The Crawling Eye (1958) User Reviews

Loved this one

[Aujouret · 6/10 · 25 May 2003]

I saw this film, The Crawling Eye, on TV as a kid back in the very early 60s. Scared me to death. They keep the goodies from you until almost the end. Creepy. Kind of gross. I remember the mountain climbers at the very beginning of the flick: Why did you let go of the rope? Didn't you see him? His head was gone!! Don't miss this one- it's fun.

X-Files, 1950s style. But better!

[mstomaso · 6/10 · 2 May 2005]

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.

The Crawling Eye is an eyeful!

[rosscinema · 6/10 · 21 April 2005]

Watching this I couldn't help but compare it to the films that Hammer studios made and I think I have a good reason because those involved all worked on some of those efforts especially the writer. Story here is about a mysterious cloud that is around a mountain in the Swiss village of Trollenberg and it seems to have a connection to the recent deaths of climbers in the area. Staying at the local inn is a United Nations science investigator named Alan Brooks (Forrest Tucker) who seems to know more than he's letting on as he talks in secrecy with professor Crevett (Warren Mitchell) who is the scientist in charge at the research station.

*****SPOILER ALERT***** Also at the inn are Sarah Pilgrim (Jennifer Jayne) and her telepathic younger sister Anne (Janet Munro) who experiences bad dreams and visions concerning the weird goings on. When it appears that aliens are inside the cloud and descending down upon the village they want to kill Anne because her ESP is a threat to their existence and Alan and the others must protect her. Inside the cloud the aliens are giant eyeballs with tentacle like arms and they try to kill everyone inside the research station but professor Crevett and Alan figure out that they can combat them with fire and they call the nearest Air Force base to come and drop fire bombs.

This is directed by Quentin Lawrence who was a pretty good television director and the idea for this film came from "The Trollenberg Terror" which was a British TV show that Lawrence was involved with. While the special effects in the last 15 minutes hamper the credibility of this film this is still a well made science fiction effort written by Hammer regular Jimmy Sangster. Some of the shots have an obvious screen behind the actors but there is some impressive cinematography by Monty Berman who does deliver some good looking scenes around the village. The actors do a good job in that they don't over do it and a case can be made that Tucker's character is a bit too subdued but he gives the film a sense of calmness that convinces the viewer that he knows what he's doing. One can't help but notice how much of a presence Munro had even in an early role like this and with her crooked front tooth and her Angelina Jolie lips she bears a resemblance to Leslie Caron. The main premise of the story reminded me of both "Island of Terror" and "Night of the Big Heat" which were two Hammer films that dealt with characters trapped someplace battling invading alien forces and the English made several films like this. While this surely won't be thought of as a sci-fi classic (and some of the effects are downright cheesy) it's still a well written and acted film that has some genuinely creepy moments and is a lot of fun to watch.

Still a good movie, and what an original monster!

[reptilicus · 3 July 2001]

Not every monster to come out of the fifties was a guy in a rubber suit or a double exposed giant something-or-other. This effective British thriller offers one of the most original monsters ever. The creatures are aliens looking to colonise our planet but first they have to lower the temperature and eliminate one small obstacle . . .us! The cyclopean, tentacled terrors are prone to tearing off the heads of their victims but they possess the technology to kill certain Earth people and bring them back from the dead to do their bidding. Interestingly, the creatures brain waves are easily intercepted by anyone with even latent psychic abilities. This makes Janet Munro our required damsel-in-distress from not only the monsters but from the man (Andrew Faulds) they reanimate to get rid of her. Luckily this movie has two heroes, rough hewn Forrest Tucker (to make the movie appealing to American audiences) and British Lawrence Payne (later to star in Hammer's VAMPIRE CIRCUS). Okay I have a question. Midway through the film we see 2 mountain climbers, Brett and Dewhurst, halfway up the mountain where the aliens are. They take shelter in a small cabin. During the night Brett hears the aliens telepathic call and wanders up the mountain alone. Later Dewhurst gets up to look for him and (I guess) sees one of the aliens coming toward the cabin. He quickly bolts the door but then turns around and screams. Later a search party has to break down the front door and they find Dewhurst dead with his head torn off. WHAT THE HECK GOT HIM? The cabin is intact, not even a window broken, so how in the world did the alien monster kill him? And how does Dewhurst's head get inside the knapsack of Brett who is miles away? No, it isn't Brett who kills him because he could not have gotten into the cabin either. It is indeed a scary moment but very implausible if you stop to think about it. The rest of the movie is very good and quite memorable. Way back in 1957 it played on a double bill with THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X (a/k/a COSMIC MONSTERS) in America. That was a bit before my time and now I am kind of sorry I missed the era of the drive-in. Thank goodness for home video.

Good Drive In Movie

[japhryder1 · 5/10 · 5 July 2005]

I kind of liked this movie for all of it's B movie glory. It's a great 50s sci-fi movie. It's a little boring but I thought the monster was pretty good. A great late night or after noon viewing, not even all that scary. Good solid drive in movie or the kind of movie that you would watch on TV late at night. I laughed at various points during the movie but they did a pretty good job with the monster. Even though, it's kind of boring, it's good to watch if you like schlock movies from the 50s like I do. I wish it had been a little more entertaining and scary. But I do have affection for the movies of this period. You can tell that they were trying to keep the cost down. The acting was okay, what you would expect to find in these types of movies. All around fun and excitement for a lazy afternoon.

Enjoyable enough 50's sci-fi horror film.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 26 December 2011]

The Trollenberg Terroris set in the Swiss village of Trollenberg where several climbers have mysterious disappeared while climbing th Trollenberg mountain with one being found dead after having been decapitated. A nearby research observatory run by cosmic ray scientist Professor Crevett (Warren Mitchell) has detected a strange cloud that seems to be hovering at the peak of the mountain, Crevett sends for UN scientist Alan Brooks (Forrest Tucker) who arrives is shown the cloud & informed that is is radioactive. The cloud starts move down the mountain as more people turn up dead, finally the scientists realise that they are dealing with hostile aliens that want to take over the world.

This British made sci-fi horror film was released in the US under the more sensationalistic title of The Crawling Eye & was cut down from 84 minutes to 75 minutes by the distributors who wanted to get to the alien monsters quicker, the version I will be basing my comment on is the full 84 minute cut under the title The Trollenberg Terror. Directed by Quentin Lawrence from a script by Hammer horror regular Jimmy Sangster this is a fairly decent little sci-fi horror film, the setting helps with it's small isolated village & hazardous mountain terrain & the actual alien monsters are kept off screen until the last fifteen minutes which helps build suspense because when they do make an appearance the special effects are not very special at all. There's a fair amount of theorising going on & huge leaps of logic are made by the character's, it's never really really revealed why the aliens are here anyway apart from a guess by Crevett. There's no explanation as how the aliens decapitated that guy in the log cabin since all the doors were locked from the inside, why did they decapitate people anyway? It moves along at a decent enough pace & has a nice mix of horror & sci-fi but I wouldn't call it a classic. A perfectly fine way to pass 80 odd minutes but not much else, it's fairly predictable & just about meets the genres standards but rarely rises above them if truth be told.

Once the alien monsters are seen at the end they look alright when required to do nothing but sit there, when they need to move & act menacing the effects fall apart. The monsters look like giant pulsing brains with an eye & tentacles that are alright conceptually but when brought to life on screen with unconvincing model shots, silly sound effects & tentacles that look more like rope the effective creepiness that the film had built up with it's mystery is lost. The main hero doesn't even really get to fight them as he just ask's for a load of bombs to be dropped, The Trollenberg Terror never quite comes to life. The film was based on an original six part television series made by the BBC called The Trollenberg Terror (1956) which no longer exists, the makers obviously saw the success the Quatermass film had after that too had been adapted from a BBC serial & wanted to cash-in with more of the same. Unusually for a film of this period there's a headless body shown & a decapitated head in a sack.

Shot on what was probably a low budget this was filmed in Middlesex here in England. Production values are alright, some of the sets look a little fake & the special effects don't hold up too well but it's a product of it's time & could have been worse. The acting is OK, it's not great but again it could have been worse.

The Trollenberg Terror, of the The Crawling Eye if you prefer is a good 50's sci-fi horror film that is of it's time & suffers from the limitations of it. A decent enough way to pass 80 minutes if nothing else.

Cloud Cover

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 7 December 2011]

Even with some holes in the plot the Queen Mary could have floated through, The Crawling Eye remains a favorite of mine from my adolescence. It's literally filled with atmosphere and it's atmosphere that these nasty eye creatures from some other world are trying to recreate.

Wherever these things come from it's real cold so they say on mountain tops. Why this wasn't set in the Himalayas is anyone's guess.

They were first reported in the Andes mountains and scientist Forrest Tucker was investigating there too. Now they're in the Swiss Alps and Tucker has responded to a call for help. So has Laurence Payne who is a reporter and smells a story first in the Andes and now in Switzerland.

These creatures apparently don't like telepaths, one was killed in Argentina and they've taken an interest in young Janet Munro who has a mind reading nightclub act with her sister Jennifer Jayne. It's Munro whom they're after and they take their below freezing cloud cover atmosphere with them to get her any way they can.

Lots of holes in this plot including a locked door murder which might have needed the help of Agatha Christie to get right. But for atmosphere and chilling thrills you can't beat The Crawling Eye.

Influential 1950s Science Fiction

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 4 April 2014]

A series of decapitations on a Swiss mountainside appear to be connected to a mysterious radioactive cloud, not unlike one that appeared in the Andes years earlier.

Although one of the earliest films to be lampooned on "Mystery Science Theater 3000", there is no denying the growing reputation this movie has received over the years: not only was it referenced in Stephen King's "It", but was also the primary influence behind John Carpenter's minimalist masterpiece "The Fog" (which itself has gone on to influence others).

"Crawling Eye" was the debut feature for director Quentin Lawrence, and probably remains his best-known work. Writer Jimmy Sangster (adapting the work of Peter Key) had only been working a few years, but was a rising star with such Hammer classics as "Dracula" and "Curse of Frankenstein" under his belt. Here he crafts a tale of science gone wrong mixed with the living dead, and done to perfection.

Most interestingly, shortly before the film was released, Lawrence directed a 6-part television miniseries with Key writing the episodes. Today, no copies are thought to exist, and there is no way to know what changes were made for the big screen, as well as what cuts had to be administered to accommodate the shorter running time.

Leading the cast is Forrest Tucker as United Nations troubleshooter Alan Brooks. Tucker had been in nearly 100 films during the 1940s and 50s, and easily handles his role here as the hero -- part action star, part scientific genius. He is assisted by Warren Mitchell as a caricatured Swiss professor (a portrayal which provides the film's only comic relief).

The standout performance comes from Janet Munro as a semi-psychic young woman who goes into trances when she nears the cloud. One gets the impression that she had a bright career before her, and indeed was given a Golden Globe in 1960. Sadly, she passed unexpectedly at age 38.

Today's audiences might find some of the special effects cheesy. Obviously the crew used miniature sets and plenty of rear projection. But in general, there is no denying the impressive use of fog, the freezing effects and the creepy realism of the titular eye. While other 1950s films were busy using radiation as a plot device for large bugs, this one went in a completely different direction -- possibly the only film of its kind.

Notably, "Crawling Eye" was the final film to be produced by Southall Studios, one of the earliest pioneer film studios in the UK, which had made a steady stream of films since 1924. They went out on a high note, which is always nice.

Here's Looking At You,

[screenman · 5/10 · 10 August 2008]

It's 1958, and that's as good a year as any for some low-brow hokum.

I also saw this as a kid, though some time in the early 1960's and on television. And I don't mind saying that it gave me quite a scare.

Tension builds surprisingly well for what is patently a B-movie. And that is a clue to good direction. The actors are all from the second division, which helps in a way because it makes the 'ordinary' characters they play seem more believable.

There are some suitably gruesome killings which ratchet-up the tension as the 'mysterious cloud' begins to drift about. Whatever's in there must be pretty nasty. 'Mysterious Cloud'; has there ever been a horror/thriller that didn't have one? 'The Fog', 'Independence Day', 'War Of The Worlds', 'The Mist'; you just can't beat a mysterious cloud for - well, clouding things with mystery.

When the monsters finally disclose themselves, you either laugh out loud or hide behind the sofa. Huge eyes with a bunch of whiplash tentacles: no evident brain, no discernible digestive tract; these are just horror-props plain and simple. Interestingly, the beasties attack an avalanche-proof observatory and manage to shatter the thick, concrete walls. Presumably they just stare them to bits.

Half a century ago; a credible, unquestioning audience gobbled their popcorn in a state of shock at the terrible aliens, 50 years on we can all have a good laugh at such truly terrible aliens.

The bug-eyed monster never got better than this.

Sci-Fi suspenser including creepy scenes and crammed with traditional but effective special effects

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

A Swiss peak is engulfed in fog , leaving UN scientific Forrest Tucker a furrowed brow. While , there occurs unexplained and gruesome deaths with decapitations among mountaineers of the Trollenberg and are investigated by Tucker . Along the way two tourist sisters : Janet Munro, Jennifer Jayne , stay at a hotel and one of them has telepathic powers. Hidden in a radioactive fog on a mountaintop , the crawling eye kills his victims and returns these humans to Earth to threaten mankind . If you have ever been hypnotized, do not come alone !. A man dissolves .. and out of the oozing mist comes the hungry eye , slave to the demon brain! . The nightmare terror of the slithering eye that unleashed agonizing horror on a screaming World! It's looking for you ! .

A frightening and terrifying tale adapted from Peter Key's school of Doctor Quatermass serial . Based on a TV Series 1956 formed by six episodes starred by Sarah Lawson , Ronan O'Casey , Michael Anthony and Laurence Payne , the same director Quentin Lawrence made this film version of this called The Crawling Eye or The Trallenbeg Terror in 1958 . Thrilling and eerie film , more to the point , the scary extraterrestrian monster in Ray Harryhausen style attacks unfortunate climbers and skiers by beheading them . This is a short budget B movie , a tribute producers Robert S Baker and Monty Norman and their skillness for going the extra mile in resourceful invention and their knack for providing in low budget some decent special effects . As the presence of a weird force , a fantastic visitor explains it all and prompting resulting in the spectaculal final climax with primitive but decent FX.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Quentin Lawrence . He was a craftsman who produced and directed several TV episodes of notorious series (Suspense, Invisible Man, Guillermo Tell, Web, The Voodoo Factor , The Avengers ,Albert and Victoria , Trapped , The Baron, Crown Court, Village Hall, Sam) and occassionally directing films (The Trollenberg Terror , A month in the Country, We Shall see , Playback , Cash on demand, The Secret of Blood Island). Rating 6/10 . Passable and acceptable terror Sci-Fi movie .

The Trollenberg Terror

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 16 November 2013]

Quentin Lawrence directed this British science fiction horror film that stars Forrest Tucker as UN science investigator Alan Brooks, who goes to a remote mountaintop Swiss Village where a series of mysterious decapitation murders have taken place. Also there is Professor Crevett(played by Warren Mitchell) and a young woman with psychic powers(played by Janet Munro) who discover strange aliens who are crawling eyeballs who travel in the fog! The survivors try to escape their hotel to find a way to defeat them. Strange film is atmospheric but hurt by its silly monsters and inadequate F/X. Would have been better to keep them more in the fog, where they would have been eerie.

I love this movie

[dbborroughs · 10/10 · 26 August 2007]

The Trollenberg Terror is one of my most favorite horror films. Essential the story of these giant eyes with tentacles in clouds from space trying to take over the world, this movie has been been treasure since I first saw it. I've seen it now at least fifty times and it always makes me stop when I run across it on TV. MonsterHD was running it earlier tonight on cable and I found I was really watching it for the first time. I think it was because of the big screen TV and seeing it unchopped up with commercials or in a print thats scratchy and well worn. What struck me was the fact that allowing that the premise is silly, as most horror films are, that once you got past that once you got into the film its genuinely taught and suspenseful. Its a horror film that doesn't really let up and stays true to its internal logic. Its a really good ripping yarn, not an excuse to just show monsters. the movie has somehow improved in my eyes, which I didn't think was possible.

Great B Movie

[tlw2001-1 · 7/10 · 6 September 2005]

I saw this film late one night in the 70's as a part of a run of horror movies on British TV on a Friday evening. It sticks in my memory as fun, silly but very frightening and so typical of many movies of the same genre all vastly underrated. Atmosphere is what it captured with its mountain solitude, cloud descending down the mountain and headless climber found in abandoned hut. Alien Monster movies don't come more frightening than this! This was a simple film with a great premise, flawed but fun. Some horror movies these days need to learn from the grand masters of old especially in the skills of lighting, atmosphere and cinematography.

Good plot, silly monster

[scsu1975 · 5/10 · 7 November 2022]

This film is not to be confused with "The Hypnotic Eye," "The Crawling Hand," or "The Creeping Terror," all of which stink.

Forrest Tucker investigates strange goings-on in a Swiss town. A cloud has descended around a mountain, and anyone who goes up the mountain tends to end up dead and decapitated. Seems a similar thing happened in the Andes some time back, so Tucker wants answers. Janet Munro and Jennifer Jayne play sisters who have a mind-reading act; Munro's ability turns out to be real, as she can "sense" what is going on in the cloud. This puts her in jeopardy, because the things in the cloud are aware of her ability and want to knock her off.

There are some very eerie scenes in this film, with fog, strange noises, and people under the control of the monsters. Also, several heads get removed offscreen. But once the monsters actually appear, the movie goes into the dumper. The monsters are apparently giant scungilli Cyclops. Along with normal tentacles, they seem to have a long thin one, kind of like linguini, which they like to wrap around the actors necks.

In the climax, the cast is holed up in an observatory atop the mountain. A United Nations jet saves the day, and fries the calamari.

At 84 minutes, the running time is just about right. However, this film could have been greatly improved by not showing the monsters at all. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of Jennifer Jayne.

Danger up the mountain

[chris_gaskin123 · 27 October 2004]

This movie is known either as The Crawling Eye or The Trollenberg Terror. For this review, I will refer to it as The Crawling Eye, which is the title on the copy I have.

Strange killings start to occur at the Swiss mountain resort of Trollenberg and a team of people travel to investigate them. These include an American scientist, and two women: a mother and her telepathic daughter. A strange radioactive cloud is discovered on the mountain and the killings occur when that cloud moves. The killings turn out to be the work of strange alien tentacled creatures with one large eye. The creatures are killed at the end and everyone is safe.

The movie's special effects are OK for a low budget movie and the eye creatures look good. The movie is rather gory at times for its period and is also very creepy at times.

The cast includes Forest Tucker (The Abominable Snowman), Janet Munro (The Day the Earth Caught Fire), Warren Mitchell (Unearthly Stranger, Till Death Us Do Part) and Jennifer Jayne (They Came From Beyond Space). All play good parts.

I rather enjoyed this movie and is a must for 1950's sci fi fans like myself.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

The Eyes Have it!

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 16 June 2015]

Forest Tucker meets two attractive sisters on a train to a mountain in Switzerland. Instead of going on to Geneva, one of the young women (part of a pair of professional mind- reader) feels compelled to stop at a remote town which is known for its mountain climbing. It turns out that several climbers have met their fates (including one which we witness at the beginning). So the threesome end up in a mountain chalet with people who are interested in scaling the peak. It turns out that people are being found with their heads missing and it has something to do with a cloud that sits next to the mountain. Everything gets jumbled up. It's the usual thing where people go ahead and stupidly make their way into danger, totally unprepared or ignorant of the dangers. Forest is the hero and he finds himself in the middle of all this. One of the girls is empathic and keeps getting herself in danger. Of course, we eventually see the "crawling eye." It looks like a big pastry with one eye and skinny tentacles. There is also something about the temperature on the mountain. Anyway, it eventually gets down to fighting with fire. It's not that I don't appreciate these kinds of films, but lets not get carried away with praising them, other than their sentimental attraction to drive-in movie goers of the fifties.

Why do I watch this junk?

[Travis_Moran · 5/10 · 7 July 2005]

Okay, I buy this disc for a couple of bucks and stay up late watching it. My girlfriend leaves me about 15 minutes into it asking, "Why do you watch this junk?".

Yeah, a crawling eyeball with dumb-looking tentacles is pretty stupid, but I got a kick out of it. Why did it decapitate everyone? I mean, it could have just frozen em all. They all should have saved one to keep around for a hot day eh!.

Seriously, this movie was not much. The eyeball monster was crappy and incapable of scaring a 2-year-old. Acting was pretty bad too. The story was a little better than most sci-fi of that era though. At least the plot didn't stray off into unrelated drama and personal issues.

My version of this movie is called "The Trollenberg Terror." I don't know if there are any differences between it and "The Crawling Eye." I like the title "The Crawling Eye" better though. Seems more catchy.

Anyhow, for the amusement factor, whether "Eye" or "Terror", it was worth watching for me. Really die hard sci-fi fans probably can handle this one. Otherwise, you may want to pass.

Now, if you're an eyeball monster movie fan, check out "It Came From Outer Space." That was a decent movie and actually worthy of a remake.

For once, the UN does something right!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 29 June 2009]

The film is set at the Trollenberg--a mountain in the Alps. It seems that several mountain climbers have been decapitated recently. Upon investigating, they discover that it's due to the presence of aliens. One way they know is that a lady among them seems to have psychic powers and she can sense these otherworldly creatures. The other is that they actually see the bizarre things. To try and describe the odd creatures is very hard--you really have to see it. It looks a bit like an octopus, a giant eyeball and a lot of pus all rolled into one.

This is a decent 1950s horror/sci-fi film, though the monsters themselves are certainly NOT the highlight of the film. Another less than stellar aspect of the film is how incredibly easy these things turned out to be! What is decent is the rest of the story as well as the acting--led by veteran American actor, Forrest Tucker, in this British production. While far from great, the film is less silly than most (at least until you see the aliens) and the story (at least up until then) seems thoughtful and interesting.

By the way, if you do watch the film, you'll see that in a rare case of actually accomplishing something, the UN comes to the rescue.

Yummy Swiss Cheese

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 27 April 2010]

Monster fans, rejoice! This great-looking DVD from Image offers us the baby boomer favorite "The Trollenberg Terror," from 1958, with the original, NONspoiler British title that is so much more preferable to the American appellation: "The Crawling Eye." In the film, sturdy as always Forrest Tucker plays Alan Brooks, a U.N. physicist/investigator (or something on that order...after two recent viewings, I'm still not clear on that point) who comes to the Swiss village of Trollenberg to investigate a recent string of mysterious deaths, as well as the radioactive, stationary cloud that hovers over a nearby mountain. Viewers must wait a full hour before getting a look at the title creatures, during which time they should be amply entertained by the plight of Janet Munro's character--a pretty young woman who is in telepathic contact with the creatures--and by the zombie cat's-paw who is sent by the unseen foes to do their bidding. The viewer's patience is ultimately rewarded by some of the most memorable-looking monsters in screen history; creatures that are fondly remembered by all baby boomers who watched the classic '60s TV show "Supernatural Theatre," which showed the crawling eye expand each week during its opening credits. Though filmed on the cheap, these aliens look impressively yucky. The picture, on the whole, is uniformly well acted by all (Tucker, especially, underplays his role nicely), Stanley Black's subtle yet eerie score works wonders in ratcheting up the tension, and director Quentin Lawrence keeps things moving along briskly. I find this to be a quality example of horrific sci-fi, despite the lack of top-tier FX, and not at all campy (well, perhaps a bit cheesy!). And thanks to this great new print from Image, we may never see "The Trollenberg Terror" look any better. Reason to rejoice, indeed!

EYE!

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 19 August 2021]

Known as The Trollenberg Terror in England, where it was made, The Crawling Eye has exactly what you want to see: a giant eyeball. If we didn't have this, we wouldn't have The Fog, as this movie directly inspired John Carpenter. See, great things can come out of a movie whose special effects consist of cotton balls stapled to mountain photography.

Originally a six-episode TV miniseries, this was remade with American Forest Tucker placed into the lead so that audiences in the states would have someone to root for. Or maybe they'd be like me, excited to see gigantic eyeballs come rolling along at the camera.

He plays UN troubleshooter Alan Brooks, who has traveled to the Swiss mountain of Trollenberg to learn why the heads of climbers are being torn off their body and why a mysterious cloud is seen in the wake of the bloody destruction.

Do you know how you defeat a giant eyeball? A Molotov cocktail. Horror movies make you smart, right?

Memorable, atmospheric British sci-fi/horror

[bgh48 · 7/10 · 14 October 2006]

This used to run all the time in New York in the '60's and it always stuck in my memory; I've never forgotten the tenseness and suspense and eerieness of the buildup to the monsters (the nervous mountaineers in the cabin; Janet Munro's psychic visions ("They're climbing up the mountain...!"; the cable cars snapping in the cold; the "aurora" surrounding the cloud; "Hans" saying how cold he is....) As I got older, I appreciated Warren Mitchell's hamminess as Dr. Kravat (the line I always remember from him is, "The man vass dead--dere vas NO DOUBT!") And of course Forrest Tucker was added to give some good old American "manliness" and box office appeal for wider distribution, but I always wondered if the British were insulted that Lawrence Payne was made to look like such a wimp next to Forrest: Payne is English and nervous and wiry, and at one point Tucker carries him in his arms! I remember the tentacles and being disappointed at the appearance of the eye, thinking it was better left unseen. I highly recommend "The Crawling Eye for its "Britishness"; its tight direction, the enjoyable Warren Mitchell, the ominous music, the psychic element, the nifty combo of horror and sci-fi elements.

A bit too slow paced and bland...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 29 June 2023]

Now, I had never actually heard about this 1958 sci-fi horror movie titled "The Trollenberg Terror" (aka "The Crawling Eye") before stumbling upon it here in 2023. And given my life-long romance with the horror genre, of course I opted to sit down and watch the mvoie.

However, I have to admit that I wasn't exactly harboring much of any grand expectations to the movie, given its age and all. But still, writers Jimmy Sangster and Peter Key got the benefit of the doubt.

"The Trollenberg Terror" was watchable, for sure. However, it wasn't a particularly outstanding movie experience. Especially since it took director Quentin Lawrence 66 minutes before getting to anything exciting. The movie was a massive build-up over the first 66 minutes, and then you had a somewhat bland culmination that was supposed to be a climax. It might have been a rather disturbing tale back in 1958, but not overly much so in 2023.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "The Trollenberg Terror". However, the acting performances in the movie were fairly adequate.

Visually then "The Trollenberg Terror" wasn't too shabby. Sure, take into consideration that the movie was made in 1958 and is in black and white. But the creatures weren't actually all that bad. Just a shame that you had to wait 66 minutes before getting to the good stuff.

I can now tick "The Trollenberg Terror" off of the watched-movies-list. However, I can honestly say that it is not a movie that I will ever pick up and watch a second time.

My rating of "The Trollenberg Terror" lands on a four out of ten stars.

One Of My All Time Favorites

[fadba · 10/10 · 24 March 2005]

I won't get into the story line-- you've read the other reviews. This is one of my all time favorite sci-fi movies which combines great acting with tight direction and a wonderful claustrophobic atmosphere. Forrest Tucker is in top form, barking out orders and taking control of a desperate situation facing the village. It's fun to watch his on-screen character as his motions and gestures belie his get-tough attitude when it comes to dealing with the nature of the gruesome deaths which face the villagers. One or two "inside jokes" might sail past most viewers (one that comes to mind is at the very beginning of the film when one mountain climber shouts to the other, "who is it Jim, the Abominable Snowman?", referring to Forrest Tucker's 1957 film.) One wonderful, often overlooked scene also occurs early in the film when the group meets for a drink prior to the two climbers going up the mountain. The scene centers around a discussion of "roping" and really sets up the atmosphere for what is to come-- it's a wonderfully done scene. By today's standards, the special effects may not hold up well, but given all the other positive factors which surround this production, the film stands as a tribute to 1950's sci-fi/horror.

Good if you overlook the weak points.

[simnia-1 · 7/10 · 3 May 2006]

"The Crawling Eye" was a thriller whose title I remember very well from childhood. This film was shown under this title on TV in the U.S. in the early '60s and it held me spellbound in horror as a child.

As an adult re-watching this movie, some of my first impressions were that it was remarkably slow and had poor special effects. However, I was also simultaneously impressed by nuances I had not noticed as a child, in particular the Swiss alpine ambiance and the underlying current of fear delivered via the dialog.

There is an appreciable amount of ambiance in this old black-and-white film, which makes it generally pleasant to watch. There are snow-covered mountains, an alpine valley seen from a mountain top, the lowing of cows and the tinkling of cow bells, cable cars, an old wooden staircase with Swiss style decorations, drinks of brandy, a hip pocket metal flask, a wooden mountain hut, mountain climbers on ledges, an old train and train station, travel posters in the background announcing destinations like RIEDERALP and ZERMATT, and so on. It's unfortunate that the main mountain is shown only as a prop painting, but it all works. Put all these little details together and you get a convincing, foreign, Swiss alpine atmosphere that reminds me of the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland and its atmospheric queue area.

In the various dialogs, the locals are obviously eager to cover up the recent gruesome climbing accidents and the rumors from the local villagers. The car driver Mr. Klein stammers and hedges when asked directly about a climbing accident, Hans similarly excuses himself when pressed for details, and Alan the professor keeps downplaying an obviously freakish cloud that hangs over the Trollenberg mountain. All this creates an atmosphere of dread and denial, especially when the dialogs are delivered in German accents with sinister voices, as if the locals have inside knowledge that they don't wish to share with tourists.

As with so many other films of the 1950s, this one has an excessive and unrealistic emphasis on ESP and mind control. Maybe those themes were popular in the 1950s because they didn't require expensive special effects. In this film the telepathic woman Anne Pilgrim is frequently talking in a spaced-out voice as if in a trance, and constantly fainting afterward. She in turn is the target of two dead men whose bodies are reanimated by the crawling eye, who attempt to murder her so that she can't telepathically monitor the alien monster.

Overall, the film seems carefully thought-out in many ways, yet quite negligent in others. Therefore if you can overlook its weak points and savor its strong points, it's still an enjoyable film.

Campy 50's horror

[jhr2012 · 5/10 · 12 March 2021]

Fun little movie. I found it interesting to see what passed for horror back in 1958 as well as the special effects. The effects are laughable at best. The budget must have been less than $100. Forrest Tucker is the typical American jerk. He's a real a hole here, and his acting is way over the top. A giant crawling eyeball as the alien is goofy, but pretty unique.