In his sequence for Roger Corman’s Attack of the Crab Monsters, designer Paul Julian explores practical camera moves, multi-plane illustrations, and cross-dissolve animation to create a sense of urgency and mystery throughout.
The text from the opening crawl:
You are about to land in a lonely zone of terror... on an uncharted atoll in the Pacific! You are part of The Second Scientific Expedition dispatched to this mysterious bit of Coral reef and volcanic rock. The first group has disappeared without a trace! Your job is to find out why! There have been rumors about this strange atoll... frightening rumors about happenings way out beyond the laws of nature...
Paul Julian (1921-1995) was a Warner Bros. veteran who had worked mainly on Looney Tunes properties and is perhaps best known as the voice of Roadrunner (Meep! Meep!). He migrated into title design in the late ’50s before later joining the ranks of UPA and working exclusively with notorious B-movie producer–director Corman. Julian’s narrative background and unique mixed-media animation style lent his sequences a tonal depth and complexity not previously seen in B title design.
Title Designer: Paul Julian
Music: Ronald Stein