Rockport, MASS — July 26, 2023 — The premiere release from Film Masters — the new vintage film restoration and distribution company, launched in June by industry veteran and film historian Phil Hopkins — is a two-disc collection featuring cult favorite “The Giant Gila Monster” with bonus film “The Killer Shrews,” which were originally released as a double-feature, drive-in bill in 1959.
The classic era of drive-in schlock was near its end at the time, but there remained a dedicated audience for this pair of no-budget howlers from director Ray Kellogg and producer Gordon McLendon.
- “The Giant Gila Monster” (from a new 4k scan of 35mm, original film elements): When two teens disappear from a small Texas town, the locals think they’ve eloped. But soon, it becomes clear that something much more sinister is afoot. And if a giant Gila monster isn’t enough for you, there are plenty of cool cars and some ersatz rock ‘n’ roll sung by star Don Sullivan (“The Monster of Piedras Blancas”).
- “The Killer Shrews” (new HD-restored version): Starring James Best (“The Dukes of Hazard”), Ken Curtis (“Gunsmoke”), and Ingrid Goude (Miss Universe 1957), a riverboat pilot and a small group of passengers find themselves stranded by a hurricane on a remote island where a population of shrews the size of German shepherds are voracious.
“The Giant Gila Monster” and “The Killer Shrews” are offered in the theatrical aspect ratio of 16×9, as well as in 4×3 ratio, on region-free discs with DTS-HD sound (Blu-ray™) and Dolby AC3s sound (DVD).
Bonus Features:
• Ray Kellogg: An Unsung Master, a Ballyhoo Motion Pictures documentary written by C. Courtney Joyner and narrated by Larry Blamire
• An archival interview with star Don Sullivan conducted by author Bryan Senn in 2009
• Full commentary of “The Giant Gila Monster” by Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan, and Matt Weinhold from The Monster Party podcast
• Full commentary of “The Killer Shrews” by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney
• Original, vintage radio marketing spots for both features, provided by Gary L. Prange
• A full-color, inserted booklet with essays by Don Stradley and Jason A. Ney
Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD September 16th
