It takes something special for a film to become a classic. Everything needs to fall into place at the right time. The right actors, directors, budget, special effects, and many other aspects all need to be perfect. Thankfully, even with a small budget, "The Giant Gila Monster" has managed to win viewers hearts across the globe as a flawless example of how a movie should be made.

An unknown force is ravaging a small town. People are missing, trucks are destroyed, and a train is derailed. The population is baffled. Finally, Chase Winstead (Don Sullivan) puts the clues together and makes a last stand against the creature that has terrorized the town relentlessly.

Very few movies can do everything right, but "The Giant Gila Monster" manages to pull it off. Ray Kellog is a master behind the camera and uses a real life lizard for maximum fear. The acting is amongst the best from this era and.....

Aw, who the hell am I kidding? This is an awful excuse for a movie, one of the worst giant monster on the loose films of all time. This is a film so relentlessly dull, making it all the way to the end means you seriously need to get a social life. It lacks logic, acting, special effects, a plot, and any entertainment value. The monster itself (looking a whole lot like a Nile monitor) drags itself along the hilarious miniature sets (usually just dirt with sticks in the ground....seriously), obviously looking for something better to do.

Ray Kellog only found his way behind the camera a few times in his career. He was actually famous for working on the special effects in many classic films, like Cleopatra and the Seven Year Itch. Why he would choose to ruin his reputation with dredge like this is unexplainable. The film's star, Don Sullivan, must have had some plans to take on a singing career after this since viewers are "treated" to one of his songs not once, but twice. This "ukulele song" as it is known as is easily the most memorable part of the film, but not for the reasons it should be. This is nothing else other than 74-minutes of sheer torture. (No stars out of *****)