The Giant Claw (1957) – Review

In the history of cinema there have been quite a few “less-than-impressive” monsters to grace the big screen, from the lumbering tree monster in From Hell It Came to the giant locusts in The Beginning of the End, but in 1957 producer Sam Katzman topped them all with his offering of The Giant Claw, a movie that features one of the most hilariously looking monster of all time.

Directed by Fred F. Sears, The Giant Claw has achieved a certain level of notoriety, albeit for reasons that are less than complimentary to the filmmakers but is a boon to lovers of bad movies. The plot kicks off during a test of a new radar system that is located up near the North Pole, with civil aeronautical engineer Mitch MacAfee (Jeff Morrow) flying an observation craft while mathematician Sally Caldwell (Mara Corday) monitors things from the ground. The test is interrupted when MacFee’s plane is buzzed by an unidentified flying object that he describes as being “As big a battleship” but no one believes him, that is until more sightings of this UFO correspond with several aircraft going missing. Their research leads them to a shocking discovery – a gigantic, extraterrestrial bird is wreaking havoc on Earth and this monstrous creature is unlike anything humanity has ever encountered before.

Note: The description of the creature being “As big as a battleship” is used eleven times during the film’s 75-minute running time. It’s a shame that some of the movie’s meagre budget wasn’t spent on picking up a thesaurus.

As “The Giant Claw” terrorizes cities and decimates military defences, Mitch and Sally join forces with military officials to devise a plan to stop the creature’s rampage, unfortunately, neither Gen. Van Buskirk (Robert Shayne) or Lt. Gen. Edward Considine (Morris Ankrum) can do anything but growl and look inept. As the danger escalates their efforts are thwarted at every turn by the bird’s seemingly invincible nature and its amazing ability to evade conventional weapons. Turns out that the creature isn’t just from outer space – that would be too easy – our heroes learn from scientist Dr. Karol Noymann (Edgar Barrier) that this creature is from an anti-matter galaxy and because of this it has some form of “anti-matter shield” which protects it from all forms of attack. With time running out and the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Mitch and Sally race against the clock to find a way to defeat “The Giant Claw” before it’s too late.

“I know, how about I make up some bullshit about exotic atoms?”

Stray Observations:

• If films like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and The Deadly Mantis have taught us anything it’s any kind of testing up in the Arctic is a bad idea. I don’t understand how Santa Claus gets anything done with all this going on.
• When it comes to measuring units some people use the imperial system while most, including the scientific community, use the metric system, but not here, in this movie the only measurement used is in comparing an object to the size of a battleship.
• While flying back to the States, MacAfee leans over and kisses a sleeping Sally, which is treated romantically and not as the sexual assault it is. It’s not like they were in any kind of relationship, other than surviving an attack by something as big as a battleship.
• Our hero determines the creature’s flight path by connecting the attack locations in a spiral pattern on a map. Still, any five random points on a map can be turned into a spiral without any underlying pattern.
• Some of the stock footage of panicked crowds running was taken from the science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).
• Screenwriter Samuel Newman would later re-use the character name of “Dr. Karol Noyman” for the film Invisible Invaders (1959). No relation.
• Some of the film’s better special effects were recycled elements from Ray Harryhausen’s Earth vs. the Flying Saucers even to the point where you can see a flying saucer in the background of one of the attacks.

“I eat flying saucers for breakfast.”

Needless to say, one of the film’s most charming aspects is its special effects, which are both laughably primitive and yet strangely endearing. The Giant Claw itself is a marvel of low-budget ingenuity, resembling a cross between a puppet and a marionette that has gone seriously awry. Its jerky movements and comically oversized beak make it a memorable addition to the pantheon of classic movie monsters, and I for one applaud its nature. The producers originally planned to use a stop-motion model created by Ray Harryhausen but due to budgetary limitations they ended up with one of the goofiest marionettes ever created. It has been reported that the marionette of “The Giant Claw” monster, made by a model-maker in Mexico City, cost producer Sam Katzman a mere $50 dollars.

I’d say he was overcharged.

Actor Jeff Morrow has since stated that no one in the cast saw the title monster until they went to the film’s premiere in his own hometown, it was a surprise to him and most involved. The audience roared with laughter every time the monster made an appearance and he wound up slinking out of the theatre in embarrassment before the film was over, hoping no one who knew him would recognize him. This isn’t to say that the goofy puppet was The Giant Claw’s only problem, adding insult to injury is the film’s abysmal script, which features some of the most cringe-worthy dialogue ever committed to celluloid. Characters spout off monologues full of silly exposition with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, all the while scientific jargon is tossed around with reckless abandon leading to unintentionally hilarious exchanges that defy all logic and reason.

“Mister President, I’m pretty sure their making all this shit up.”

The screenplay, penned by Samuel Newman and Paul Gangelin, is riddled with clichés and uninspired dialogue and the narrative itself follows a predictable trajectory, with scientists and military personnel attempting to thwart the destructive path of the monstrous bird but the script’s attempts at suspense and tension are often undermined by its own unintentional campiness, preventing any genuine engagement with the plot or characters. The film fails to maintain a consistent tone, wavering between unintentional comedy and misguided attempts at suspense. And whatever happened to this anti-matter menace?  I like to think he became a regular on the Kukla, Fran and Ollie television show.

   “Hi kiddies, can you guess today’s secret word?”

This film stands as a prime example of everything that could go wrong in a 1950s creature feature and is a masterclass in unintentional hilarity and cinematic ineptitude – this a film that would have made Ed Wood proud – and even the performances of the cast couldn’t help save this thing. Reliable actors like Morrow and Corday couldn’t salvage the sinking ship that is The Giant Claw because, despite their best efforts, they were saddled with thinly written characters and wooden dialogue that offered little opportunity for genuine emotional engagement or development.

“You shoot the writer, I’ve got Katzman in my sites.”

In conclusion, The Giant Claw is a feather-ruffling, campy delight that continues to entertain audiences with its infectious charm and infectious absurdity. Whether you’re a connoisseur of classic creature features or simply seeking an evening of nostalgic goofy fun, this low-budget sci-fi gem is sure to leave you squawking for more.