There's a monster in these here swamps. Nobody believes me, but you will. Yes, you will. When the blood is sapped from your body by the giant leeches you will believe! The local game warden knows something's up, but the poor, unimaginative sheriff is not letting him investigate because the whole notion is far too silly. In fact, the sheriff may just find him a human suspect to arrest.

 

"Attack of the Giant Leeches" gets a bad rap from a lot of people. While it certainly invites some harsh criticisms from any discerning movie patron, there are a few misguided souls out there, like me, that wonder why people hate it quite so much. It has an entertaining story, good characters, and some genuinely creepy moments. For an old black-and-white monster flick screaming out for a drive-in venue it rises up to be better than many of its peers even if only marginally so.

 

I guess I've seen too many horror movies. Whenever people are trying to convince the local authorities that some monster exists I can't help but wonder why it's so hard to believe. I have to force myself to remember that they are creating a link to reality. What real officer would outright believe in killer klowns from outer space or swamp monsters? But for some reason it's harder for me to understand why movie officers are so thick-headed. I guess it's just the way the characters react that fails to create a believable inability to believe.

 

This leads to a dynamic I like in "Attack of the Giant Leeches;" it gets away from the cliché of “crazy” teenagers trying to convince authorities. This time it’s a professional, a game warden, yet he still might as well be a know-nothing kid in the eyes of the authorities. For "Attack of the Giant Leeches" though, the battle between the game warden and the sheriff sells completely. In fact, their back-and-forth creates a lot of the best moments in the movie. Some people side with one or the other with a good narrative payoff towards the end. It was this conflict and the portrayal of it that drew me into the movie.

 

One thing that helps the suspension of disbelief is that the sheriff isn't just the icon of authority. While he does serve as that, he is also a real character. He clearly wants to do his job and who can blame him for not wanting to waste time on monster chases? We also get something beyond the scenes of teens tongue wrestling in a car only to be set upon by monsters. We get the plight of a town drunk desperate to tell what he knows and devastated at being ineffectual thanks to his chosen lot in life.

 

We also get a subplot of a beautiful cheating wife and her dumpy, good-natured husband that everyone thinks they can walk all over because he lacks the spine or wits to do anything about it. Watching the lives of these people intertwine with the monster story makes for good cinema.

 

The horrific moments vary. On the one hand we have the great setting of the swamp, ideal atmosphere for any horror story. The people trapped in the dank lair of the creatures is pretty creepy. Imagine finding yourself at the mercy of some horrific predator knowing that you're about to be cannibalized and that you're helpless to stop it.

 

On the other hand the creatures are standard rubber suit goofiness. Thankfully the director had enough sense to not show the "leeches" too much, but even less screentime might have helped. For one thing these look nothing like real leeches. I guess you could say "leech" is just a common term applied for lack of anything better, but don't expect a worm, not to mention they flop around like the suits they are which doesn't help sell their authenticity.