Village of the Giants (1965)

Delinquent teen-agers ingest a substance and grow thirty feet tall, then proceed to take over a small town.

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel), Alan Caillou (screenplay)

Stars:

Tommy Kirk, Johnny Crawford, Beau Bridges

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tommy Kirk	...	Mike
Johnny Crawford	...	Horsey
Beau Bridges	...	Fred
Joy Harmon	...	Merrie
Robert Random	...	Rick (as Bob Random)
Gail Gilmore	...	Elsa
Tisha Sterling	...	Jean
Tim Rooney	...	Pete
Kevin O'Neal	...	Harry
Charla Doherty	...	Nancy
Toni Basil	...	Red
Ron Howard	...	Genius (as Ronny Howard)
The Beau Brummels	...	Themselves / Singers
Ron Elliott	...	Himself (as The Beau Brummels)
Ron Meagher	...	Himself (as The Beau Brummels)

Storyline

Mike thinks he's hit the jackpot when his girlfriend Nancy's kid brother, who they call Genius, creates a growth compound that results in animals growing to huge proportions. A group of delinquents led by Fred has come to town and when they get their hands the goo, as Genius calls it, their giant size make them unstoppable. While Genius tries to recreate the formula, Mike and other teenagers in town, serve the giants. Genius simply can't reproduce the formula but fortunately comes up with the next best thing.

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Plot Keywords:

enlargement | downpour | teenager | teensploitation | hixploitation | 

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Taglines:

See them burst out of their clothes and bust up a town!

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

The Unofficial Fanpage of Village of the Giants [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Cidade dos Gigantes

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Berkeley Productions, Embassy Pictures, Joseph E. Levine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loosely based on the H.G. Wells story "The Food of the Gods", about a substance that causes giant mutations in growing organisms. Children fed the substance become giants (capable of producing giant offspring), who choose to fight when their existence is threatened by adult authorities.

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Goofs

When the giants shrink back to normal size, the amount of fabric they clutch to preserve their modesty is less than it should be.

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Quotes

Merrie: Oh don't make book on it. When Fred wants something, he usually gets it.

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Connections

Referenced in Psycho's Sister: Making 'The Name of the Game Is Kill' (2013)

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Soundtracks

Woman
by Ron Elliott
Performed by the The Beau Brummels

User Reviews

More BIG micro props

What did I not like about this movie? Tommy Kirk in summerwear, a smug Beau Bridges, Ron Howard going the Bill Mumy route, and typical teens roaming free and checking the scene...he's so gone, Jasper!!

Besides go-go dancing, booty shaking, and cleavageploitation, this one has some moments, but some parts just drag and stall. See the plastic breasts gag and you just laugh seeing a guy hanging off of them! The music is definitely dated, but has a neat psychedelic feel; probably the only thing going for it. After awhile, I screamed in utter agony, "Enough dancing already!" The sheriff, played by Joe Turkel, also appears as a blackmailing beatnik in BIG's Tormented!. Why is it in his negotiation scene with Beau and the gang, his voice was noticeably faded out? Great editing John Bushelman!! I really wished Tommy fell into the water filled basement without turning the electricity OFF! Hey, isn't the town square the same universal lot where they shot the town of Hill Valley from Back to the Future? I recognized that clock tower!!

I'm going to have 10 buckets of mini-wings right now.