The Giant Claw

Fred F. Sears
1957

While it fits pretty squarely into the 1950's red-scare communist-anxiety horror genre with it's emphasis on military men, scientists, and an obsessive preoccupation with national security, "The Giant Claw" is one of the more surprisingly unique entries in the trend. The film is nothing if not for it's monster: an invincible and enormous bird from outer space - remarkably ugly with a naked turkey's head, curved beak full of jagged teeth, and mohawk like haircut(!). Thanks to this solid creature design, the dirty bird gets a generous amount of screen-time, and the majority of the effects shots are of a similarly high quality, particularly those in which the cosmic chicken swoops in to chow down on parachuting servicemen. While the puppet may be the star of this show, television vet Jeff Morrow and female lead Mara Corday exchange some genuinely clever dialogue in a romantic back-and-forth that's much better than the usual filler-between-action scenes. While it may not be of the same caliber as films like "Them!" or "The Thing From Another World" It's definitely in the same ballpark.