| “ | It's as big as a battleship! | „ |
| ~ Almost everyone who sees the Giant Claw. |
The Giant Claw is a giant, monstrous, vulture-like alien with appearances dotted all over popular culture, appearing as the titular main antagonist of the 1957 science fiction horror film of the same name. This feathered monster from another dimension came to Earth to lay its eggs and wreak havoc on humanity.
Its vocal sound effects were provided by the late J.S. Westmoreland.
Biography[]
When humanity spots an unidentified flying object, jets pursue it only to discover that it is a hostile avian creature "as big as a battleship". Like pretty much every movie monster, the heavy weaponry can barely put a dent into it thanks to its antimatter shields. The main character MacAfee and his girlfriend Sally look for ways of destroying the bird, finding the creature had been flying in circles.
The characters soon find the bird's nest and destroy its eggs, which prompts the bird to start rampaging through Manhattan. They pursue the bird on a plane and after using an isotope to destroy said shielding, the military brings the bird down with barrages of missiles. The bird falls into the ocean, with the final shot of the film showing its claw sinking to the bottom of the sea.
In other media[]
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures[]
When the Angry Video Game Nerd gets his own indie game, he sits down and reviews it, playing through the entire game. On the level Dungeons and Dickholes, the claw appears as a boss that violently battles the player to the death. The Nerd was utterly shocked at this inside joke, seeing how the Giant Claw is widely regarded as awful and unpopular. He then draws out a map of its appearances and ponders where the monstrous bird will strike again before continuing on with the review.
MANOS: The Hands of Fate[]
In the 2012 indie game MANOS: The Hands of Fate (based on the 1966 B-movie of the same name), the Giant Claw appears as the boss in stages 3 and 5. It is identified in the game's credits as "Bird Battleship".
Powers and Abilities[]
The Giant Claw is protected by an antimatter shield, which deflects all artillery, including rockets and cannon fire shot at it. The only time it drops the shield is when it is eating. It also flies fast enough to keep up with fighter jets.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- While the creature is stated to have come from another dimension, the movie's trailer and poster both claim that the bird comes from prehistoric times.
- The Giant Claw is inspired by La Carcagne, a bird-like banshee from French-Canadian folklore. One minor character in the movie even identifies the Giant Claw as said creature.
- The Giant Claw was originally meant to be stop-motion animated by the late Ray Harryhausen, but due to budget constraints, the puppet was instead manufactured in a Mexican special effects company.
- When the film was being made, the actors had no idea what the Giant Claw would look like, so they had to use their imagination during filming.
- Supposedly, Jeff Morrow went to see the film at his local town, and as soon as the Giant Claw showed up on screen, the audience exploded with laughter. After that, it is rumored that he went home embarrassed and got drunk.
- The Giant Claw is brown in the colorized version.