The Giant Gila Monster/The Killer Shrews – Film Masters (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1959 (The Giant Gila Monster, The Killer Shrews)
Director: Ray Kellogg (Both Films)
Cast: Don Sullivan, Fred Graham, Lisa Simone, Shug Fisher, Bob Thompson, Janice Stone, Ken Knox (The Giant Gila Monster), James Best, Ingrid Goude, Ken Curtis, Gordon McLendon, Baruch Lumet, Judge Henry Dupree, Alfredo de Soto (The Killer Shrews)

Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 74 Minutes 38 Seconds (The Giant Gila Monster), 68 Minutes 43 Seconds (The Killer Shrews)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films), Dolby Digtal Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"The classic era of drive-in schlock was near its end in 1959, but there was still time for The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews, a pair of no-budget howlers from producer Gordon McLendon. In The Giant Gila Monster, a lizard takes on a small town. If that's not enough for you, there are plenty of cool cars and some ersatz rock 'n' roll sung by the movie's star, Don Sullivan (The Monster of Piedras Blancas). The Killer Shrews stars James Best (The Dukes of Hazard) as a riverboat pilot stuck on an island where the shrews are the size of German Shepherds. The cast includes Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke) and Ingrid Goude (Miss Universe, 1957). These two features were originally released on a double-bill. Trust us - they belong together!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (The Giant Gila Monster), 3.75/5 (The Killer Shrews)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 4k transfer of The Giant Gila Monster from 35mm original film elements."

The Giant Gila Monster comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 17.2 GB (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio), 17.2 GB (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)

The source used for this transfer looks great; there are no signs of source-related damage. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong; compression is very good; and there does not appear to be any egregious grain management. Also, for this release, you can watch this film in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Restored HD print".

The Killer Shrews comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44 GB

Feature: 19.5 GB (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio), 19.5 GB (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)

Though not as strong of a presentation as The Giant Gila Monster’s transfer, the result is a transfer that looks very good. Outside of a few moments, image clarity looks strong, contrast, black levels, and compression look very good, and there does appear to be some grain management, but fortunately nothing that is an eyesore. Also, for this release, you can watch this film in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Audio: 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - The Giant Gila Monster, DTS-HD Mono English - The Killer Shrews)

The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews each come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the DTS-HD mono tracks. Both films come with removable English SDH. Considering the low budgets of these two films, it is not surprising that range-wise, they are very limited. That said, they always sound clean, clear, and balanced.

Extras:

Extras for The Killer Shrews include 17 radio spots for The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews (12 minutes 43 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Ray Kellogg - An Unsung Master (16 minutes 12 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English with removable English SDH), and an audio commentary with professor and film scholar, Jason A. Ney with optional English SDH.

Extras for The Giant Gila Monster include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 40 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with actor Don Sullivan (92 minutes 53 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan, and Matt Weinhold from The Monster Party Podcast with optional English SDH.

Other extras include a 24-page booklet with an essay titled Pirate Radio, Presidential Assassinations, and Gila Monsters: All in a Life’s Work for Gordon McLendon written by Don Stradley and an essay titled The Unkillable Killer Shrews written by Jason A. Ney.

Summary:

The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews were both directed by Ray Kellogg, who, before these two films, had never directed a film. He is most known for his work on visual effects, working on films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Robe, The Egyptian, and The Seven Year Itch.

Though shot back to back and released as a double bill, when it comes to the cast for each film, there are surprisingly not that many people who appear in both of these films. Behind the scenes, there were several people who worked on both of these films, like screenwriter Jay Simms (Panic in the Year Zero!), cinematographer Wilfrid M. Cline (The Tingler), and editor Aaron Stell (Touch of Evil). Unlike most low-budget films from this era, these two films had several people behind the scenes who worked on notable Hollywood films.

The Giant Gila Monster: The narrative revolves around a giant lizard that attacks a rural Texas town. 

The Killer Shrews: The narrative revolves around killer shrews who attack scientists trapped on an isolated island during a hurricane.

Both films have a basic narrative in which monsters terrorize and kill those who cross their path. No time is devoted to backstory, with the narrative mostly being a means to showcase the monsters. Content-wise, both films have all of the ingredients that one has come to expect from 1950s creature features.

From a production standpoint, despite both films working with very limited resources, the results are two very efficient films that maximize the resources they do have. And though both films have absurd premises that make it impossible to take these two films seriously, the way the stories are approached and the cast's enthusiasm ensure that there is rarely a dull moment.

What is a bad movie? Far too often, films are marginalized because they were made on a shoestring budget or by novices who lacked knowledge of cinematic language. And though there are some solid examples of truly bad films, like the films directed by Ed Wood, the same cannot be said about The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews; they are films that exceed the sum of their parts. Ultimately, if you're a fan of 1950s creature features, then you should thoroughly enjoy The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews.

Over the years, The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews have been released in less-than-desirable public domain releases that came from inferior sources. Fortunately, this release from Film Masters corrects that problem and gives The Giant Gila Monster and The Killer Shrews their definitive home video presentations, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer