The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965)

So, there’s this beach and there are some girls on it and there’s a monster. There’s also a whole lot of drama that concerns a young guy who’s pressured into a science career by his father while he also fends off advances from his liquor-guzzling sexpot stepmother. It all adds up to a bad movie cult classic. It spends at least half of its seventy-minute run time on the dull soap opera storyline, but doesn’t spend any time attempting to make a lick of sense.

Its saving graces include the memorably bad rubber suit monster, some goofy low-budget beach party scenes and a fairly bitchin’ little music score packed with reverb-happy surf rock and trashy jazz. Frank Sinatra Jr. co-wrote the party-hearty theme song, “Dance Baby Dance”.

Directed by actor Jon Hall, who was a fixture of B-movie jungle adventures and westerns of the 1940s and 50s. He also takes a supporting acting role here. This was his directorial debut as well as his final film.