Skip to main content

GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN Blu-ray Review



GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN 

Director: Richard E. Chuna

Stars: Sally Fraser, Buddy Baer, Morris Ankrum, and Bob Steele

The picture above, says it all. If you see that image and want to know more, you should check out Richard E. Chuna's 1958 backyard horror schlockfest GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN.  From a first-time director, writer, and producer the film has an infectious energy that's only possible from a group of people who have no idea what they are doing. If you imagine a film somewhere in between Ed Wood and Roger Corman you won't be far off. 

Dr. Frederick Cleveland (Morris Ankrum) and his daughter Janet (Sally Fraser) are joined by scientific researcher Wayne Brooks (Ed Kemmer) in the pursuit of ancient artifacts from Vargas, a giant 500-year-old Spanish conquistador, you know that old chestnut. When a lightning storm interrupts their search, the team finds much more than artifacts when the long-lost Vargas returns to life, with a murderous rage and an ax to grind!

While amateurish and at times overtly racist at others the film is not without its merits. Shooting the film on location in Big Bear with 16 mm black and white gives an ominous tone often missing from other ventures of its ilk. The cast of supporting players is made up of crew members and locals who are so out of their element it's hard not to love them. With the exception of the white guy who plays a Native American. Leaning into every stereotype short of a rain dance this is one distracting and difficult element to overlook. 

Giant from the Unknown has been resurrected from the original camera negative with a stunning 4K transfer and presented in widescreen for the first time since its initial release in 1958. You can tell the filmmakers were prepared for an eventual televised release because the vast majority of the action is in the center of the frame. This release includes exclusive special features: Never-before-seen interviews with author C. Courtney Joyner and actor Gary Crutcher and commentary from historian Tom Weaver, directed by Daniel Griffith at Ballyhoo Motion Pictures.


SPECIAL FEATURES: 

  • Audio commentary with author/historian Tom Weaver and guests 
  • Audio commentary with co-star Gary Crutcher 
  • You're a B-Movie Star, Charlie Brown, an all-new interview with actor/screenwriter Gary Crutcher
  • The Man With A Badge: Bob Steele in the 1950s, an all-new interview with author/film historian C. Courtney Joyner
  • Original trailer 
  • Blu-ray collector's booklet with still gallery and liner notes by Tom Weaver.

Inspired by the film, the Limited-Edition Giant Cult Film Box Set features exclusive collectibles that will thrill any cult classic film fan, including a 13-month cult film calendar, bookmark, magnet, custom playing card deck and lapel pin inspired by Vargas the Giant himself. And that’s not all!  Each box set will also include a surprise, TFD Vault cult film, recently restored from the original camera negative in stunning 4K and a one-year subscription to The Film Detective app, unlocking thousands of classic film and television titles available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

At an $120+ value, the Limited-Edition Giant Cult Film Box Set is the perfect holiday treat. And if this giant offer at giant savings wasn’t incentive enough, the first 100 Blu-ray box set orders will receive their copy of Giant from the Unknown in a special blood-red Blu-ray case.

The Limited-Edition Giant Cult Film Box Set deal won’t last long!  The Film Detective store will be available now through Nov.13, with box sets to arrive by December 17. To order, visit https://thefilmdetective.imagenorders.com For more information on the general Jan. 19th Giant from the Unknown release, visit www.TheFilmDetective.com

Popular posts from this blog

THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER Trailer and Release Info

  The Fire That Took Her: Mother-of-two, Judy Malinowski, was doused in gasoline and set on fire by her crazed ex-boyfriend. She would go on to set new legal precedent, becoming the first woman to testify at the trial for her own muder. THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER goes inside her landmark case to ask a timely question: How much must women suffer in order to be believed? Opening In Theaters October 21st, 2022

Following Films Podcast: Matt Glass and Jordan Wayne Long on GHOSTS OF THE OZARKS

Today I'm joined by Matt Glass and Jordan Wayne Long the co-directors behind GHOSTS OF THE OZARKS Tim Blake Nelson, David Arquette, Angela Bettis, Thomas Hobson, Phil Morris and Tara Perry star in this exciting new take on the southern ghost story. In post-Civil War Arkansas, a young doctor is mysteriously summoned to a remote town in the Ozarks only to discover that the utopian paradise is filled with secrets and surrounded by a menacing, supernatural presence GHOSTS OF THE OZARKS is available wherever you rent movies

Lifetime®’s Ultimate Holiday Movie Collection arrives on DVD November 1 from Lionsgate

Ok, you either are or you know someone who is crazy about these things. The Lifetime holiday movies are so popular and omnipresent that I think they can qualify as their own sub-genre. I know exactly who I will be purchasing this massive set for. Check out the details below  Experience the best this holiday season has to offer as Lifetime®’s Ultimate Holiday Movie Collection arrives on DVD November 1 from Lionsgate, exclusively at Walmart. Featuring 50 holiday-themed stories of love, family, friendship, and Christmas magic, Lifetime®’s Ultimate Holiday Movie Collection will be available for the suggested retail price of $69.98 for DVD. FILM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A Fiancรฉ for Christmas Holiday in Santa Fe Miracle in Motor City Mistletoe in Montana Under the Christmas Tree Merry Liddle Christmas Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding Merry Liddle Christmas Baby Feliz NaviDAD You Light Up My Christmas Christmas Hotel Radio Christmas …and many more!   PROGRAM INFORMATION Year of Production: 2017–2021