The Deadly Mantis (1957)

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.

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writers:

Martin Berkeley (screenplay), William Alland (story)

Stars:

Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | military | tunnel | scientist | praying mantis | 

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Taglines:

A Thousand Tons of Horror! From A Million Years Ago ...

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

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).

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Goofs

The praying mantis makes roaring noises from time to time. Like most insects, praying mantises haven't any means of deliberately communicating via sound.

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Quotes

Col. Joe Parkman: Maybe there's an ordinary explanation to what happened, but I wouldn't take any bets.

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Connections

Featured in The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Volumes 1 & 2 (2008)

User Reviews

Insect Aside

This is an above-par gigantic monster thriller from the golden age, well-presented. A thawed, flesh-eating prehistoric preying mantis from the Arctic circle makes way for New York. Director Nathan Juran handles scenes well, including nostalgic map graphics detailing radar sites in the introduction, and using eerie nighttime photography covered in fog-shrouded atmosphere. Musical score is forceful and suspenseful, Clifford Stine special effects are fine for its era. Stock footage abounds but is not uninteresting, leads Craig Stevens and William Hopper are stalwart and wooden, but Alix Talton, a husky voiced former Miss Georgia and resembling Jane Wyman, is fun and natural. Last sequence still thrills, when we start to feel a little sympathy for this wounded animal, roaring and wailing as he meets inevitable doom.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 May 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Deadly Mantis

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1