Customer Reviews

The Giant Claw

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a "C" film ... "C" for campy. This was the era of "The Crawling Eye", "Killer Shrews", "Giant Gila Monster", "Reptilicus", and "Slime People".

Basically we have a giant wooden hand puppet that makes "Reptilicus" look like a lifetime achievement award for Special Effects. Somehow this vulture from outer space has an "anti-matter shield" that Star Trekkers would envy, though how we can't say. It can't be seen on radar and it has so terrorized the world [somehow] that no one dare even move, especially at night anywhere on the globe, or else. It would be a bad movie if it were done well, but it wasn't, which for some of us, including me, makes it a "CLASSIC CREATURE FEATURE". You won't need "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" to see the hysterical humor in this fun flick. Of course, the participants had no idea that they were making a piece of movie history, they thought it was just another low-budget movie.

So why should we turn our nose up at this stunning matinee and drive-in-movie fare? Of course its ridiculous. Did you expect otherwise? Of course, the scientists have half-baked theories and special weapons that wouldn't fly in a comic book. One does not choose this film instead of "Gone With The Wind". This film belongs to a very small group of cheesy-campy creature feature charmers! This one is so good at what it does you'll want to show your grandparents how you are spending your time the next time they visit. They'll respond by saying something like, "Wow, the stuff they're putting on TV has really gotten worse!"

In the cast are such notable 1950s horror/sci-fi regulars as Mara Corday ("Tarantula" & "The Black Scorpion"), Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth & Kronos), and Morris Ankrum (Invaders From Mars & Earth vs. the Flying Saucers), so you'll be seeing many a familiar face from the genre.

USEFUL INFO ABOUT THIS VIDEO:

This is a "Goodtimes Home Video" which unfortunately means you get a fair transfer recorded in the LP mode. This is typical for this type of film so until it comes out on DVD like the "Giant Gila Monster" and most of the others, this will have to do.

Whoo boy, I thought the diving helmet and gorilla costume from 'Robot Monster' was bad. Check out this winged terror! Remember the vulture from the Bugs Bunny cartoons? Rememebr the real stupid one who always go 'Aw nope nope nope nope'. Well now imagine him as a terrifying creature from outer space that eats people, destroys airplanes, and topples New York City. Uh, yeah.

Supposedly this thing can fly without being detected by radar. That's because he's from an 'anti-matter dimension' and he generates his own force field. This leaves him impervious to missles, bombs, and rockets. However, it lays eggs and the eggs can be shot with a rifle. Go figure.

The plot is really nothing more than 'Oh my God! There's a giant bird attacking the world!'. There's a whole lot of kooky 50's Sci-Fi mumbo jumbo talking about science that makes no sense, an over zealous military general, a so-so leading lady, and our star the chicken buzzard. It looks like a child's project gone horribly wrong. You can't help but to laugh watching this.

The Giant Claw is definitely one of the best Sci-Fi B Films of the 1950's. Starring Jeff Morrow and Mara Corday. Jeff Morrow portrays a test pilot who is testing a new device on a vintage jet fighter aircraft in an Arctic Circle U.S.Airforce base During mid flight he sees a gigantic shawdow "the size of a battleship" which bypasses his aircraft and radioes his base and a couple of jet interceptors scramble to intercept the gigantic flying object, but neither the base nor the scrambled interceptors radars show anything. The gorgeous looking Mara Corday portrays Morrow's co-worker and scientist monitoring Morrow's test flight. Morrow is "put on the rug" by the base military who believe Morrow caused a false alarm. Their suspicions dissipate as sightings of the huge flying object are reported from elsewhere, however the huge object is never detected by radar. Finally during one of the sightings the flying object becomes visible as terrified onlookers see a gargantuan size bird who proceeds to dive and engulf people destroy buildings and destroys or downs flying aircraft. Air force interceptors are powerless and are destroyed in considerable numbers, against the huge bird as their bullets and rockets bounce off some sort of "deflector protective shield" covering the bird.
Time is running out for humanity as scientists and U.S.Airforce brass work franctically to find a way for anti-aircraft proyectiles and missiles to penetrate the bird's defensive shield and pierce his skin.
Special effects in this movie are not of a very good quality and the gigantic bird from outer space,built by mexican films industry special effects model people, looks like a huge flying black feathered turkey with claws. However this film is definitely a typical and outstanding Saturday matinee classic gold "B" movie of the late 50's, which will surely become one of your favorites. A must have in every Sci-Fi collection. Unfortunately this film has been discontinued and right now is not available, but it will surely resurface again,most likely on DVD format, due to its popularity with collectors who demand its presence in the market.

According to the cast members of 1957's THE GIANT CLAW, the movie was filmed without them knowing what the monster looked like. When leading man Jeff Morrow saw the film, the audience burst into laughter each time the monster appeared on screen, and he slipped out a side door before he could be recognized.

There is a notion that PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is the worst film ever made, but in actual truth there are quite a few that are much worse, and THE GIANT CLAW is one of them. Producer Sam Katzman was notorious for grade-z movies, with more than two hundred flicks that ranged from the cheap explotation to the worst of Elvis Presley. Along the way he made several horror movies, most infamously THE WEREWOLF, ZOMBIES OF MORA TAU, THE CREATURE WITH THE ATOMIC BRAIN, and perhaps most ludicrously THE GIANT CLAW. In this drive-in flop, a group of scientists are unnerved when an aircraft is attacked by a OOFO--an out of focus object. Time passes and it transpires the OOFO is not a UFO but a big bird marionette made in Mexico. Yes, one can well understand why the audience burst into laughter at the premiere.

It seems that this is a bird from another world, and it is protected by a shield of anti-mater (don't ask why it doesn't blow up when it comes into contact with matter), and it is probably here on earth to build a nest and lay eggs. There's lots of stock footage, lots of people running and screaming in shots pulled from EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, and lots of wires showing whenever the bird is on camera. The movie ends as we knew it would all along and the audience is left to stagger in ennui. Yes, I suppose there are a few giggles to be gained from this flick, expecially when you see the bird, which looks a bit like Phyllis Diller hung over and without a wig. But the simple truth is that most bad movies are simply bad, and this is one of that variety.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I saw this movie again for the first time in 40 years. It's available on DVD as part of a 4 movie-2 disc set. It brings back memories of those late Saturday night horror movies 40 years ago when waiting for my older brothers to come home from dates.
This movie is frightening for about 30 seconds. The minute you get a look at this bird...! And the model work makes some of the Japanese Gozilla movies look stupendous! The Giant Gila Monster is bad (the movie, not the creature). This thing transcends bad all the way back to good. If you're into 50's era sci-fi, or you just love a good, bad movie (or like me you're both)This movie is a must see! Let the kids see it. They won't believe we actually paid to see this. Any movie that is so bad it sticks in your mind for over 40 years can't be missed.

This is the funiest creatur feature I have ever seen is just great with possibly the worst monster ever put on film I know any cult or horror fan will love this movie so check out you won't be sorry

THE GIANT CLAW is yet another of those disastrous lovable Creature Feature classics that's so bad it's nearly great. This time, Earth is threatened by something "the size of a flying battleship" that has Stealth capability and an antimatter shield around it that absorbs any and all ballistic projectiles fired at it. Instead of it being a giant high-tech spacecraft, it's a giant low-tech avian squawking something-or-other from Who Knows Where with a thyroid problem and bad teeth that looks like your Thanksgiving Dinner run amuck.

Beware as it swoops out of the sky to eat people, cars, tanks, and the film's scriptwriter. Too bad it didn't eat the Special Effects people first, but, then again, if it had, we wouldn't have THE GIANT CLAW to laugh at. Fortunately, the busty Mara Corday saves the day just by being the busty Mara Corday. God, I love this kind of movie!

I am a Sci-fi Lover from way back in the mid 50's when I went to the Saturday movies! This movie.."The Giant Claw" was one that I remember seeing twice because I liked it soooooo much! I have looked for this movie for years, but could never remember the name of it until I ran across it on Amazon! They say you can never go back...........well I guess in some ways that is true. As I remembered this movie as being more scarey then it really is. Now is seems kind of silly and tame to me, but as a 10 year old...it gave me some Big Thrills! I still do recommend it as it is different then most 50's Science Fiction movies. Not really Great Big....special effects, but still a novel idea and I remember being very scared of that BIG BIRD...swoping down and grabbing me on my way back home after the movies. I also remember the Bird's caugh, caugh, caugh sound for along time. KIDS...what did we know? But all in all........go for it. Great popcorn and Fun movie!

This could be the funniest movie I have ever seen. The monster bird used in this film is so ridiculous looking that you will be doubled over watching this "Turkey" I would buy this on DVD in a minute if it were available. Too bad!

If you like to see wires that are holding the monster,then this movie is for you.Campy,but alot of fun..This movie is perfect for MST3K,so that should give you what you're getting yourself into,if you buy this.If that's ok,then you should enjoy it for what it is...