It’s a shame David Allen’s stop-motion talents were wasted in films like Crater Lake Monster. Here’s a film that simply doesn’t care that a talented young stop-motion animator is actually trying to do something special, and instead relies on a boneheaded script so ridiculous, none of it can be taken seriously.
This is a film where a women looks up at the sky and recites the line, “Look at the stars! I’ve never seen so many!” Apparently, no one wanted to wait until nightfall to shoot this, because it is blatantly done in broad daylight. It’s careless, and the acting is no better.
Many of the roles are filled by either one-time actors or future special-effects workers. If Mark Siegel looks familiar, he should. He has done numerous films for Lucasfilm in terms of makeup and creature design. Here he plays a drunken hick, used for comedic effect that never actually becomes funny. The same goes for Michael Hoover, handling the special effects load for countless films, and still working today.
Crater Lake Monster is obviously trying to stretch its running time to make it to feature length. A staggering number of shots go nowhere, simply zooming on random forest locales. A baffling subplot involving a carryout robbery leads to an extended and pointless chase sequence.
Not even Allen’s decent animation can salvage the movie. What little budget the film has is obviously spent here, a small snippet of Allen’s work in later film’s such as Q and cleverly titled *batteries not included.
Crater Lake Monster opens with a shot over water, one of the worst clichés in all of film. Is this supposed to establish dread in the audience? If we haven’t seen what’s in the lake, what are we supposed to be scared of? Apparently, the time you’re about to waste watching this movie. 
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