Time to look at another film I rewatch plenty of times. Not because it’s good, but because it’s bad, it’s stupid, it’s silly… and I watch the MST3K version of it to help through parts.

It’s time to look again at some of those 50s giant bug movies. No, I’m not burned out because of my other recent article. This was planned before I decided to write that.

Released in 1957 as part of a double feature. The Deadly Mantis is about… well a giant deadly mantis… and a whole lot of stock footage (that’s the bit that MST3K helps you through) right away in fact. There are nearly 10 minutes of stock footage at the start before any actors appear. Yes that’s broken up by the title and there is some narrator who’s never seen again talking about radar but it’s just stock footage – before a base in the Arctic circle goes dark. Cue our lead Joe (played by Craig Stevens) flying in, finding the devastation. Later after a military plane is destroyed they find a large spur from some animal.

There’s some rather dumb wording saying all animals have a skeleton, but then pointing out invertebrates don’t ( WHICH ARE ANIMALS) and meeting other leads Dr. Nedrick Jackson (played by William Hopper) a paleontologist, and Marge Blaine ( played by Alix Talton) who worked for the museum that Nedrick works at as its magazine editor. After including the people living in Siberia (yes they did) they conclude that the creature that’s attacking things in the north is a giant mantis. We FINALLY then see a scene with the mantis and it’s good. When we see the mantis on film it’s an impressive bit of practical special effects for the time..

That said you don’t see nearly enough of that, instead it’s just more stock footage, military planes taking off, chasing the mantis, firing off screen but then seeing the mantis with something missing it.

An old black and white B movie, that when it has the monster on screen it’s impressive, but is bogged down by padding thanks to stock footage. Not even people trying to work out how to kill the mantis, as it really is just a large insect, no space force field or invisibility.

It does fly under the radar but that’s just it flying low. There’s not even any ticking clock element like with Them! Still it’s a perfectly serviceable old B movie that is one I end up rewatching when needing to have something on in the background while working on other things. Just as said, use the MST3K version as it helps get through the stock footage moments and adds a few amusing lines and observations.

Rating: 🦟🦟🦟