The 1950s marked the end of Universal’s famous monster era. While the studio’s last major franchise, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and its sequels (Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us) were moderately successful, the decade also saw the rise of giant monster movies, or kaiju, with Japan’s Gojira. Beyond these, the ’50s delivered impressive films like Ray Harryhausen’s 20 Million Miles to Earth, the cult favorite Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, the classic The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and The Blob, which helped launch Steve McQueen’s career.
Not all monster movies from the 1950s were hits. Many were cheaply made and not very polished. However, some of these lower-quality films are still fun to watch. Here are three examples of movies that are so bad, they’re good – the kind you can enjoy with friends, even if they didn’t turn out as the filmmakers planned.
3) The Giant Gila Monster
Considering The Giant Gila Monster was made with a very small budget – just $138,000 (around $1.5 million today) – it’s surprising they didn’t actually use a real Gila monster to play the terrifying creature!
It doesn’t seem like much happens, actually. The movie mostly shows a lizard walking around – up a hill or under a small toy bridge – with exaggerated sound effects meant to make it appear huge, despite being a normal size. This clumsiness is part of what makes the movie so funny, and surprisingly, the story works because the characters are well-developed, especially the main character who resembles James Dean.
2) The Deadly Mantis
Although the giant mantis in The Deadly Mantis isn’t perfectly realistic, it’s the most believable of the film’s monsters. In fact, it’s quite impressive – they built a 40-foot-tall model using papier mâché and powered it with hydraulics! You just can’t beat those classic, practical effects.
The other two films have engaging characters, but this one doesn’t quite succeed. Still, monster movie lovers won’t want to miss the sight of a giant praying mantis scaling the Washington Monument!
1) The Giant Claw
Similar to the other films mentioned, The Giant Claw presents a monster intended to frighten audiences, but it’s unintentionally comical. The giant bird in this movie is so ridiculous that its face was actually left off the movie poster. However, the creature’s designers did give it the unique ability to flare its nostrils.
The film stars B-movie icon Jeff Morrow (known for films like This Island Earth and The Creature Walks Among Us) as Mitch MacAfee, an aeronautical engineer who insists he’s spotted a UFO near the North Pole. At first, his bosses dismiss his claims, but they start to believe him when pilots sent to investigate report the same thing – before their planes are disabled. The film then escalates with more aerial confrontations, ultimately leading to a bizarre, long-eyed creature attacking New York City.
Stream The Giant Claw for free with ads on Mometu.
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2025-11-09 22:13