A giant prehistoric praying mantis, recently freed from the Arctic ice, voraciously preys on American military at the DEW Line and works its way south.
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Title: The Deadly Mantis (1957)
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Craig Stevens | ... | Col. Joe Parkman | |
| William Hopper | ... | Dr. Nedrick Jackson | |
| Alix Talton | ... | Marge Blaine | |
 |
Donald Randolph | ... | Maj. Gen. Mark Ford |
| Pat Conway | ... | Sgt. Pete Allen | |
| Florenz Ames | ... | Prof. Anton Gunther | |
| Paul Smith | ... | Corporal | |
| Phil Harvey | ... | Lou | |
| Floyd Simmons | ... | Army Sergeant | |
|
|
Paul Campbell | ... | Lt. Fred Pizar |
|
|
Helen Jay | ... | Mrs. Farley |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The calving of an Arctic iceberg releases a giant praying mantis, trapped in suspended animation since prehistoric times. It first attacks military outposts to eat their occupants, then makes its way to the warmer latitudes of Washington and New York. A paleontologist works together with military units to try to kill it. Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
A Thousand Tons of Horror! From A Million Years Ago ... See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
26 May 1957 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Giant Mantis See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The first stock footage of the aircraft carrier is the USS Antietam, CV-36, the first US carrier with an angled deck. The operations clip is of the CV-34 USS Oriskany. They were both Essex-class carriers and most ships in this class received the SCB-125 upgrade, which installed the angled deck; however, the USS Oriskany was the LAST ship in this class to get the new deck. The take-off scene was from the deck of the USS Philippine Sea CV-47. The USS Oriskany (CV-34) was scuttled as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico (May 2006). See more »Goofs
When looking through the book showing prehistoric creatures, the name Ceratosaurus is misspelled as Ceretosaurus. See more »Quotes
Dr. Ned Jackson: I'm convinced that we're dealing with a Mantis in whose geological world the smallest insects were as large as man, and now failing to find those insects as food, well... it's doing the best that it can.See more »
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Although the intricacies of the plot are forever unbelievable, this film works very well both as a suspense film and also as a creditable "Giant Bug" film, so typical during the 50's Golden Age of Science Fiction. A giant Praying Mantis is preserved in the ice of the Artic Ocean, only to be dislodged by man's environmental meddling. The bug flies over various places in the Artic eating human beings as it makes its way toward the Equator. The task of destroying the giant insect befalls to three protagonists: Craig Stevens the military man(and romancer), William Hopper as the dedicated paleontologist, and Alix Talton as the hungry reporter/photographer/necessary female character so that main character can fall in love. The three manage to find the mantis and well....let's just say the poor creature didn't say his prayers TOO often. The film is tight, has lots of action, and is a great entertaining diversion.