Village of the Giants

Berkeley Productions

Company type	Film production company
Industry	Film production
Founder	Bert I. Gordon
Parent	Embassy Productions

Village of the Giants is a 1965 American film blending comedy, science fiction, and teensploitation, produced, directed, and penned by Bert I. Gordon. Inspired loosely by H. G. Wells' 1904 novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, the movie also integrates aspects typical of the beach party film genre. The narrative revolves around a group of rebellious teenagers who stumble upon a chemical named "Goo" that causes living creatures to increase dramatically in size. The cast mainly consists of adolescent actors and young adults, with musical performances by The Beau Brummels, Freddy Cannon, and Mike Clifford. Gordon later revisited Wells' work with a separate adaptation, The Food of the Gods.

Plot

Located in the fictional town of Hainesville, California, the story opens with city teens Fred, Pete, Rick, Harry, and their girlfriends Merrie, Elsa, Georgette, and Jean crashing into a roadblock amid a rainstorm. Following a mud-wrestling scuffle and a trek into town, Fred remembers a local girl named Nancy.

Nancy is accompanied by her boyfriend Mike while her younger brother, nicknamed "Genius," conducts chemistry experiments in their basement. Genius inadvertently synthesizes "Goo," a compound that triggers enormous growth in animals such as a dog and ducks.

Seeking shelter from the rain, the teens break into a local theater to dry off before heading to a club where The Beau Brummels are performing. The giant ducks make an appearance, followed by Mike and Nancy who keep the secret about Goo’s effects. Motivated by friends Horsey and Red, they organize a picnic featuring roasted giant ducks and entertainment by Freddy Cannon.

Seeing commercial opportunities in Goo, Fred’s group steals some. Back at the theater, they argue over its application until Fred yields to peer pressure and distributes it among them. Each teen grows beyond , tearing their clothing but enjoying their newfound ability to dominate Hainesville.

The giants isolate the town by severing phone lines, toppling antennas, and blocking roads. When the sheriff and Mike confront them, they discover that the giants are holding the sheriff’s daughter Cora hostage as leverage. While adults hesitate to act, local teenagers mount resistance; Nancy is captured during an attempt to seize Fred.

Meanwhile, Genius focuses on producing more Goo but is persuaded by Mike to prioritize making ether instead. Mike and Horsey devise a plan to overpower Merrie—who has been left as guard—and rescue Nancy and Cora.

Mike distracts Fred outside the theater while others carry out the rescue operation. Genius develops an antidote to Goo and delivers it as fumes that shrink the giants back to normal size. Mike incapacitates Fred and forces him and his gang out of town.

As Fred’s group departs, they encounter traveling little people who have learned about Goo despite communication disruptions and are coming into town to investigate.

Music

The film’s instrumental theme was composed and arranged by Jack Nitzsche. Initially released as "The Last Race" on Reprise Records, this piece preceded the movie’s release and was later featured in Death Proof (2007), part of Grindhouse.

Musical performances include appearances by The Beau Brummels, as well as singers Freddy Cannon and Mike Clifford. Cannon, recognized for 1960s hits like "Palisades Park", delivers "Little Bitty Corrine" in his distinctive style. Clifford, known from The Ed Sullivan Show, performs the slow ballad "Marianne" and is credited with "Nothing Can Stand in My Way," although this track does not feature in the film. No official soundtrack was ever issued.

Director

This film was directed by Bert I. Gordon, who is recognized for his work on movies centered around oversized characters. He led the project under his newly established Berkeley Productions. The movie marked the beginning of a three-year agreement to produce 12 films with Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Productions, encompassing both theatrical and television distribution. However, the intended sequels The Creatures of Dr. Freak and Horror House were never realized.

Casting

The ensemble featured offspring of prominent Hollywood figures: Beau Bridges (son of Lloyd Bridges), Ron Howard (son of Rance Howard), Tisha Sterling (daughter of Robert Sterling and Ann Sothern), Toni Basil (daughter of Louis Basil), and Tim Rooney (son of Mickey Rooney). Debi Storm completed her scenes quickly, whereas Vicki London had a brief presence mainly in the giant character sequences. Both Robert Random and Joy Harmon had also appeared in the 1965 television series Gidget.

The feline named Orangey was notable for roles such as in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and had previously portrayed a giant cat in The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Tommy Kirk participated in filming this movie following an arrest related to drug possession; he later described the film as quirky but commended its production quality. Beau Bridges’ early portrayal of Fred included a serious monologue addressing youth issues, which he eventually regarded as somewhat embarrassing.

Original script

The screenplay by Alan Caillou originally featured a scene where the sheriff’s deputy (portrayed by Rance Howard) is crushed by the giants. Although this sequence may have been filmed, it was ultimately removed, and no known footage survives.

Locations and props

Outdoor sequences were predominantly shot on the Columbia Pictures backlot, which has also served productions like I Dream of Jeannie and The Partridge Family, now under ownership by Warner Brothers. The scene depicting the giants congregating outside the Hainesville theater was filmed at Universal Studios’ Courthouse Square, a location later used in films such as Back to the Future and Gremlins.

The sticky substance featured in the movie was created from a mixture of angel food cake mix tinted with pink coloring. The beer brand shown is Blatz, while the Teen magazine held by Merrie (Joy Harmon) is an authentic 1965 edition. The small yellow custom hot rod called The Surfite, used to bind Fred’s feet, was crafted by renowned designer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

Release and reception

This modestly budgeted film experienced limited box office success, primarily screened at drive-in theater venues as part of double feature programs. In 1965, it gained some recognition for its special effects and mildly suggestive content, including hints of nudity. Margaret Hartford from the Los Angeles Times praised its "special effects and photographic trickery," alongside "continuous shots of healthy young bodies dancing" to contemporary musical tracks. She also remarked that Alan Caillou’s script maintained brisk pacing and energetic dance sequences.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

On January 11, 1994, episode 523 of Mystery Science Theater 3000 aired on Comedy Central, featuring Village of the Giants. This installment was dedicated to the memory of Frank Zappa and included an original song about TV’s Frank (Frank Conniff). During the episode, TV’s Frank was temporarily replaced by Torgo from Manos: The Hands of Fate (Michael J. Nelson) before returning to his role.

Although it did not rank among fan favorites—absent from the Top 100 list voted on by supporters of Season 11—it received praise from writer Jim Vorel, who placed it #35 out of 191 episodes, describing it as a "delightfully cheesy yet highly watchable snapshot of '60s teen culture" with light science fiction elements.

The MST3K episode was included in the DVD release titled Mystery Science Theater 3000, Volume 27, issued by Shout! Factory on July 23, 2013. This four-disc set also features episodes such as The Slime People, Rocket Attack U.S.A., and The Deadly Mantis.

External links

• Village of the Giants featured on Brian's Drive-In Theatre