The Giant Gila Monster (1959)

User Rating:

2.8/10   

Director:

Ray Kellogg

Writers:

Ray Kellogg (story)
Jay Simms (screenplay)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Only Hell could breed such an enormous beast. Only God could destroy it!

Plot:

A giant lizard terrorizes a rural Texas community with a heroic teenager attempting to destroy the creature.

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Teenager | Monster | Giant Lizard | Mechanic

Cast

Don Sullivan	...	Chase Winstead
Fred Graham	...	Sheriff Jeff
Lisa Simone	...	Lisa
Shug Fisher	...	Old Man Harris
Bob Thompson	...	Mr. Wheeler
Janice Stone	...	Missy Winstead
Ken Knox	...	Horatio Alger 'Steamroller' Smith
Gay McLendon	...	Mom Winstead
Don Flournoy	...	Gordy
Cecil Hunt	...	Mr. Compton
Stormy Meadows	...	Agatha Humphries
Howard Ware	...	Ed Humphries
Pat Reeves	...	Rick
Jan McLendon	...	Jennie
Jerry Cortwright	...	Bob

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #19329)

Filming Locations:

Cielo, Texas, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures Corporation (II)

Trivia:

Ken Knox, who plays disc jockey Horatio Alger "Steamroller" Smith, was a real disc jockey working at radio stations in Texas owned by Gordon McLendon, the uncredited executive producer of this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the freight train crashes, you can plainly see the string pulling the engine off of the tracks. Once it goes off, the rest of the train follows.

Quotes:

Sheriff Jeff: Have you heard the reports of a "giant lizard"?
Mr. Wheeler: Yes, but it's just not possible.
Sheriff Jeff: Well, why not? There have been giants before!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Giant Gila Monster (#5.2)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

The Mushroom Song

I bought this movie

The acting is embarrassing, the special effects are terrible, the photography is okay except for consistently bad lighting, the dialog is awkward, and the locations of the shots are difficult to mentally resolve. I love this movie. It's like a movie I would have tried to make, and wish I had made. I would be proud of it today if I had. I bought it, it's that good/bad. It's not as bad as "Plan 9 From Outer Space", in fact it's Academy Award material compared to Plan 9. It's one of those 50's low budget movies that I can't get enough of. I would love to have a collection of movies like this one. One thing I never quite understood was how a Gila Monster survived in Texas or possibly a Midwestern locale. It obviously wasn't Arizona... Forgot to mention the singing, makes the acting look good.