The Crawling Eye (1958)

A series of decapitations on a Swiss mountainside appear to be connected to a mysterious radioactive cloud.

Director:

Quentin Lawrence

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Peter Key (story)

Stars:

Forrest Tucker, Laurence Payne, Jennifer Jayne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Forrest Tucker	...	Alan Brooks
Laurence Payne	...	Philip Truscott
Jennifer Jayne	...	Sarah Pilgrim
Janet Munro	...	Anne Pilgrim
Warren Mitchell	...	Crevett
Frederick Schiller	...	Klein
Andrew Faulds	...	Brett
Stuart Saunders	...	Dewhurst
Colin Douglas	...	Hans
Derek Sydney	...	Wilde
Richard Golding	...	First Villager
George Herbert	...	Second Villager
Anne Sharp	...	German Woman
Leslie Heritage	...	Carl
Jeremy Longhurst	...	First Student Climber

Storyline

A remote mountain resort in Switzerland is invaded by horrible alien creatures that like to decapitate humans. The beings are also in telepathic communication with people and inhabit a mysterious, radioactive cloud at the base of the Trollenberg mountain.

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Plot Keywords:

cloud | mountain | alien | telepathy | tentacle | 

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Taglines:

The nightmare terror of the slithering eye that unleashed agonizing horror on a screaming world!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter has said that this film, with its creatures hidden in the clouds, was partly the inspiration for his film The Fog (1980).

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Goofs

Trollenberg isn't in Switzerland nor in the Alps. The travel posters in the Trollenberg train station depict the Matterhorn probably as seen from Zermatt, Switzerland. Trollenberg, however is actually located in Germany's Black Forest, nearly 400 KM away. The closest rail station access to Trollenberg is in Loßburg about 4 KM away. Zermatt, however in the shadow of the Matterhorn, does have a train station and cable gondola service to Furi and Schwarzsee.

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Quotes

Philip Truscott: How 'bout a breath of fresh air?
Anne Pilgrim: I'd love a breath of fresh air.

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Crazy Credits

The films opening credits flash onto the screen when the passenger train rolls into the darkness of a tunnel.

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Connections

Referenced in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

User Reviews

X-Files, 1950s style. But better!

I have a huge and very soft spot for 1950s sci-fi films with freakish aliens and/or monsters. Be forewarned - my view of this film is definitely colored by my unhealthy interest in these films.

This is a true archetypal classic of the genre.

*** Weird psychic sisters, *** alien mystery clouds, *** giant creeping cyclopes with tentacles, *** secret government agencies investigating the paranormal, *** possession, *** zombies, ***

Forest Tucker(!)

• it's all here.

This is a very entertaining low-fi, low-brow, B/W monster movie. I am convinced that the writers were asked to include every element of contemporary supernatural, sci fi and imaginative fiction stories and, kudos to them - they pulled it off! Stephen King's Dreamcatcher owes a huge debt to this beauty. If you think about it, Dreamcatcher is almost a rewrite of this film, with aliens that are just a little less ridiculous and a different narrative. And the biggest surprise of all - Forest Tucker can act! His F Troop character was not the only personality in his repertoire!

Remarkably, the absurdity of the plot is not used as an excuse for exceedingly bad special effects.

This is a little gem of a 50s pulp film. It's goofy as hell, fun, well executed, and well worth a sleepless night. Far more entertaining that the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and many others.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Crawling Eye

Filming Locations:

Alliance Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tempean Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1