Hip! Hip! Hurray! Film Masters has released an immaculate, Blu-ray set of director Ray Kellogg and producers Ken ("Festus") Curtis and Gordon ("The Maverick of Radio") McLendon's 1959, drive-in double feature, The Giant Gila Monster & The Killer Shrews.
These public-domain titles have been released many times over on VHS and disc, but this new coupling is one of the best and most comprehensive, due to the restored elements and favorable features.
Gila Monster, scripted by Kellogg and Jay Sims, stars Don (Teenage Zombies/Monster of Piedras Blancas) as good-natured hotrodder/rock-'n'-roll singer, Chase Winstead, who works as a mechanic by day, but finds time to spend with his special-needs sister, Janice Stone's Missy, and his girlfriend, played by Miss France's Lisa Simone.
In the wake of mysterious disappearances, Chase teams with Fred (The Purple Monster Strikes) Graham's Sheriff Jeff to unravel the cause (as Shug Fisher's town eccentric interjects levity and Bob Thompson's concerned parent presses for answers). Through the process, Chase comes upon a recording opportunity through a local DJ, played by real-life, Dallas DJ, Ken Knox, letting Sullivan brandish his skills with two catchy tunes, "The Mushroom Song/Laugh, Children, Laugh" and "My Baby, She Rocks." This leads to a sock-hop climax where the behemoth attacks, leaving Chase (equipped with is beloved hotrod) to save the day.
Killer Shrews, penned by Sims, stars James (Twilight Zone/Dukes of Hazzard) Best as Captain Thorne Sherman, who with Judge Henry Dupree's first mate, delivers supplies to researchers on an island as a hurricane nears, only to discover the landscape is infected by genetically altered, canine-sized shrews. The unabating beasts must eat their own body weight every few hours in order to survive, propelling them to seek and devour the principles, who must devise a clever means of escape. The aforementioned Curtis, Miss Sweden's Ingrid Goude, Baruch Lumet, Alfredo DeSoto and even McLendon comprise the co-cast.
The special features for Gila Monster consist of
1) Theatrical (1.85:1) and TV (1.33:1) formats from the 35mm negative
2) Original, restored 35mm trailer
3) Commentary by The Monster Party Podcast's Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan and Matt Weinhold
4) A 2009 interview with Don Sullivan, conducted by writer Bryan Senn
The special features for Killer Shrews consist of
1) Theatrical (1.85:1) and TV (1.33:1) formats from the 35mm negative
2) Ray Kellogg: An Unsung Master featurette by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures via writer, C. Courtney Joyner, narrated by Larry Blamire
3) Radio spots (for Killer Shrews & Gila Monster), per Gary L. Prange
4) Commentary by writer, Jason A. Ney
Despite the movies' frightful circumstances, there's an naïve charm about them. Moreover, they're close to avant-garde in their rebellious, bargain-basement unpretentiousness, with their creatures rendered by simple but viable methods (a projected, Mexican Beaded Lizard set loose upon miniatures and agile, costumed coonhounds), relying the whole while on "everyman" characters (with a few foolhardy to a fault) to assist Kellogg's tidy direction.
That the films share the same ominous ambiance helps, if one opts to watch them back to back. Much of the credit for this cohesion goes to photographer Wilfrid (The Tingler) M. Cline, and those who composed the complementing scores, Jack Marshall for Gila Monster, and Emil Cadkin and Harry Bluestone for Killer Shrews. (Without question, these movies were made for each other.)
To enhance the pleasing conjunction, the set includes a stylish, photo-adorned booklet, containing the articles, "Pirate Radio, Presidential Assassinations and Gila Monsters: All in a Life's Work" by McLendon and "The Unkillable Killer Shrews" by Ney.
For Gila Monster & Killer Shrews fans, the Film Masters contribution is a must-own. Order at
https://www.filmmasters.com/giant-gila-monster-killer-shrews?fbclid=IwAR0UKjAsYLPZuLzbthaUw3KNQM1kMA5oJpdLpgEo5Ea9bnBtGCj81DQI7fQ
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