Rating: 
Summary: Whattda want for $7.00?
Review: Actually, I loved the movie "Gila Monster"! It was super seeing all those old (I mean old) hot rods. The slang the kids use is super neat to hear (Hey, Daddy!) The songs thrown in were a little silly, but they gave me a good chance to get a snack without pausing the DVD. Did I know how the whole thing was going to turn out in the end? YES, of course, but I still had a good time getting there. Honestly, if you are placing an order already, just go on and add this one too. You probably won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Whattda want for $7.00?
Review: Actually, I loved the movie "Gila Monster"! It was super seeing all those old (I mean old) hot rods. The slang the kids use is super neat to hear (Hey, Daddy!) The songs thrown in were a little silly, but they gave me a good chance to get a snack without pausing the DVD. Did I know how the whole thing was going to turn out in the end? YES, of course, but I still had a good time getting there. Honestly, if you are placing an order already, just go on and add this one too. You probably won't regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: A Warning about this DVD
Review: For those interested in these two classic, bad b-monster films, here is a warning. This paricular DVD, which claims to be 'digitally remastered' looks like a direct transfer from fair quality VHS tapes. At one point during "Gila Monster", the tape slows and nearly grinds to a stop. And there is a slight pause between the two (yes, only two) chapter stops in each film.Worst of all, the creepy opening narration for "The Killer Shrews" is cut to only its last line! This 70-minute epic has been reduced to 68 minutes!
Admittedly the video quality is fine and the sound is quite good on this disc, but in truth, you get what you pay for. Other reviews here have discussed the movies at length. Yes these are badly done movies, but "Killer Shrews" is still far superior to the "Gila Monster". At least the shrews are entertaininly bad and, for this reviewer at least, the movie does generate a couple of real chills. James Best is as always, a handsome and underrated actor. "The Giant Gila Monster" is just plain bad. Unfortunately, the lead actor Don Sullivan, who shows promise, did not go far afterward.
Rating: 
Summary: AVOID DIAMOND ENTERTAINMENT'S RELEASE OF THESE MOVIES!
Review: I am a big fan of bad horror movies, and I've purchased other horror films in Diamond's budget DVD library and enjoyed them. Their DVD of GIANT GILA MONSTER / KILLER SHREWS, though, is absolutely terrible. When my first copy arrived, my DVD player began skipping around on the movies--in other words, 45 seconds into GIANT GILA MONSTER, the movie would freeze for a moment and then fast forward to the 35 minute mark. I ordered a replacement and had the exact same problem. If you scroll down to other users, you'll see that others had problems accessing bonus features (if you can call the scant information screens on this disc bonus features), etc. This is a shame as I'd like to have these two flicks in my "cheesy horror" collection. If you're looking for Diamond budget DVDs, I'd recommend their Vincent Price double-feature LAST MAN ON EARTH / HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. The movies aren't in great shape, but at least the DVD is stable. Avoid this one though.
Rating:
Summary: AVOID DIAMOND ENTERTAINMENT'S RELEASE OF THESE MOVIES!
Review: I am a big fan of bad horror movies, and I've purchased other horror films in Diamond's budget DVD library and enjoyed them. Their DVD of GIANT GILA MONSTER / KILLER SHREWS, though, is absolutely terrible. When my first copy arrived, my DVD player began skipping around on the movies--in other words, 45 seconds into GIANT GILA MONSTER, the movie would freeze for a moment and then fast forward to the 35 minute mark. I ordered a replacement and had the exact same problem. If you scroll down to other users, you'll see that others had problems accessing bonus features (if you can call the scant information screens on this disc bonus features), etc. This is a shame as I'd like to have these two flicks in my "cheesy horror" collection. If you're looking for Diamond budget DVDs, I'd recommend their Vincent Price double-feature LAST MAN ON EARTH / HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. The movies aren't in great shape, but at least the DVD is stable. Avoid this one though.
Rating: 
Summary: Consider Gila Monster a free extra
Review: I bought this DVD specifically for "The Killer Shrews". If you like Ed Wood, this movie should appeal to you. The Shrews are a low budget special affect-but the story still works. This is the only role I've seen Ken Curtis in, other than Festus on Gunsmoke. In a way, this movie is a precursor to "Night of the Living Dead"-a group of people are isolated at a house surrounded by killer shrews instead of Zombies--and being on an Island, they need to find a way to escape to the safety of a boat. The first copy I purchased of this DVD was defective, but the replacement I received plays fine. I would recommend the version with a red cover showing a gila monsters claw picking up a jalopy ---I tried the other version on 3 different DVD players, and was unable to play it successfully on any of them. "The Giant Gila Monster" is ok-but I wouldn't have purchased this DVD just for that movie--it's not all that interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Consider Gila Monster a free extra
Review: I bought this DVD specifically for "The Killer Shrews". If you like Ed Wood, this movie should appeal to you. The Shrews are a low budget special affect-but the story still works. This is the only role I've seen Ken Curtis in, other than Festus on Gunsmoke. In a way, this movie is a precursor to "Night of the Living Dead"-a group of people are isolated at a house surrounded by killer shrews instead of Zombies--and being on an Island, they need to find a way to escape to the safety of a boat. The first copy I purchased of this DVD was defective, but the replacement I received plays fine. I would recommend the version with a red cover showing a gila monsters claw picking up a jalopy ---I tried the other version on 3 different DVD players, and was unable to play it successfully on any of them. "The Giant Gila Monster" is ok-but I wouldn't have purchased this DVD just for that movie--it's not all that interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 stars ... and an asterisk
Review: I give this DVD release three stars, but I need to explain its positive and negative points for you to understand it (hence the asterisk). The good points: 1. The price is unbeatable. 2. You get TWO movies for that price. 3. The movies REALLY aren't all that bad. Ignore for a moment the mediocre acting, the corniness and the poor special effects, and THE KILLER SHREWS has at its heart a terrifying siege while THE GIANT GILA MONSTER has some genuinely well-drawn characters and a surprisingly decent script. The bad points: 1. Yes, the transfer is sub-par. A lot of pixelation, especially during bright flashes in darkness (like the lightning strikes during the hurricane in THE KILLER SHREWS). 2. Two chapter stops per film, and one of each is the beginning. 3. Few 'extras' per se, but some interesting trivia bits on difficult-to-read text screens. Now that you know all that, take into consideration the fact that most VHS copies are recorded in EP, and this DVD (despite its below-average quality) is miles ahead of those VHS tapes... and the price is probably better, too. So, overall, I think it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Tame Gila Monster & Dogs Dressed as Big Mean Shrews
Review: I have to admit to the same technical difficulties with my DVD as others have reported. Once in a while it goes out of focus and even seems to freeze at one point. The edition I have has a different cover than the one on Amazon.Com but the company and the double-movies are the same. I bought the DVD for THE KILLER SHREWS and it is the most entertaining of the two films. While the costumed dogs are a bit hokey, with a little imagination, it works fine. Anyway, puppets are used for close-ups. The premise is simple. The over-sized mice eat anything that moves and the only food left are the people on the island. The people have to get to the boat or die. We are spared the gore so common in movies these days but there is still a lot of suspense. You never know when one of the hungry beasts is going to pop up. If they bite you, you're dead. There is poison in their saliva. After that, you're dinner. There are some recognizable actors in the film, too, familiar from programs like the Dukes of Hazzard and Gunsmoke. Oh, by the way, the beginning seems a bit truncated and starts abruptly. I seem to remember a school-type mini-documentary (only a few seconds) at the begining with footage of real shrews. It is missing from the DVD and may be the result of a poor master film copy. As for THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, the lizard is not really scary and the miniature sets look like miniature sets. Don Sullivan is the likeable hero, a hard-working boy down on his luck but able to sing. He decides to use some nitro he had in storage to fight the creature. Convenient for sure, but don't we all keep some handy for a stray monster? The kid is so cleaned-cut, friends with the sheriff no doubt, and forcing his gang to behave, that we have to wonder if the movie's makers were trying to win parents over. There was a lot of negative opinion about the wild ways in 50's movies. The director Ray Kellogg liked using foreign beauties in his films. Both movies feature a love interest with an accent, one from France and the other from Sweden. Indeed, Ingrid Goude in THE KILLER SHREWS was a Miss Universe Beauty Pageant Winner. >No blasphemous or dirty words.
>No nudity or sexual content.
>Plot Violence but nothing graphic and no gore. Guaranteed to please fans of old horror movies and to bore the kids-- big time.
Rating:
Summary: Tame Gila Monster & Dogs Dressed as Big Mean Shrews
Review: I have to admit to the same technical difficulties with my DVD as others have reported. Once in a while it goes out of focus and even seems to freeze at one point. The edition I have has a different cover than the one on Amazon.Com but the company and the double-movies are the same. I bought the DVD for THE KILLER SHREWS and it is the most entertaining of the two films. While the costumed dogs are a bit hokey, with a little imagination, it works fine. Anyway, puppets are used for close-ups. The premise is simple. The over-sized mice eat anything that moves and the only food left are the people on the island. The people have to get to the boat or die. We are spared the gore so common in movies these days but there is still a lot of suspense. You never know when one of the hungry beasts is going to pop up. If they bite you, you're dead. There is poison in their saliva. After that, you're dinner. There are some recognizable actors in the film, too, familiar from programs like the Dukes of Hazzard and Gunsmoke. Oh, by the way, the beginning seems a bit truncated and starts abruptly. I seem to remember a school-type mini-documentary (only a few seconds) at the begining with footage of real shrews. It is missing from the DVD and may be the result of a poor master film copy. As for THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, the lizard is not really scary and the miniature sets look like miniature sets. Don Sullivan is the likeable hero, a hard-working boy down on his luck but able to sing. He decides to use some nitro he had in storage to fight the creature. Convenient for sure, but don't we all keep some handy for a stray monster? The kid is so cleaned-cut, friends with the sheriff no doubt, and forcing his gang to behave, that we have to wonder if the movie's makers were trying to win parents over. There was a lot of negative opinion about the wild ways in 50's movies. The director Ray Kellogg liked using foreign beauties in his films. Both movies feature a love interest with an accent, one from France and the other from Sweden. Indeed, Ingrid Goude in THE KILLER SHREWS was a Miss Universe Beauty Pageant Winner. >No blasphemous or dirty words.
>No nudity or sexual content.
>Plot Violence but nothing graphic and no gore. Guaranteed to please fans of old horror movies and to bore the kids-- big time.
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