The Deadly Mantis, 1957.
Directed by Nathan Juran.
Starring Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton, Donald Randolph and Pat Conway.
SYNOPSIS:
A prehistoric giant praying mantis is freed from the Arctic ice and goes on the rampage across the US.
The Deadly Mantis is not one of the first titles to spring to mind when you think about sci-fi horror movies from the 1950s and that’s something of a puzzler as it is actually one of the most confidently presented and enjoyable films of the era. Beginning with some hokey science – which crops up again throughout the film – we are treated to some old-style (well, they’re old-style now) map graphics that set the scene for us as we are given some gibberish about volcano eruptions causing ruptions in the Arctic, and then the traditional scientist and military involvement as the authorities try to work out what the giant body parts they keep finding belong to.
Of course we know what it is as it’s in the title of the film but the filmmakers decided to keep the reveal of what the giant praying mantis looks like until around halfway through the film, which means you get a lot of 1950s mumbo jumbo dialogue, a very forced romance that serves no purpose and more exposition than a daytime soap opera, but the film looks pretty good and although the characters are a little generic the performances are pleasant enough, especially Alix Talton as museum curator Marge Blaine, who has a bit more oomph about her than the usual sappy female characters from other B-movies of the era.
The creature itself is quite impressive considering when this film was made. Naturally when it attacks the victims stand there for far too long waving their arms when they could have just run away but that’s part of the charm of these movies, as are the shadows of the lighting rigs and boom mics that move around in the background during some of the interior shots. However, despite a few technical niggles the film seems to be trying very hard to convince you that this is a bona fide horror movie that should be taken seriously, and the use of those maps at the beginning and the stock footage of tribes of people fleeing their homes does this quite well, which means that somebody cared about what they were doing. It’s not a creature feature that demands some emotional investment like The Fly and it’s not as throwaway as Tarantula but it falls somewhere in between, and if you like vintage monster movies then The Deadly Mantis is one worth checking out.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=8k_v0cVxqEY
Originally published August 24, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
