8 creepy facts about The Crawling Eye

A loving look at The Crawling Eye

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird — it's a plane — no! It's a piece of cotton taped to a photo of a mountain to give the effect of a giant cloud monster in... The Crawling Eye! 

While The Crawling Eye may not be as widely remembered as some of its '50s B-movie brethren, the movie's legacy is far-reaching, even to this day! Just look at Jordan Peele's Nope, with which it shares a very similar plot. 

The Crawling Eye is a fun, fast-paced horror movie that packs more than a few surprises in its short runtime. As a tribute to this exciting movie and its enduring impact, here are eight neat facts you may not have known about The Crawling Eye!

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1. John Carpenter's "The Fog"

 

This movie is directly responsible for one of the most legendary horror flicks of the '80s. Director John Carpenter is on the record stating that this movie's monster, hiding in the clouds, is the partial inspiration for his own monster in 1980's The Fog.

2. Literary Cameo

 

The Crawling Eye monster makes an appearance in the Stephen King novel It. During a segment that takes place in 1958, the Losers Club kids run into the monster in the sewers of Derry!

3. What's in a name?

 

The Crawling Eye is only The Crawling Eye in America, where it was renamed for American audiences. In the movie's native United Kingdom, its original title was The Trollenberg Terror.  

4. Trollenberg

 

The film, under its original title, is named after the Swiss mountain "Trollenberg" where the bulk of the story takes place. In real life, Trollenberg doesn't exist... At least in Switzerland. There is, however, a Trollenberg, Germany!

5. Time's Ticking!

 

The title wasn't the only thing producers changed when they exported this horror movie to the States. In addition, The Crawling Eye's runtime was cut quite a bit. The movie's running length of 84 minutes was hacked down to just 75, so impatient American audiences could get to the monster faster!

6. Southall Studios

 

This was the final movie produced by Southall Studios, one of the United Kingdom's earliest film studios. It was built out of a former aircraft hangar all the way back in 1924!  

7. Forrest Tucker

 

In the opening minutes of the movie, Forrest Tucker's character off-handedly mentions the abominable snowman. Just one year prior, Tucker starred in the Hammer Film Productions movie The Abominable Snowman!

8. Other media

 

Svengoolie isn't the only show to feature The Crawling Eye, as the movie was the first one shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000 after the series moved to Comedy Central in 1989!

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46 Comments

Davida1225 7 months ago
I discovered this movie thanks to Joel & the 'bots on MST3K.

I discovered MST3K literally a week after we'd gotten drunk & watched "The Crimson Ghost", a serial they put together into a movie. We made fun of it the whole time - a week later I stumble across MST & yell for my wife to come see! "They're doing the same thing we did last week!!"

The Joel era was the best era!!
winnie45 7 months ago
I wonder if there is a copy of the movie that contains the scenes that were cut?
pdbronco 13 months ago
The Trollenberg Terror was a British TV miniseries which the movie is a remake of. And The Creeping Eye also made an appearance in the last episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s original run. That’s the movie Mike and the Bots were watching after they returned to Earth.
musicman37 13 months ago
Wish they'd just show the movies and can that annoying Svengoolie. Why should it take two and a half hours to show a 74 minute movie?
Reformation96 musicman37 13 months ago
I read your comment on the added material during the movie, and length of the show. Many viewers like myself do enjoy the extra antics provided during the movie. Just a suggestion what I do sometimes is to tape the show and fast forward through the program you don't find entertaining.
GoUTVols1961 musicman37 13 months ago
Buy the DVD.
CouchPotato19 musicman37 12 months ago
Why don't you just buy the DVD's and start your own film library with no commercials or Svengoolie?
robert musicman37 11 months ago
He's entertaining on some level. Which one I am not sure. But I enjoy him reviewing the cast members previous or future appearances in other venues. Of course everyone in that era has been on Perry Mason. That is a given.
spalding69 13 months ago
The Crawling Eye and the Fiend Without A Face two of the best movies ever, should have won best picture Oscars.
BigJim1 13 months ago
The Crawing Eye and The Brain from Planet Arous were 2 of my favorites! 🧠 👀
oldiebutgoodie 13 months ago
We're broken-hearted. i had to give up cable and I can't find MeTV on any streaming channel. We haven't been able to watch Svengoolie for 2 weeks, along with any other programs. Hate it. :(
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oldiebutgoodie 13 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Go to metv.com/wheretowatch

If you already have an antenna, go to your tv menu & re-scan (important step!) the antenna channels to see if your tv then picks up all the MeTV channels. I also do not have cable or satellite & watch free over the air tv & get all the MeTV channels. If you live near a large city/tv market , betcha if you re-scan your tvs you will pick it up. Good luck!😃
I read your disappointment in not being able to watch Metv since you no longer have cable. Have you tried contacting Metv to check on other options as well as going to pay u-tube on your computer. Lastly, checking with Amazon prime in buying or renting. I do hope you find a way, and perhaps sharing that information. Perhaps others have had the same problem. I think if you try some of the suggestions another pathway could be found. Good hunting!
Moverfan oldiebutgoodie 12 months ago
If you're in the Detroit area, MeTV is broadcast channel 4.3...
Munzkay 13 months ago

Grew up in NY, Long Island. Before cable, had an antenna on the roof about 45 miles from NYC. One of the channels we got was WOR-TV, Channel 9. They had Million Dollar Movie and it ran the same movie for a week. Don’t remember many but remember The Crawling Eye. My parents had enough of it after two showings. We wanted to watch it over and over. Looking forward to viewing it again after 60 years!
graciedog903 Munzkay 13 months ago
I remember the "Million Dollar Movie" well, one of my favorites from back then was the "House on Haunted Hill" with Vincent Price
musicman37 graciedog903 13 months ago
Gee, I remember "House on Haunted Hill" always running on Channel 5's "Creature Features", and "The Crawling Eye" always being on Channel 11's "Chiller Theater".
DocForbin Munzkay 13 months ago
Of course there was also their King Kong/Son of Kong/Mighty Joe Young marathon they had on Thanksgiving. Another movie WOR showed a lot was Colossus: The Forbin Project (from whence I got my nickname here from).
Snowcharm 13 months ago
When I was younger living in Yonkers NY in the early 60’s the Crawling Eye was shown on Saturday night in the Fall on Chiller Theater, House on Haunted Hill and Forbidden Planet the Krell
LeoMitchell 13 months ago
Please show “Forbidden Planet” in its entirety.
robert LeoMitchell 11 months ago
Bart Maverick is in it. A major part.
tootsieg 13 months ago
When I was a kid, Crawling Eye was one of my favorite movies. One weekend it was on Million Dollar Movie and was shown over and over.
Munzkay tootsieg 13 months ago
So funny, just posted watching Million Dollar movie too!
tootsieg Munzkay 13 months ago
That is funny.
Snickers 13 months ago
God that was an awful movie. Stiff acting and what a lame monster.
Snickers 13 months ago
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Snickers BorisK 13 months ago
All I can say about that movie is: YUCK!!!!
joyceking66 13 months ago
Love the mst3k version. Metv should have paired it with the crawling hand.
MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
Entertaining film. Forrest Tucker drinks and smokes his way through it.
Snickers MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
If I had to be in that movie I would be drinking too.
tootsieg Snickers 13 months ago
Very funny😊😊
BlitzMe MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
If you remove smoking & excessive drinking in BW movies, not only would the run time decrease, but it would omit some of the “flavor” that was the time period. Oh, for the days when dragging out a good puff on a ciggie, or swigging’ back a couple of belts of…I’m sorry…where was I???
MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
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robert BorisK 11 months ago
Crawford who did Highway Patrol had no drivers license which he losetdue to drunk driving. They had to film the series out in the desert so he could get away with driving that Buick.
StrayCat 13 months ago
There was a TV series on British TV in 1956 titled the Trollenberg Terror. It produced only a handful of episodes and the story line was basically the same as the movie, which was likely was the basis for the movie.
Big3Fan 13 months ago
Let me guess, it's on this weekend.
Big3Fan MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
I'll hafta keep an eye out for it.
Snickers Big3Fan 13 months ago
Better off keeping a blind eye out for it.
IndianaRockz Big3Fan 13 months ago
Hey, I'm watching it right this minute!
I chuckled at the line in the story stating this is a 'fast paced' horror movie cuz this is the 2nd time I've watched it & find it to be on the slowwww side. 🐌🐢☁️ I luv bad "B" movies!!!
Bapa1 13 months ago
Remember seeing it as a kid on tv.
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