GIANT
FROM THE UNKNOWN (1958)Director: Richard Cunha
Image Entertainment
GIANT
FROM THE UNKNOWN (1958)It has come to my attention in recent years that this, Richard Cunha's first monster film in a series that came to include SHE DEMONS and FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER, is highly revered by fans. It played many a night on television in the sixties and seventies, so being a child of those times myself I am surprised that I never caught it back then. I first got a look at it when I attended a revival in New York City ten years ago, and I recall despising the thing, even though I've enjoyed some of Cunha's other efforts. Well, after seeing the DVD I can only say that my opinion today is less harsh, but it's still no favorite of mine.
As the movie begins, a small community is perplexed as to why so many animals and even a local citizen have been chopped into pieces. The town sheriff typically suspects our leading man (Ed Kemmer), but can't really prove anything just yet. In the meantime, Kemmer heads off to an infamous mountain location with Sally Fraser and her old dad (played by Morris Ankrum, often hesitating when delivering his lines), searching for relics of a centuries-old Spanish Conquistador believed to be buried in that area. During a lightning storm, a few dirty leaves are disturbed and reveal the reanimated body of the dreaded Conquistador (played by 6' 6" Buddy Baer) and the well-preserved "giant" grabs his axe and begins to prowl.
Ed Kemmer provides us with a likeable hero, and Sally Fraser has a decent share of sappy dialogue to help us along. For me, the show comes up short where the giant is concerned; he never really does much of anything, and a helmeted tall man in armor with mud in his beard fails to excite me. He's especially disappointing when you consider that former Universal Horror makeup genius Jack Pierce (the same man who developed the timeless designs of Karloff's Frankenstein monster and Chaney's Wolf Man) did the work on this Spanish Conquistador. Ironically, it was one of his last projects.
For fans of GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN (and I know you're out there), I am happy to report that this DVD is absolutely GORGEOUS to look at. It appears so sharp, detailed, and free of blemishes that it nearly looks like it could have been filmed five minutes ago. It's one of the finest presentations I have ever seen for an older black and white movie. Outstanding. The audio, which is in mono, is also impressive.
An original trailer is included, and we get the added treat of some fine liner notes from the dependable Tom Weaver on the fold-out jacket as well. This is a beautiful release of a drive-in cult classic, the third of the four Richard Cunha low-budget chillers (FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER and MISSILE TO THE MOON are the other two) to be released on DVD so far. I can't wait to get a look at SHE DEMONS on a future disc...I'm sure it's not too far away. (Joe Lozowsky)