Giant from the Unknown

Director - Richard E. Cunha (Frankenstein's Daughter, She Demons)

Starring - Ed Kemmer (The Spider, Space Patrol), Sally Fraser (One Step Beyond, War of Colossal Beast), Bob Steele (Gunsmoke, The Magical World of Disney)

Release Date - 1958

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "It came from another world"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Last week and over the weekend I spent my time watching and reviewing some films from the sleazier side of cinema.  Since October I have been spending all my free time watching and reviewing horror releases and kind of burnt myself out.  However, after spending some time with sexploitation I've returned to my beloved genre with a classic that I had never seen.  Sometime back I received a press release about the Film Detective release of Giant from the Unknown.  This is one I had heard about before but never had the time to check it out.  I want to thank Film Detective for sending this one over!

     The film follows a professor and his daughter who visit a small mountain town looking for the remains of a giant conquestedor that is rumored to have enslaved the Native Americans of the region.  They get assistance from a local hunter with knowledge of the area and spend a few days looking without any luck until they come across some remains.  However, they are unable to find the resting place of the giant until they actually do.  They then realize that he is still alive and is responsible for murdering some of the locals forcing the local police to form a mob to hunt it down.

     The late 1950s was a strange time for cinema especially horror.  The drive-in was still a very popular spot for movie goers with many offering up double bills of cheap movies that gave the viewer a sense of "getting their money's worth."  Some movies, like The Curse of Frankenstein, took a more serious and grounded approach while movies like Giant from the Unknown offered up cheesy and unrealistic stories.  Honestly, I believe I prefer the cheesy horror classics that you would often find on a double bill at the local drive.  Giant from the Unknown was good and cheesy fun.  The acting in this one was surprisingly well done.  There was a few instances where the cast hammed it up but for the most part they did a fantastic job.  It really does have that 50's flair and the cast does an amazing job at bringing their characters to life.  With that being said, Buddy Baer as Vargas was a bit of a disappointment.  We spend the entire movie hearing about the evil Vargas and how menacing he was but he looks like a lovable oof.  His performance was not that great as well.  The story for this one is bad but it's fun.  A mineral in the dirt has suspended Vargas while keeping him alive only to be awakened by lighting some hundred years later.  This is pretty goofy but I had fun with it.  I love bad movies but these kind of outlandish stories makes movies like this entertaining in my opinion.  Finally, there is a few deaths but don't expect blood and gore.  In fact, don't expect much of anything in this aspect.  The deaths are mostly off screen with no practical effects at all.  Gore hounds will be very disappointed with this one.  Overall, Giant from the Unknown is a cheesy classic that deserved the attention to detail Film Detective gave it.  The transfer looks great and the suplemental material is a great addition to a great release.  Check it out.