THE GIANT CLAW (1957)- Starring: Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum, Louis Merrill, and Edgar Barrier.
Directed by: Fred F. Sears
Well, welcome to The Crypt, once again! You know, I hope you people appreciate what I do for you! You can't believe the movies I've seen. I can hardly believe them.
Like today's offering, for instance. Would you believe me if I told you that there's a movie about a giant, prehistoric vulture from outer space that swoops down and munches on planes? Well, there is. Oh yes, this movie exists, and I really don't know what to make of it except, well, just that. This movie exists.
Really, just let the gravity of the plot sink in for a moment. A giant, prehistoric vulture from outer space that swoops down and eats aircrafts. No, I'm not high. This is actually what this movie is about.
Well, I suppose I'd better get started. Come with me, if you wish, and see the ridiculous terrors of THE GIANT CLAW!
So the movie starts with military test pilot Mitch MacAffee (Morrow). MacAffee is running a test flight for Gen. Considine (Ankrum), when he sees a strange shape fly by him. On the ground, however, nothing shows up on the radar. Jeff returns to the ground and claims that he saw a U.F.O. that looked like "a huge battleship". Mitch is amazed when he is told that nothing was found.
Considine is ready to court martial Mitch, when it is reported that a commercial plane has disappeared. The last transmission from the pilot claimed that they were attacked by "a huge battleship". It immediately becomes clear that something must be done.
Mitch and his girlfriend, Sally (Corday), go up in a plane to see if they can find this mysterious "battleship". They do. The U.F.O. attacks the plane and sends it down, severely injuring the pilot. Mitch and Sally seek help at the farm of kindly French farmer, Pierre (Merrill). Later Pierre hears a strange noise outside and decides to inspect it. He attacked by the strange creature, and begins to scream about and ancient French legend.
The military finally decides to send someone to kill this strange creature, and we finally get a glimpse of this great threat to America.
I'll be honest. Up to this point, this was a fairly decent old-fashioned B-monster-movie. The performances were good, the action was convincing, and the monster was wisely kept offscreen. But then we get to see it. I can't really describe this creature, so I decided to include a picture of it. I warn you, take a deep breath before you scroll down and look at this thing. The first time I saw it, I had to pause the movie because I was on the floor laughing. It truly is the greatest "WTF" moment in movie history. So, proceed with caution:
.... Dear god. What. The. Hell. Was that?! I mean, how could the producers of this movie think that anybody could take that thing seriously? Well, no one did. Supposedly, at the film's premiere, the movie was laughed off the screen. What's worse is that none of the actors knew what it looked like beforehand, so they all took the movie very seriously. It's been rumored that star Jeff Morrow left the premiere embarrassed and spent the rest of the night getting drunk..... I don't blame him.
Anyway, back to the plot. So after the military manages to take pictures of "the battleship" (Hahaha!) they try to attack it, but bullets seem to have no effect on the beast. Dr. Noymann (Barrier) discovers that the bird is from another planet, and that it is surrounded by a field of antimatter, meaning nothing made of solid matter can have an effect on it. And it's laying eggs.....
Wow. That's really all I have to say on this one, just.... wow! I mean, what were the makers of this movie thinking?! They took what could have been a B-movie classic, and gave it a monster so ridiculous, that it became a so-bad-it's-good classic.
Alright, I'll admit that special effects weren't very advanced back in the 1950's, but this thing is just unforgivably ridiculous. I mean.... WOW!
Also, just a side note, here: How in the hell does that thing look like a battleship?! It looks like the bastard child of a vulture and a rubber chicken! You would have to be high or blind to think that thing looks like a battleship.
Plus, the bird is supposed to be extraterrestrial. Can you just imagine that thing flying through space?!
On the positive side, the performances are pretty good, and the film is well shot. I suppose if you look at it as a comedy, it might actually work. It is pretty hilarious. I guess I really can't hate this movie entirely, but, wow- that damn chicken ruins it.
So that's THE GIANT CLAW, a movie that could've been fairly decent, but instead just ended up being utterly ridiculous. That's all I have to say, so, until next time:
My rating- * * out of * * * *
