Badmovies.org Forum

I too saw this on MST3K...  even with the jokes, this movie was pretty bad... I'd hate to watch it without!

This is pretty bad, effects-wise and acting-wise.  And my idea of hell would be to be tied up and forced to listen to that incredibly smarmy song "Laugh Children Laugh" for all eternity.  

I too saw this movie on MST3K, and I thought it was hilarious.  It was bad as only a 50's B horror movie can be.

One of the most heartrending images I've ever seen in a film is when the 'giant' gila monster (surely the cutest monster yet to appear on screen) has it's head shoved through a balsa wood 'wall' to simulate its attack on the Barn Blow-Out Rock 'n' Roll Revue.  It's almost impossible not to visulize the gila rangler grabbing the poor beastie by the torso and ramming it through the miniature set.  And yes, both the Mushroom Song and Laugh, Children, Laugh (I think those are two separate songs, aren't they?) are some of the best bad tunes since Arch Hall, Jr.'s work in Eeagh!

"Laugh Children Laugh" is the hit of the sock hop. Those poor kids. Those *poor* kids --

I had seen this film at a late night matinee when I was about twelve. It did not scare me then, and it does not now. Whose idea was it to use an ordinary lizard in this movie anyway? The most nauseating part, is the idiot with the banjo. It made me root for the creature to just put him, and us out of our misery. Still, it is an okay movie to see when there is nothing else to look at.

This is one of the Best of the worst movies ever made in the
50`s! I loved it as a kid, I bought two... one for my cousin so we could each have a copy to embarass our kids with. They think we`re bonkers, anyway.

Special effects are good, clear cinematography, nice acting, and atmosperic settings. THE GIANT GILA MONSTER is a good monster-on-the-loose film from good ole' 1959. Shot back-to-back with THE KILLER SHREWS, THE GIANT GILA MONSTER is better than THE KILLER SHREWS.

This is a true cult classic!  The scary music alone is a hoot.  Plug your ears with the ukelele (sp?) song though!  What a cute lizard!

I have the GIANT GILA MONSTER on video tape and have watched it many times.   It is most entertaining and humerous.  Don Sullivan, who played Chance, had a much better role in THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS.  

I had to watch this movie for my college history class ... let me tell you this has to be the worst film showed to students EVER!  Whats with those songs?  Oh, and how cool was it to drink and drive in the 50's?  oh well ... I guess I could make up stuff for my paper about "what does this film tell us about the 50's?"

This drive-in bottom feeder from the 50's is actually endearing in its own cheesy way.  The pace could be a bit quicker, but I still find it a pleasent Saturday afternoon time waster, which is where I saw it a lot as a kid.

One of the worst movies of the 50s. Some fun scenes but not worth a second viewing. The lizard is obviously a regular-sized one made to look large with some "excellent" effects. I give it a 2/5

I saw this on the afternoon creature feature when I was about 9...I loved it then (except for that "Laugh" song...ugggggh). Didn't catch the MST3K version.THey must have had real fun with it.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No. It's a giant reptile-amphibian in a movie, with rotten actors, and a Ricky Nelson wannabe.

It's really a shame that the lizard was blown up in the end. NOW what will that jerk-water town do for a tourist attraction? It would have been a gold mine! What
now? "Lizard Burgers" for a week?

I am still puzzled as to why when the monster blows up there wasn't a shower of lizard guts covering everything

As much as I liked Kellogs "Attack of the Killer Shrews".

I luved the Gila Monster the best.It was the interaction with the characters that really got me.

Like when the cop helped out the hero of the movie instead of busting him.Because the kid spent his money on his sisters braces instead of replacing his light.LOL!

Kellog knew how to make characters & scenes that you can't help but like.& relate to.:oDJim

To clear up the confusion, the instrument in question is called a banjo-uke. Essentially, a small banjo, no resonator, steel strings, tuned like a ukelele, and louder than f**k! In real life, a banjo-uke will completely drown out any unamplified guitar, bass, and human voice around it. A remarkable instrument, in it's own demonic way. My absolute favorite part of the movie--I fast forward through the monster stuff just to get to the banjo-uke bits. (And you thought YOU were twisted....)

I loved this movie when it first came out. I thought it was made near Houston so I thought that was so cool. (The DJ was from KILT radio in Houston, a real station here.) Also, Gordon McClendon was a producer of the movie and he also owned KILT. (He also co-starred in The Killer Shrews) I bought the movie on vhs and found I still enjoyed it, even with all the horrible, stupid, dumb acting.  So bad it's good. I even found myself humming along with that song. UUUUGGGGH

A MST3K favorite.  I couldn't watch this without them.  It's like Daddy-o with a bigass lizard.  Speaking of...a long time ago my dad told me the town drunk's joke (about his car decreasing then increasing in value..and THAT'S when he'll sell it) and I just about fell out of my chair the first time I watch this MST3K episode.  My dad was probably in the drive-in with somebody who was NOT my mom and actually WATCHING this movie!  Ha ha!!  

The worst thing about this film (MST3K version of not) is that stupid, freaking song!  It never leaves your head!  You wish you could climb in there and beat the guy to death with his own ukulele.  

I saw this movie and i can remember the sceen in which the car gose rolling down the embankment and the big lizard paw comming down and i also remember when the big lizard tries to disrupt a dance and how it seemed to be pushing matchbox cars around as it went

I saw this movie when i was ether 8 or 9 on KHSL channel 12 from chico calfornia on the afternoon play house it was at 2:00 in the afternoon and i can remember the part of the couple in a car the car rolling down a embankment then the big lizard paw comming down and i can also recall the giant lizard trying to get at the teens in a dance hall

I rather liked this film.  Chase is a solid sort of citizen-- setting a good example for the other teenagers, working
hard to buy Missy's braces, and noble enough to sacrifice
his beloved hotrod to save civilization from the dreaded
giant Gila monster.  The sheriff is a paragon of decent,
balanced practicality other law enforcement officials might
benefically emulate.  I must say, however, that when it
comes to ukulele-accompanied vocalization, Chase doesn't
have a patch on George Formy, O.B.E.

I can take heart in knowing no gila monsters were hurt in the making of this film.
Well, maybe just a little.
Just think, Missy will grow out of leg braces just in time to require braces on her teeth. And just when Lisa announces she's preggers. Poor Chase.

The Giant Gila Monster was great, how could you not like it. Don Sullivan is one of the best actors ever and he is a great singer in this film. And it has lots of action in it and my god The Gila Monster was Huge. I love this Film and one thing. It's not a B-movie ok.

This was one of my favorite monster movies when I was a kid and I recently watched it again. WTF? How things change.
Well,the hotrods are still cool but that 'Laugh Children laugh' song.How in the world did I get through that as a kid? Maybe there's a reason why I grew up with 'issues'.
Anyways,it's still a fun movie to watch in a lazy weekend.
What I can never figure out is why Chase chose to sing'Laugh children laugh'instead that 'My baby rocks' at the barn dance if he wanted to be discovered by the talent scouts? The movie would've been sooo much better without the music.
A cop that takes advice from a teenager? Wow.The police kicked our butt when we gave them our'advice'.
I wish I could've gotten away with stealing auto parts.We need cops like that in our 'hood.
Grab some popcorn,your favorite girl(boy..whatever)and watch this movie and have fun.

This was one of those old Black and White B-Movies of the 50s or 60s the big lizard tramping around everywhere you can imagine

Hey it's former Rocky Jones,and Little Rascal,Scotty Beckett under the name of Don Sullivan in this horror abombanation.No wonder Scotty Beckett wanted to have nothing to do with those horror movies he was in,and even changed his name,just to not being associated with these films.


If you look very carefully at him,you can tell that he has aged quite alot,and looks to be drugged out as well.But his voice and eyebrows are a dead giveaway that it is him.The only thing as far as I'm concerned that saves this movie is that he gets a chance to sing some Rock 'N' Roll songs in this movie.But really he didn't really need to do dreck films like this.I guess at this point in his acting career,one can only assume is that he needed the money to support his drug habit,as he was definately a far superior actor to star in a movie such as this.

As bad as this is,I still find it to be entertaing only because of Scotty's acting.The film itself is slow and takes quite awhile for it to move,but it's Scotty's songs and acting that entertains me whenever I watch this film.There should have been much more of the Gila Monster in this,as there wasn't enough to be seen from it.This is far from being a classic,but it's good to watch every now and then,but only in very small doses.

You are wrong...that is definitely NOT Scotty Beckett.  Not even close.

Pretty poor movie and plot.  But I think it's a
hoot not to have to bleep every other word.  I kind
of liked the Mushroom song. Isn't it appropreate
"laugh children laugh"

I personally thought this was a pretty decent film.

This film is fun, in a cheezy way. Not the singing, of course. (I got that Mushroom song stuck in my ear for a few days, so now mute the sound when that comes on.)
But I rather liked the way the rock-n-roll and eerie swamp music came together at the end.

One thing bugs me, though. Chase is telling the sheriff he can't afford a new headlight for $4 because he's saving for his sister's leg braces, but a little earlier, he's offering Harris $150 for his old car. He lost credibility with me at that point.

One more thing-what good is that sheriff, anyway? He drops the ball in every possible way in this film. Can't even take a good photo of skidmarks.

***

This was your prototype 50's drive in classic. The kind of movie you'd take your Gal with to see at the drive in and not watch too much of the film...wink.....

Anyway, it had a decent plot. To show you how times have changed early in the film the Sheriff is questioning Chase about the disappearence of Pat Wheeler and his girlfriend and asks Chase is they were 'In any kind of trouble?"...Chase slowly replys, "What do you mean trouble?" The Sheriff cocks his head sideways and replys, "You know what I mean."....obviously he was implying as to whether or not the two missing teens were going to be a Mommy and Daddy?....It's obvious in those days you could not come out and say it. These days they'd probably showed the two going at it in the back seast prior to the Giant Gila Monster coming down on them like he did!

I liked the film and plan to purchase on DVD as I have a large collection of Sci-Fi drive-in type films from the 50's and 60's.

I have to comment on the opening scenes in the teen hang out after the film's opening credits roll out. There is this kid sitting at the counter with his girlfriend doing this nutty looking dance while sitting down. Everyone looks out a window to the left of the scene as people drive up, yet, all the people come in from the opposite side of the scene through the door. So this is called "crossing the line" in the editing business.

Also, the girl Jenny who is with her guy in the center of the others, seems to have "eyes" for Chase, and glancing resentment toward Lisa Simone who plays Chase's girlfriend. Watching this entire scene and the way Jennifer looks at Chase, seems to suggest maybe they hooked up or she was jealous of the girl playing Chases girlfriend.

I am an editor and had to re-edit some of the sound for a company who released this on a DVD. I had to watch this film over and over again and caught some pretty funny bloopers, especially here in the opening scene.

JE

I can aciualy remember this movie and one could rraly tell that it was a regular sized gilamonster walking amounst matchbox cars

Wait...there's bloopers in this film? Who woulda thought?! You destroyed my perfect image of it!  :smile:

You know what's hilarious about this movie? There's not actually a Gila monster in it at all! The car-shoving, model-train set wrecking, teenager-stalking reptile is actually a Mexican beaded lizard, which is also venomous and very closely related to the Gila. Oh yeah, both these lizards essentially feed on things that can't move away or they trap in a hole, like quail eggs or baby gophers, so the majority of the victims could just've broken into a jog and told that big lizard to eat their dust. :tongueout:

All that aside though, this is one of my all-time favorite cheesy monster-on-the-loose 50's flicks. I love Chase's character, and the theme music I find to be truly haunting and chilling.

Unfortunately, I also had to endure the agony of listening to that excruciating song not once, but TWICE! I've heard power saws that were less irritating!

I love the Giant Gila Monster! Have since I was a kid. Cute monster. Great Cars!
My favorite scene is when you see the Gila monster flick his tongue at the old guy driving the diesel semi and the tongue flicking apparently scares the truck off the road...
Since everyone admits to hating Chase's Mushroom song, try changing the words to fit your mood. I generally sing, "and the Lord said, "run! children run!" :twirl:

FOR REAL PEOPLE...YOUR BAD TALKING THIS MOVIE? IT'S THE BEST THEY CAN DO BACK THEN...ITS CLASSIC B MOVIE!!! AND BECAUSE OF MOVIES LIKE THIS, WE GET JARASIC PARK, AND DRAGON MOVIES...OK GODZILLA HAD HELP TOO!! ELVIRA LIKES IT, AND SO DO I. WELCOME BACK ELVIRA, SO GLAD THE MOVIE MACABRE IS BACK ON THE AIR. AND GLAD ITS THE REAL YOU AND NOT THE NEW YOU...WHAT HAPPENED TO HER ANYWAYS? LONG LIVE CASSANDRA PETERSON!!!!!! ( SORRY FOR BAD SPELLING! )