The Introverted Obelisk

Claws for Alarm: When the Buffet Bites First

Obie Knox Episode 3

In this crustacean calamity of atomic proportions, The Introverted Obelisk scuttles into the radioactive tidal pool of 1957’s Attack of the Crab Monsters—a movie where the science is shaky, the dialogue is moist, and the crabs are psychic. Join us as we unpack the radioactive fever dream of an island expedition that goes from scientific to suicidal in record time, courtesy of some giant telepathic crabs with a taste for human intellect and long-winded exposition.

We’ll explore why the military insists on sending its most emotionally fragile personnel to monster-infested islands, why nobody is ever actually holding a gun when they need one, and how the crabs’ plan for world domination somehow hinges on eating geologists and repeating their voices like parrot-shaped Ouija boards. Also: the thrilling debut of murderous molting!

With shocking deaths, suspenseful paper mâché, and crabs that seem more emotionally available than most men in the 1950s, this episode pairs best with a warm cocktail and a suspicious side of coleslaw.

So grab your Geiger counter, dodge the disembodied voices, and whatever you do—don’t go near the fissures. 

Support the show

People on this episode

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

Spooked Artwork

Spooked

KQED and Snap Studios
Welcome to Night Vale Artwork

Welcome to Night Vale

Night Vale Presents
Within the Wires Artwork

Within the Wires

Night Vale Presents
RPPR Actual Play Artwork

RPPR Actual Play

Ross Payton
The White Vault Artwork

The White Vault

Fool and Scholar Productions
Rabbits Artwork

Rabbits

Terry Miles