Among the various ways a soul can be sucked out of a mere mortal, this one isn’t the worst.
Perhaps the worst part of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) is this ungainly title with which it is saddled, and, no, she does not have fifty feet. It is, otherwise, a noir karmic tale of what happens when a man listens to the devil on his shoulder and abuses a woman who loves him, and, in turn, what happens when a woman persists in loving a man she knows is cheating on her.
She becomes a 50′ tall woman and beats him to death. If only that happened more often.
Parts to look out for – and, in some cases, this is a warning – the papier mâché giant arm; the marvelously portrayed, even charming, giants; this guy with no sex appeal who’s being slobbered over by two women; the deputy sheriff who made my teeth itch; the escapee Rover from The Prisoner.
And the devil on the dude’s shoulder, who never pays for her evils. Which is rather how instigators of evil acts often end up – maybe disappointed, but punished? No, it’s the gullible who get the plunger up the kiester, don’t they?
Special effects range from bad to fab; the plot is good; acting is more than competent. I won’t recommend it, but this was far, far better than I was expecting.
