Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10604 in VHS
• Released on: 1994-05-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 79 minutes

Amazon.com
Beware of global warming! After an arctic glacier undergoes a sudden mysterious thaw, the world faces the wrath of a not-so-jolly green giant in this moderately diverting big bug movie. Although the handsomely produced film follows the standard '50s monster movie playbook--plentiful stock footage, tired characterizations, a lengthy intro documenting the wonderfulness of a newfangled gizmo named radar, etc.--a little too closely to be truly memorable, it nonetheless remains a more than acceptable time-waster, with above-average special effects and a nicely atmospheric conclusion inside the Manhattan Tunnel. Writer-producer William Alland, in addition to being affiliated with some of the period's greatest achievements in the horror/sci fi genres (including the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon), is notable for his longtime association with another gigantic force--namely, Orson Welles. --Andrew Wright

Customer Reviews

BUGINESS AT ITS BEST!
Back in the 1950s, giant bug movies were all the rage. Insects like scorpions, spiders, wasps, and ants all got the kaiju upgrade, and it is no suprise that the Praying Mantis got the same treatment. Being made by Universal back in 1957, the movie would be the first in history to star a giant monster attack Washington DC.

The story is basic, a nuclear bomb test had awakened a prehistoric, giant Praying Mantis. The mantis causes quit a stir when it attacks a huge jet and the accident is unexplained, and when a huge hook like object is found in the wreckage. A paleontologist is called in, and quickly finds out that it is from an insect, and a Praying Mantis to be exact. As they study the piece of hook, the Mantis attacks eskimos. As the Paleontologist and his assistant are at a military hanger in the Artic, the mantis attacks them, and is soon made to flee by flame throwers, and then goes to the states, where the real fun begins...

The mantis is spotted and starts to attack buses, trains, and soon Washington DC, missiles miss, bullets have no effect, and nothing seems to stop it. The mantis attacks DC, and craws up the Monument and then flies off to New York City, where it is finally shot down by a missile and then enters the Brookyln Tunnel. The Paleontologist and a few others enter it, and use a special poison gas on the mantid, causing it to fall down...dead.

The movie is good, but fails to compare to movies like "THEM", "THE BLACK SCORPION", and "TARANTULA", but all in all, it is very enjoyable. The acting is solid but tends to make a person squinch once in a while. The effects are good, and the mantid looks great...even if it is missing antenna. The best scene has got to be the scene where it crawls up the Monuement, which could quit possibly be one of the coolest giant monster scenes in history. My only grip with the Mantis is the roar... which seems more dinosaurian then insectiod.

Over all, this movie is damn good for an old 1950's bug movie, and is a classic till the end if your a B-Movie nut. If you want a more serious bug movie, I suggest "THE BLACK SCORPION" or "THEM", but if your looking for something to snicker at, laugh at, and just plain enjoy, then get the popcorn out, turn the lights off, and throw in...

"THE DEADLY MANTIS"

THE TRAGIC TALE OF 1 FARMER'S HELPER!
I recently rediscovered this long forgotten [for me at least] monster classic after looking at the video box and seeing that Nathan Juran who produced many of Ray Harryhausen's best films also produced this creature feature. Although I saw this movie when it was originally released in 1957, I did not immediately recall seeing it as I did so many others of the same period and genre like,"The Crawling Eye" and "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". My way of gauging the value of this type of 50's MONSTER/CREATURE FEATURE today [as a mature adult] is whether or not it holds my interest first [usually by a scary credible premise], and then how much I care about the outcome the monster and the people involved. Well this is a formula film though at the time [1957] this was not a cliched theme. The monster is for the time, a very believable huge praying mantis. I have trouble finding this scary, because as a child my mother frequently told me that the praying mantis was one of only a few "good insects" the other being the "lady bug" and that it was a sin to kill one and you could be punished by a fine [if anybody found out]! Okay, so to me it is sort of like the "Giant Lady Bug" but with a sin and a possible fine thrown in as the outcome. Anyway, the film executes itself quite in the same manner as "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms","THEM" or "The Giant Behemoth", all films I enjoy often, but worth watching because they are surprisingly believable.

PLEASE NOTE: To avoid giving away the movie I have to resist going into scene detail though it is tempting.

The part of this movie that got my closest and most serious attention was when the "DEADLY MANTIS" turned up in "THE MANHATTAN TUNNEL," which in fact does not exist though it could have been the "LINCOLN TUNNEL","HOLLAND TUNNEL" or "BROOKLYN BATTERY TUNNEL [world's longest]". Suddenly I did recall seeing the film 45 years earlier, as I grew up passing through all Manhattan's tunnels' on a weekly basis. This tunnel scene brought my recollection of the entire movie from a child's viewpoint all back in fresh detail. The feeling I had then returned suddenly with a chill as I recalled that I felt that humankind had done a terrible thing killing this "good insect".

They should have tried to relocate our hungry friend in a lush farming community perhaps in a New Jersey meadow [THE GARDEN STATE], or a Florida citrus grove! Our friend "The Deadly Mantis" just wanted some Japanese Beetles and Aphids to munch on, NOT humans. I now recall feeling very badly and guilty at the time for this poor victimized farmer's helper and nothing but disdain for the impulsive violence we humans mindlessly perpetrated against her. I say "HER" because they never made the gender clear but I think she may have been in the tunnel laying eggs, or was that just in "THEM".

A DVD for this timeless genre classic is overdue and hopefully we'll see one soon and with some really neat features.

Classic "Big Bug ", Feature From The Marvellous 1950's
Not as well known as the other classic sci fi titles from the 1950's like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Them", or "Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Deadly Mantis", has on display I feel one of the more original "creatures", that abounded during that decade terrorising countless cities, isolated farmhouses or ships out at sea. The Praying Mantis of the story, a huge prehistoric ancestor of the specimen we know today, is the intriguing creature of the title and it makes for a most enjoyable sci fi film that while always taking itself very seriously as a drama can also be appreciated for the superb special effects that give the impression of a huge bug causing untold destruction in cities and in the airways. I personally feel this "monster", is one of the better of these mutated or reawakened creatures that were common on theatre screens during the fifties. Nathan Juran, a director I admire greatly clocked up an impressive sci fi directing record in the late 50's with not only this effort but also the classics "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman", "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad", and especially "Twenty Million Miles to Earth". He seemed to have one of the best understandings of working in this genre and his efforts are always worth taking a look at.

"The Deadly Mantis", begins with a lengthy explanation of the "new" wonder of this period the radar, how it operates and what it is capable of picking up. The action then moves to a massive volcanic eruption that disturbs the natural order of things in the artic circle. The resulting global warning releases an enourmous prehistoric ancestor of the modern Praying Mantis from its millions of years deep freeze. Very soon strange and unsettling reports are coming from the artic region of remote observation bases and then survey planes being attacked and destroyed by some massive being that leaves huge track marks in the snow unlike any other creature known to man. Strangely no survivors of these attacks are ever found and at the observation station a puzzling spore is uncovered that comes from a creature of a fantastic size. An investigation is set up and Col. Joe Parkman (Craig Stevens), is put in charge of tracking down what is causing this trouble in the region. After the giant spore is brought back to Washington the military call in expert Paleontologist Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper), to try and identify what it actually is. With the assitance of assistant Marge Blaine (Alix Talton), Dr. Jackson isolates it as being a prehistoric ancestor of the modern Praying Mantis but from the size of the spore it is a creature so fantastic in size as to be hard to imagine. The incidents of this terrifying creature causing death and destruction continue with Eskimo colonies and ships at sea being destroyed by the creature that is rampant in its need for food and leaves no human being alive as it passes. Dr. Jackson and Marge travel to the artic base to investigate further and experience first hand the full terror of this prehistoric creature as it attacks the base and defies even the military's flame throwers. A pattern begins to emerge which indicates the Mantis is heading south to the Amazon region which was its original habitat in prehistoric times. On the way south the Mantis wreaks havoc in Washington where it attacks the Washington Monument before it is finally trapped in the Manhatten Tunnel in New York. With the creature seemingly impervious to bullets of any kind Col. Parkman seals off both ends of the tunnel and pumps poisonous gases into the tunnel hoping to kill the trapped creature. There are some tense moments when it looks like the creature will even withstand the gases and the men begin to retreat however eventually the gas does its work and the creature meets its end on top of a pile of smashed cars that were abandoned in the tunnel.

"The Deadly Mantis may contain the tried and true formula for these types of "creature features" from the 1950's, however the story is presented in a sensible and thought out way. The extensive use of airforce and radar footage despite it being of a poorer quality than the Universal Studios film, doesn't detract from the story moving on. Performances in "The Deadly Mantis", are of the earnest and sincere kind one expects from this period in Sci Fi film making. Craig Stevens plays your standard rugged male lead and he combines well with female lead Alix Talton who apart from having one of the best screams of any actress in Sci Fi Films around this time, also has some character to work with rather than only reacting to what the men are doing. Alix Talton was a most capable actress and here she creates a character that is no shrinking violet but a talented photographer who insists on getting involved where the main action is taking place. William Hopper playing her boss does a credible piece of acting like he did in "Twenty Million MIles to Earth", as the main expert on what the creature actually is. The Mantis in question is one of the more memorable creatures of the 1950's sci fi genre, right up there with the killer ants from "Them". Its construction and movements are first rate and the invented roar that it makes really creates a chilling effect while possibly not being anything like the sound a giant Mantis would make! But licence has to be allowed when looking at these types of films.

For an enjoyable ride back to Universal Studios "Golden Age of Science Fiction", you can't do much better that "The Deadly Mantis". Certainly not the best film in this genre ever made it still is presented on a level that indicates some thought has gone into the story and especially into the special effects. The sight of the ferocious Mantis overturning a large bus on a fog bound night or demolishing cars in the Manhatten Tunnel are still some of THE classic sci fi images from this decade.Enjoy!