Track of the Moon Beast
Track of the Moon Beast is a 1976 horror film directed by Richard Ashe and written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair. It tells the story of a mineralogist who is hit in the head by a meteorite, which subsequently turns him in to a vicious, reptilian creature during a full moon. The film was shot during the month of July 1972 on a $300,000 budget. It was set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico and featured locals as extras. Its production company kept the film under wraps during filming.
Planned for a 1973 release in theaters, it ended up airing on television in 1976. Retrospective review for the film have been negative. Track of the Moon Beast was featured in a tenth season episode of the comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1999.
Plot
[file:Track of the Moon Beast.ogg|left|thumb|thumbtime=2:10|Track of the Moon Beast]The film takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where mineralogist Paul Carlson is struck by a lunar meteorite while observing a meteor shower. Lodged in his brain, a fragment from the meteorite causes him to transform into a strong and vicious lizard whenever the Moon comes out. In his lizard form, Paul loses all trace of his human self and goes about killing people at random. While human, Paul is subject to spells of dizziness and nausea, causing his girlfriend Kathy Nolan and friend and former anthropology professor Johnny "Longbow" Salinas to become concerned.
Eventually it is shown that Paul is actually the Moon Beast; later, it is deduced that the meteorite fragment in his brain is the cause of his transformation. Plans are made to remove it from his skull, but the NASA brain surgeons realize—after another X-ray and Johnny's recollection of some Native American legends documenting similar phenomena—that the meteorite fragment has disintegrated and will eventually cause Paul to self-combust. When Paul learns of this, he escapes into the desert on a stolen motorcycle, presumably to kill himself so that he will not cause any more harm. When Johnny recalls that Paul's favorite place was always Sandia Crest, Kathy, Johnny, and local law enforcement officers follow him there. Johnny eventually shoots him with an arrow tipped with the original meteorite, which causes him to explode.
Production
Track of the Moon Beast was directed by Richard Ashe, produced by Ralph T. Desiderio and written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair. Its setting and location was in Albuquerque, New Mexico as Finger had written the story in the city despite never visiting, instead basing it on brochures. Frank Larrabee and his band, who were staying at the same Ramada Inn as the movie crew, performed the song "California Lady" in the movie. The performance was shot at the hotel.The budget for the film was $300,000. It was produced by Lizard Productions and received help from New Mexico's chamber of commerce. The production company kept the film under wraps during filming. Local Albuquerqueans were used for small speaking parts or as extras. Filming was from July 3 to the 27th of 1972, finishing two days ahead of schedule. The film was expected to be released in the spring of 1973. It ended up being shown on television in 1976.