EDITOR’S NOTE: Giant from the Unknown was on Chiller Theater on Saturday, October 26th 1968 at 11:20 p.m., Saturday, May 26, 1973 at 11:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 29, 1974 at 11:30 p.m.
You might have come across this classic under a couple of its alternate titles: Giant from Devil’s Crag or The Diablo Giant. It was directed by Richard E. Cunha, a filmmaker who practically defined the late-1950s schlock-cinema landscape with back-to-back gems like She Demons (this was shot with that film in just six days and they played double features together), Missile to the Moon and Frankenstein’s Daughter.
Long before The X-Files and 1970s tabloid headlines made alien-induced cattle mutilation a pop-culture trope, Giant from the Unknown was already laying down the groundwork. The film kicks off in a small California town where local cattle are mysteriously being slaughtered and drained of blood. The townspeople blame a local researcher, but the truth is far weirder.
A 500-year-old Spanish conquistador named Vargas—who was cursed/preserved in a state of suspended animation—has been revived by a lightning strike. He’s a massive, murderous brute who wanders the wilderness cracking skulls and causing general havoc. In a fascinating twist that echoes real-life UFO lore and ancient astronaut theories, the local Native American tribes had encountered these monstrous gods centuries ago, interpreting them as ancient demons.
Vargas the Giant is played by Buddy Baer, a giant of a man (standing 6’6″) who was a former heavyweight boxer! Buddy famously knocked Joe Louis out of the ring in their 1941 title fight before Louis ultimately prevailed. If the name sounds familiar, he’s also the brother of heavyweight champ Max Baer and the uncle of Max Baer Jr. (Jethro Bodine from The Beverly Hillbillies). The gnarly, rock-like makeup on Vargas was created by none other than Jack Pierce—the genius makeup master behind Universal’s Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Wolf Man.
Giant from the Unknown hits that sweet spot of late-50s drive-in cinema. You get atmospheric mountain woods, Jack Pierce’s incredible creature design, Buddy Baer lumbering around like a powerhouse and a weirdly ahead-of-its-time script touching on ancient astronauts and animal mutilation.
You can watch this on Tubi.
