#the deadly mantis

[goryhorroor]

horror sub-genres: insect

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Crestwood Monsters Series, 1977

[cultmoodymovies]

Crestwood House Monsters Book Covers

[weirdlookindog]

Craig Stevens and Alix Talton in The Deadly Mantis (1957)

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

MST3K 804 | The Deadly Mantis | 1997

[mant0dea]

Silly mantis character of the day is the prehistoric mantis from The Deadly Mantis !

this movie is truly terrible i love it so much

also ?? they actually built a 200 foot tall paper mache model with hydraulics which is awesome and i want that on my lawn

[onscreenpretties]

The Deadly Mantis (1957)-Timestamp Roulette

[emilysidhe]

MST3K knitathon

98. Episode 804 The Deadly Mantis

Summary: Bomb tests on an island off Antarctica have caused vibrations in the Earth that wake a prehistoric giant mantis from its frozen hibernation on the other side of the Earth in the Arctic. It attacks several isolated weather stations on the US’s northernmost radar defense defense line before the military brings in a paleontologist from the Natural History Museum (and the tag-along lady reporter who works for the museum’s magazine) to identify the creature. Now it’s up to the civilian ground observation force to watch the skies and track the mantis as it heads south.

MST3K lore or notable moments: This episode is from when the show was on the sci-fi channel, and they did ongoing plot lines in the sketches for those seasons. This is the episode that ends the planet of the apes pastiche, when the super intelligent apes destroy themselves by helping a local bomb-worshiping cult repair their planet-destroying bomb, and the SoL crew, Pearl in her van, and Professor Bobo as a stowaway flee the blast just in time. It resumes the Pearl chasing the SoL in her space van format, and establishes Professor Bobo as a regular character outside his planet. Also, Mike accidentally helps the apes repair the bomb by advising them to use the correct tool, so the bots decide that the planet’s destruction is Mike’s fault. This will become a running gag across several episodes of the sci-fi era.

What do I think about it’s place on the list? I love the goofy black and white 50s giant monster movies with a hero scientist and lots of military stock footage, so I would be recommending this one to go higher on the list if not for how badly the second half drags. The sketches are pretty strong for the sci-fi era, though, which is also in the movie’s favor. Probably in about the right place on the list, but with the option to move up when I start encountering episodes that need to move down.

[doppleganger-rental]

[schlock-luster-video]

On May 1, 1957, The Deadly Mantis debuted in Los Angeles, California.

Here's some new art to mark the annniversary!

[movieposters1]

[balrog-slayer66]

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

[randomdeinonychus]

This scene where the characters totally fail to see the Mantis outside the windows for several minutes always makes me giggle.

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

[monsterasia-zero]

This day The Deadly Mantis was released (United States)

[weirdlookindog]

The Deadly Mantis (1957) - Australian daybill

[basementofthebizarre]

This Week on Svengoolie (April 12, 2025): THE DEADLY MANTIS

Get ready for a night of classic creature feature thrills! On Saturday, April 12, 2025, Svengoolie brings you ‘The Deadly Mantis.’ Prepare for giant-sized chills as this prehistoric insect awakens from its icy slumber to terrorize the modern world. Expect plenty of Svengoolie’s signature humor, classic movie facts, and of course, rubber chickens! Don’t miss this monstrously fun evening on…