the Killer Shrews! (2016)

Short summary

Parody of the 1959 cult classic "The Killer Shrews." Hilarity ensues as small town Sheriff Martin Blake, movie starlet Fiona Rae and others defend the world from an onslaught of giant killer shrews.

The film was brought from concept to production in just two weeks, though it took 2 years to edit and release. The reason for this was out of the filmmakers' ingenuity. After unsuccessfully raising funds for a much more commercial film, White Lion Studios decided to take what they had left, which wasn't much, and create a splatstick remake of The Killer Shrews (1959).

Lloyd Kaufman was in town to film Killer Rack when Ken Cosentino "borrowed" him for this production.

The stop-motion introduction to the film was built in 6 months and filmed in 3 days. The graveyard and shrews were sculpted by Ken Cosentino, while the other sets (including the Evil Dead tribute) were all hand crafted by Elizabeth Houlihan.

The film won 2 awards at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival: Best WNY Comedy and Best WNY Actress (Elizabeth Houlihan). This was the film's first festival showing.

The filmmakers planned to use more "dogs in mops" throughout the movie, but the dogs were not complying.

Most of the budget was spent on feeding the cast and crew.

In the behind the scenes documentary, writer/director Ken Cosentino states that the film was accomplished using a "run-and-gun" method of filmmaking.

The only dog to appear in the film, Masen, was tragically struck and killed by a vehicle months after his scene was shot; in an incident unrelated to the production. His name can be seen in the dedication at the bottom of the end credits.

This is Jonathan Rogers' first film as an actor.

The filmmakers were inspired heavily by the Killer Shrews episode of MST3k.

This is Ken Cosentino's fourth feature film as director.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Fenritaur
    Without giving anything away, I would just like to say, this is one of my favorite movies of all times!! I have never laughed so hard!!! For a low budget movie, they could not have done a better job. Excellent cast, great special effects, and beautifully captured the essence of the original, but with a comedy spin. I reluctantly let my 8 year old daughter watch this! She absolutely loved it!! Great way to introduce her to a scary movie without giving her nightmares, yet still has scenes that will make you jump! If you have not seen it yet, I recommend you order a copy today!! Watch it with friends. You will not regret it.
  • comment
    • Author: Steel balls
    I was finally was able to catch Attack of the Killer Shrews and I had a riot watching it. Can't wait to watch again with the commentary. The cast did an excellent job. Loved all the Western NY love given. Local business cameos including Rons, Sunshine Cafe, and Fat Bobs! Bill Kennedy was hilarious. Charlie Hilson and JB Aaron turned in great performances. This one was exciting until the end!
  • comment
    • Author: NI_Rak
    This film is a riot. For a lower budget production, this film packs a lot of punch. The comedic twist on the cult classic is very entertaining as well as the diverse cast. All the characters add their own special charm to the story. Attack of The Killer Shrews is to classic B horror flick as Space Balls is to Star Wars, or High Anxiety is to Hitchcock. Contains some saucy language and simulated gore. Enjoy!
  • comment
    • Author: ACOS
    I just finished watching a wonderful and exciting movie! Attack of the Killer Shrews is a remake of the 1950s B horror film of the same name. The original film is extremely cheesy, and, by today's standards, very poorly made.

    The remake was locally made in Western New York, using regional and local talent, settings, supplies, financing, and other resources. I have spoken before about the wonder of the Western New York film scene. Western New York has almost fifty studios, all made locally by local people and local resources. I cannot speak highly enough of the Western New York film scene.

    My friend Bill Kennedy is the star of this film, playing a small town sheriff whose motley crew happens upon the titular killer shrews, which are result of what else but a scientist's evil plan gone awry. Our crew includes at various times the Sheriff, his deputy who, in true small-town fashion is also his cousin, an eccentric genius professor, his agent, the agent's wife, a movie star, and any number of soldiers and/or small towns people.

    As mentioned, the original film from the 1950s is very cheesy, and does not have the best production values. This film, made in Buffalo, New York and the surrounding area, was made with limited financing and resources, and it shows. However! That is not a bad thing! In fact, the exact opposite is true. The fact that the film was made on a shoestring budget with shoestring resources amplifies its fulfillment of its goal.

    What is the goal of this film? The goal of this film is to serve as satire and homage to the original film and its genre. In this goal, a small town film made out of Western New York can truly shine and succeed! The film has plenty of cheesy effects, jokes, corny exposition, and breaking of the fourth wall.

    The film starts out slow, and although it was initially difficult to figure out, it developed into a fun, exciting effort to rid the small town of what else, but killer shrews! I recommend this film full heartedly for several reasons:

    this film is an awesome example of how a great film can be made on a budget this film is a true throwback to cheapen cheesy horror films of the 1950s a local community did a wonderful job putting on this film this is proof that anybody can make a good film if they put their minds and hearts to it

    With those reasons in mind, I give this film a 9 out of 10 rating, or a five out of five rating! Please enjoy Attack of the Killer Shrews!

    This blog posting is the personal opinion of Alec Frazier and the professional policy of his advocacy firm, Autistic Reality. If you oppose it, please screen grab it! We are very proud of this opinion!
  • comment
    • Author: ℓo√ﻉ
    For a low budget movie this was well written,directed and edited by Niagara Falls own Ken Cosentino Some really good acting by local actors, The stunts done by and props made by Baird Hageman were unbelievable.The mine shaft alone was worth an award.also the revolving contraption where the two old guys were firing away at the shrews, hilarious! The leading lady, Elizabeth Houlihan deservedly won best local actress award at the Buffalo Dreams Festival for her role as heart throb Fiona Rae. She had everyone eating out of her hand ! Some of the scenes were wet your pants funny, my favorites were the dog and the wig and when a shrew appeared in the barber's shop ! One to buy for sure.
  • comment
    • Author: Hugifyn
    Everyone from the mad scientist to Fiona Ray was cast perfectly and are sure to keep you laughing throughout this cult classic remake of (looks at the camera) 'Attack of the Killer Shrews'. Shot and casted in WNY, this films got heart and is a great pick for one of these chillingly spooky fall nights!! If your like me and would rather trade some of the gore for laughing so hard it hurts, then this is the one for you!

    Cheers
  • comment
    • Author: RED
    Paying tribute to the 1959 classic sci fi Low budget film "The Killer Shrew", "Attack of the Killer Shrews" by "White Lion Studios" puts a comedic on the story told by it's spiritual predecessor. The film begins with an extremely well done stop motion summary of the story, following a brief introduction by B-Movie Icon Lloyd Kauffman of "Troma Entertainment".

    Following this opening, any pretense of seriousness that may have been expected is decisively shattered, ushering in a barrage of nonsensical and random comedy, complete with gratuitous blood played entirely for laughs.

    The film waste no time getting to the point, immediately introducing the cliche mad scientist character, who in typical mad scientist fashion, creates an army of blood thirsty rodents intent on massacring everything in sight. The Shrews themselves resembled the cheap quality of the shrews from the original film, but with enough self awareness to know how ridiculous they appeared. The shrews would randomly pop out of no where and act in manners that defied any logic, but came off as appropriate given the nature of the film.

    The human characters were nearly as ridiculous as the shrews they fought against. They consisted of various cliches and served little purpose other than to move the plot along and as subjects of jokes. It would have been pointless and inappropriate for any of the characters to be taken seriously, or to spend an unnecessary amount of time developing them. Instead, their brief introductions and simple personalities granted the film consistent pacing, with the jokes primarily relating to the plot.

    Overall, "Attack of the Killer Shrews" is a entertaining, low budget comedy that never pretends to be more than it is. If you have an appreciation for classic low budget films and over the top comedy, then "Attack of the Killer Shrews" is definitely a film worth your consideration. Though you may want to check every corner of your house before hand. Just in case something is waiting for you.
  • Credited cast:
    Bill Kennedy Bill Kennedy - Sheriff Blake
    Elizabeth Houlihan Elizabeth Houlihan - Fiona Rae
    Jonathan Rogers Jonathan Rogers - Professor Charles Perry
    Baird Hageman Baird Hageman - Wayne
    Lloyd Kaufman Lloyd Kaufman - Himself
    Marcus Ganci-Rotella Marcus Ganci-Rotella - Lewis
    Mick O'Keefe Mick O'Keefe - Dr. Murdock
    Cheryl Szymczak Cheryl Szymczak - Cassandra
    James Ventry James Ventry - Captain Jack Frost
    Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
    Jb Aaron Jb Aaron - Sgt. Stonewall
    Bill Brown Bill Brown - Mr. Wilkens
    Ken Cosentino Ken Cosentino - Officer Dewey
    Joseph Giambra Joseph Giambra - Svenson
    Michael Hawerbier Michael Hawerbier - Manager
    Steve Losey Steve Losey - Chef
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