Linbeymusol
Wonderful character development!
GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Allison Davies
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
kapelusznik18
***SPOILERS*** A lot of strange things have been happening in and around the town of Pine Ridge that reach a breaking point for those living there when local cattleman Harold Banks was found beaten to death by what at first was suspected to be an escapee from a near mental institution. It's when professor Cleveland played by the venerable "Eternal Colonel" himself Morris Ankrum, in a rare non military role, shows up or rolled into town with his lovely and available, yes she's not married, daughter Janet, Sally Fraser, that things really started to get out of hand.That's in the towns handsome and single and unattached hard as well as soft rock specialist Wayne Brooks, Edward Kemmer, by him taking a shine more to Janet then to the rocks that he's studying. It turns out that Wayne had found a 500 year old lizard encased in a rock formation that came to life after he cracked it open with a dose of radiation! As for the professor he's interested in finding the remains of this giant Spanish Conquistador named Varges "The Diablo Giant", Buddy Baer, who vanished with his men in and around Pine Ridge some 500 years ago. It soon becomes apparent that Vargas is alive and well in them hills when a bolt of lighting struck his burial site at Devil's Crag and brought him back to life! Rampaging through the area Vargas murders Ann Brown, Joline Brand, as she was fetching water from a nearby well.It turns out that it's Wayne who's suspected in Ann's murder in that a Spanish medallion that belonged to him was found at the murder site.***SPOILERS*** It took a while for Wayne to convince the local Sheriff Parker, Bob Steele, that he's innocent after a number of brutal killings that included that of the wise old Indian Joe, Billy Dix, while Wayne was still in custody. With a search party organized by Sheriff Parker that included the late Ann's brother Charlie Brown, Gary Crutcher, who by going on his own almost ends up getting himself killed by Vargas. Tracked down in an abandoned cabin the big guy as he checked out is finally trapped on a skimpy bridge, that could barley support his 400 plus pound weight, by Wayne and while fighting him he ends up losing his footing and drops down and washed away into a 100 foot waterfall. Where he ends up draining intro a radioactive crater never to be seen or heard from again!
ferbs54
Truth to tell, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from "Giant From the Unknown." I'd seen two of director Richard Cunha's later works, "Missile to the Moon" and "Frankenstein's Daughter," and had found them both incredibly awful, albeit entertainingly so. Indeed, the latter might just be my favorite bad movie of all time. Still, it was to my surprise that "Giant," although certainly not a good movie by any reasonable definition, turned out to be yet another entertaining diversion from director Cunha. In it, a Spanish conquistador, buried 500 years ago by Indians in what is now California, rises from the earth to cause more mayhem. As played by Buddy Baer (brother of heavyweight prizefighter Max), and featuring a makeup job by Jack "Frankenstein" Pierce, this giant does make for one imposing sight. Scientist Morris Ankrum, his daughter Sally Fraser, and an ex-student, Edward Kemmer, all happen to be in this CA mountain community when old Vargas goes on his rampage, and the three make for appealing leads. This film features a fair amount of suspense, some startling moments, not too many unintentionally funny lines, and a fairly compact story line. Granted, some of the backdrops look as phony as can be (that lake, that ersatz dam), and some details don't make much sense if one ponders them later, but darn it, this movie was kinda fun! Maybe I've been watching too many shlocky films lately, and my standards are starting to slip, but still, I did enjoy this one. The DVD looks nice and crisp, too, although the source material seems damaged in spots. All in all, I certainly do not regret having rented this one out....
Woodyanders
Huge murderous behemoth Vargas (hulking Buddy Baer, the brother of Max Baer of "The Beverly Hillbillies" fame) terrorizes a small California country hamlet. The frightened townspeople believe Vargas is the reincarnation of an infamous Spanish Conquistador who was killed in the mountains many years ago. Folksy anthropologist Dr. Frederick Cleveland (excellently played by Morris Ankrum), his fetching daughter Janet (the really charming and attractive Sally Fraser), and affable local Wayne Brooks (an engaging portrayal by Edward Kemmer) run into Vargas during an expedition into the woods. Director Richard Cunha maintains a steady pace throughout, does a good job of creating a pretty eerie atmosphere, and stages the shock scenes with a reasonable amount of aplomb. Cunha's sharp black and white cinematography, the pleasingly trim 77 minute running time and Albert Glasser's roaring full-tilt orchestral score are all on the money solid. Nice supporting performances by Bob Steele as stern, no-nonsense Sheriff Parker, Gary Crutcher as nice guy Charlie Brown, Jolene Brand as Charlie's sweet gal pal Ann, and Billy Dix as crazy doomsayer Indian Joe. The legendary Jack ("Frankenstein") Pierce did the crusty make-up for Vargas. An enjoyable romp.
shugaron316
Since there is no goofs section for this movie,I will give the big one I saw at the finish:The Giant crashes thru the bridge railing and into the river,but in the next long shot,when the hero is walking away from the bridge,the railing is intact. This is one of the most dreadfully bad of the 50's B flicks,rating right down there with turkeys like The Giant Claw,From Hell It Came,Killers From Space,Beginning of the End,Robot Monster,etc. I'm surprised they didn't get old Tor Johnson for this role, as it was right down his alley but I guess he couldn't fit into the armor,else they'd be calling it Fat,Bald,No Talent,ex-Wrestler From the Unknown!
