A monster menaces a woman in “The Monster of Piedras Blancas,” filmed in Cayucos.
Courtesy photo
Uniquely is a Tribune series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in SLO County so special.
About sixty-five years ago, a murderous monster stalked the streets of a San Luis Obispo County beach town.
“The Monster of Piedras Blancas,” a low-budget Hollywood horror movie, was shot in and around Cayucos in 1958 and released in theaters the following year.
Since then, the B-movie has become a beloved classic for locals, inspiring many community screenings and even a fan-made sequel.
Just in time for Halloween, here’s a look back at one of SLO County’s creepiest — but also comical — film productions.
What is ‘The Monster of Piedras Blancas’?
In 1959’s“The Monster of Piedras Blancas,” a 7-foot-tall, cave-dwelling creature terrorizes residents of the North Coast. The titular monster beheads its victims before sucking them dry of blood.
Irvin Berwick directed the film, which stars Les Tremayne as a local doctor, Forrest Lewis as a constable and John Harmon as a lighthouse keeper.
Model-turned-actor Jeanne Carmen plays the daughter of the lighthouse keeper, who is so lonely he leaves meals for the beast.
The monster, who looks strikingly similar to the title character from “The Creature From the Black Lagoon,” draws attention from residents when it starts picking people off one by one.
However, other local landmarks, including Morro Rock and downtown Cayucos shops, are featured in the film.
At the time of its release in 1959, the 71-minute film was marketed as a thrilling creature feature that was sure to induce scares.
“Man-monster from the slimy depths,” one film poster warned. “He preys on human flesh.”
The movie’s advertising campaign didn’t convince critics — Leonard Maltin called it “obvious and amateurish” with sluggish pacing — but it still found a cult following.
The movie was even named the first-place winner of the Shock Award by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.
A monster menaces a woman in “The Monster of Piedras Blancas,” filmed in Cayucos. Courtesy photo
Filming of Hollywood horror movie ‘mind-boggling’ for locals
More thansix decades after “The Monster of Piedras Blancas” was released, locals fondly remember it as a major moment for Cayucos, which today boasts about 2,500 people.
“The fact that they were actually shooting a movie in Cayucos was pretty mind-boggling,” townresident Greg Bettencourt said. “It’s just not something you can conceive as a kid growing up in a little, kind of by-the-wayside town.”
Bettencourt was 13 at the time of filming in 1958.He remembers production crew members coming into his parents’ restaurant in downtown Cayucos for breakfast and lunch in between shoots.
His mother’s friends were also extras in “The Monster of Piedras Blancas,” he said.
When the movie came out, Bettencourt said, everyone in town gathered to watch the finished product.
It’s been played at the Cayucos Veterans Hall periodically over the years, enabling the film — and its local connection — to live on.
Bettencourt said he’s not a film buff, but he appreciates the film for its attachment to his hometown.
“I was looking for all the Cayucos elements,” he said. “It wasn’t a major event in my life. It was kind of a curiosity.”
Cayucos resident Jan Lewis said she bought the mask of the monster of Piedras Blancas off of Craigslist for $150 in 2012. She does not know whether it was used during filming or if it is a replica. Hannah Poukish hpoukish@thetribunenews.com
Cayucos fans give B-movie creature a redemption story
Cayucos resident Jan Lewis has lived in the community for decades and said “The Monster of Piedras Blancas” has always been a fun part of its past.
She loves the movie’s many hilarious and “campy” elements, she said.
“It’s just one of those things that Cayucos has,” she said, adding that the town has “kind of a limited history.” “Other than this movie, Cayucos has been pretty off the grid.”
In 2012, Lewis and her friend Kim Borchard teamed up to create a sequel to “The Monster of Piedras Blancas.”
Lewis put a call-out for actors and filmmakers to join their production and was flooded with calls from people wanting to be a part of the movie.
She found a screenwriter, a director, a cast and crew members, all of whom agreed to volunteer their time to create the remake. Lewis and Borchard were the producers working behind the scenes.
poster for The Redemption of the Monster of Piedras Blancas.
The friends even tracked down a mask purportedly worn by the original actor who portrayed the monster. It was for sale on Craigslist in San Luis Obispo for around $150.
In retrospect, Lewis said, she’s unsure whether the mask was real or a replica, but it was perfect for the sequel’s monster, she said.
The short film, titled “The Redemption of the Monster of Piedras Blancas,” took community members 30 days in June 2012 to shoot and edit.
The 25-minute movie “embraces the themes of love, acceptance, family, community and all things green, with a sub-theme parodying the ‘Wizard of Oz,’ ” according to the official summary.
Lewis and Borchard screened the finished product at the Cayucos Elementary School auditorium on July 4, 2012, for a crowd of more than a hundred people.
Lewis said she felt a huge sense of accomplishment for helping create the remake.
“We made a movie!” she said.
Cayucos resident Jan Lewis helped rally the community to create a “Monster of Piedras Blancas” sequel titled “The Redemption of the Monster of Piedras Blancas” in 2012. Hannah Poukish
Horror film statue towers at a local antique shop
At least one local business has a special connection to “The Monster of Piedras Blancas.”
According to Remember When Antiques owner Jennifer Meiners, parts of the 1959 film were shot inside the building that now houses the store, including an iconic scene where the monster murders and beheads a man.
“It’s pretty cool because if you go in the store, you can totally tell ... that’s exactly where it was,” Meiners said.
Meiners displayed a full-size replica of the sharp-toothed, blood-sucking creature featured in the film at her Cayucos store for 18 months, starting in early 2022, she said.
Movieland Inc., a Clovis-based company specializing in life-size replicas of horror film characterss, created the statue and asked Meiners if it could keep it in the store on consignment. The company also offered to sell it to her for $6,000.
At the time, Meiners didn’t have the extra cash or space for the 7-foot-tall sculpture, but eventually she was convinced to hold it in the shop.
Jennifer Meiners, the owner of the antique shop Remember When in Cayucos, poses with a replica statue of the monster from the film “The Monster of Piedras Blancas.” Jennifer Meiners
Shopkeepers and customers grew to love the monster statue, which employees nicknamed Monty, she said.
“It really was cool having it here. Everybody loved it,” she said. “We dressed it up for every holiday that we had it and people would come and take pictures with it.”
However, in October 2023 the replica’s owners came back to claim it. Movieland FX sold the statue to a person on the East Coast, according to Meiners.
Looking back, Meiners said, she wishes she had splurged and bought the monster statue for her shop.
She said customers still come into Remember When Antiques asking where it went.
Even though Meiners no longer gets to gaze upon a monstrous statue in her shop, she said she’s glad she can still watch “The Monster of Piedras Blancas” at home.
“I love the movie. I recommend everybody watch it,” she said. “It’s hilarious. It’s not supposed to be, but it’s so funny.”
A replica statue of the monster from the film “The Monster of Piedras Blancas.” Remember When in Cayucos held the statue on consignment for a year and a half. Jennifer Meiners
Hannah Poukish covers San Luis Obispo County as The Tribune’s government reporter. She previously reported and produced stories for The Sacramento Bee, CNN, Spectrum News and The Mercury News in San Jose. She graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree in journalism.
