Giant from the Unknown (1958)

In the 16th century a small band of warriors from the Spanish Ptolemy Firello expedition in California mutinies. Led by one of Firello's lieutenants, a huge, depraved giant of a man known ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard E. Cunha

Writers:

Ralph Brooke, Frank Hart Taussig

Stars:

Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Bob Steele

Cast

Cast overview:
Ed Kemmer	...	Wayne Brooks (as Edward Kemmer)
Sally Fraser	...	Janet Cleveland
Bob Steele	...	Sheriff Parker
Morris Ankrum	...	Dr. Frederick Cleveland
Buddy Baer	...	Vargas the Giant
Oliver Blake	...	Cafe Proprietor
Jolene Brand	...	Ann Brown (as Joline Brand)
Billy Dix	...	Indian Joe
Gary Crutcher	...	Charlie Brown
Ned Davenport	...	Townsman
Ewing Miles Brown	...	Townsman (as Ewing Miles)

Storyline

In the 16th century a small band of warriors from the Spanish Ptolemy Firello expedition in California mutinies. Led by one of Firello's lieutenants, a huge, depraved giant of a man known as Vargas, the group heads off into the mountains to search for gold and is never heard from again. Hundreds of years later, a lightning bolt frees Vargas from a state of suspended animation underground and sends him out to terrorize a rural mountain village.

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Plot Keywords:

suspended animation | giant | beaten to death | score employs electronic instruments | creature feature | 

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Taglines:

Terror Stalks! Half Monster, Half Man!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Giant from Devil's Crag

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$54,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screencraft Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At end of movie when Vargas breaks thru the handrail of the bridge, a few seconds later the hero is seen walking off the bridge and the handrail intact.

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Quotes

Indian Joe: All white men die!

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Connections

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996)

User Reviews

Okay, so I'm a sucker for Morris Ankrum movies

I can't think of any movie that has Morris Ankrum that I didn't really like...and yes, I have seen The Giant Claw (three times, in fact).

That fact notwithstanding, Giant From The Unknown is a pretty good movie. The basic story has a Spanish Conquistador (who happens to be a giant and who happens to have travelled up into northern California after breaking with Cortez) waking up after five hundred years of suspended animation and going on a rampage of death and cattle mutilation.

Don't let the plot turn you off. The script manages to make it all seem pretty believeable, and the acting is pretty good as well. Morris Ankrum is great. Ed Kemmer (Commander Buzz Corey on Space Patrol) is the hero. Cowboy and serial legend Bob Steele is the sheriff, and the lovely Janet Fraser is the love interest.

The monster himself looks pretty good as well...for an unburied conquistador, that is. The finale at the sawmill is an excellent sequence...though don't try to adjust your VCR. That fuzziness is optically-printed snow on the sequence (it took me a couple of minutes to realize that...I thought the print had deteriorated).

Giant From the Unknown is a good all-around example of fifties science fiction that is worth a look by fans of the genre.