Giant Gila Monster

A monstrous poisonous reptile slithers from the depths of the midwest outback to wreak death and destruction on civilization. When teenagers start disappearing from lover's lane, a tough-talking sheriff and teen hot-rodder form an unlikely alliance to find the missing youths. What they discover is a mutant Gila monster large enough to destroy the whole town. Between scenes of low-budget destruction, Chace Winstead (Don Sullivan of Teenage Zombies / Monster Of Piedras Blancas fame) sings a couple of not-bad pop songs while cowboy perennials Fred Graham and Shug Fisher make memorable appearances. The Giant Gila Monster was filmed in Texas back-to-back with another Ray Kellogg/Ken Curtis production, The Killer Shrews.

• science fiction