Post by Chicago Jake on Jan 8, 2012 1:16:52 GMT -6
This week's Svengoolie creature feature was Nathan Juran's 1957 opus, "The Deadly Mantis", starring Craig Stevens, William (son of Hedda) Hopper, and Alix Talton as the bullet-breasted love interest.
This movie is a classic example of the typical 1950s giant creature horror fest. In this particular case, the creature in question is an enormous praying mantis, which initially preys on military personnel near the arctic circle, before migrating southward and feasting on more civilian types of food morsels.
The movie, while ridiculous and hopelessly dated, still exhibits a crisp pacing and a slick, minimalistic structure that does not fail to entertain. The characters are believable and enjoyable, and the ending is satisfying. If you are the type to enjoy this genre in the first place, you will probably like this film. If you are one of those poor souls who don't know how to enjoy a 1950s creature feature, this one will probably NOT win you over!
One notable aspect of this movie is its abundant use of stock footage. Many of the aircraft carrier scenes, airplane scenes, and even scenes of an Eskimo village rushing to their kayaks to escape the monster, were lifted wholesale from earlier productions. Is this theft? Or is it a socially conscious attempt to recycle, reuse, and re-purpose? I'll leave it to the audience to decide.
This movie is a classic example of the typical 1950s giant creature horror fest. In this particular case, the creature in question is an enormous praying mantis, which initially preys on military personnel near the arctic circle, before migrating southward and feasting on more civilian types of food morsels.
The movie, while ridiculous and hopelessly dated, still exhibits a crisp pacing and a slick, minimalistic structure that does not fail to entertain. The characters are believable and enjoyable, and the ending is satisfying. If you are the type to enjoy this genre in the first place, you will probably like this film. If you are one of those poor souls who don't know how to enjoy a 1950s creature feature, this one will probably NOT win you over!
One notable aspect of this movie is its abundant use of stock footage. Many of the aircraft carrier scenes, airplane scenes, and even scenes of an Eskimo village rushing to their kayaks to escape the monster, were lifted wholesale from earlier productions. Is this theft? Or is it a socially conscious attempt to recycle, reuse, and re-purpose? I'll leave it to the audience to decide.