Sci-Fi Films

Sci-Fi

I didn't get much of a chance to see many science fiction movies at the cinema. Growing up in the 1950s here in the western suburbs of Newcastle (Australia), there weren't too many films of this type around. I was always in to sci-fi though - I loved the Rocky Starr radio serial and raided the library shelves for any books which provided this "other-reality" type of escapism.

But when TV arrived at home in the early 1960s, the door was suddenly opened to some fantastic sci-fi movies. Playing late nights and sometimes even at midday, it didn't matter, I watched them again & again.

My favourite (and I watched it many times) was The Thing From Another World (1951) - such a great film: excellent script (with neat overlapping dialogue), well directed & acted - but on TV it was heavily censored.

I vividly recall seeing The War of the Worlds (1953) for the first time late one Saturday night … I wondered (being unfamiliar with the story at the time): "How on Earth are they going to stop these Martians!" - what a great film.

Them! (1954) was also seen on high rotation - great special effects wrapped around an excellent story

But my first viewing of Forbidden Planet (1956) was in prime time! - yep, 8:30 on a Wednesday night. A truly intriguing and cerebral story and with heavyweight A list actor, Walter Pidgeon in the lead.

Even the "B" efforts were interesting: I remember the stunning conclusion to The Time Travelers (1964) and the intriguing elements of the low budget Ulmer flick Beyond the Time Barrier (1960).

Panic in the Year Zero! (1962) & Five (1951) were featured in one of our first all night movie marathons - despite feeling pretty sleepy I managed to revive for these two doomsday stories.

This section of the website is dedicated to Sci-Fi … in all its glory: intriguing, beguiling, interesting, spectacular, scary & sometimes even profound!

The titles chosen here are (like everything on the website) my personal choice … titles which I have some connection with … going back over the years …

Note that all of these films can also be found in the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section.

BTW: My print of The Thing From Another World (1951), is superb and complete (including the 8 minutes which went missing for all of those years)

The set up and pricing are the same as for the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section namely:

· The DVDs in this section of the website consist of one movie title per DVD, each movie commencing when inserted into your DVD player (no delays or useless menus).

· DVDs are available in any combination of titles comprising 1, 2 or 4 DVD boxed sets

(Note: They are not available in 3, 5 or 6 DVD sets)

A typical Sci-Fi 4 DVD boxed set is pictured below:

· The prices (including Express Postage anywhere) for these single movie DVDs are:

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

· Email me for a current price in CN$, Euros, NZ$ etc

· PURCHASING TIP: the most economical way to buy movies from this section is in groups of 4 films,

-they are neatly assembled in a quad case with full artwork (see picture above) and sell for AU$35 or US$35 or £18. Since postage is included then each film can be delivered to your door for less than AU$9 or US$9 or £5 per movie!

(Note that AU$ prices are for AU postal destinations only,

international customers to use US$ or UK£)

The Abominable Snowman (1957) - 85 mins

Starring Forrest Tucker, Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, Richard Wattis, Robert Brown & Michael Brill

Directed by Val Guest

At a remote lamasery in the Himalayas, scientist John Rollason (Peter Cushing) studies rare mountain herbs with the help of his wife Helen, and associate Peter, while awaiting the arrival of an American named Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker). Over Helen's objections and warnings by the High Lhama, he sets out with Friend on an expedition to find the elusive Yeti, accompanied by another American named Shelley and a young Scotsman, McNee, who claims to have seen the thing. Footprints are found in the snows and McNee seems strangely affected the closer they get to their quarry's likely habitat but the biggest shock to Rollason is discovering Friend is a showman who only intends to exploit their find, with Shelley his gamehunter-marksman. The conflict between science and commercialism only increases when an enormous anthropoid is shot, and the horror only increases as the party realizes the other Yeti intend to retrieve their fallen comrade and have powers to do so which seem extra-human.

Excellent Hammer horror also titled "The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas" which was shot in the Pyrenees. Fans of Forrest Tucker will enjoy this adventure story.

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The Angry Red Planet (1959) - 83 mins

Starring Gerald Mohr, Naura Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen, Paul Hahn & J. Edward McKinley

Directed by Ib Melchior

The United States space program reports that its missing, overdue manned Mars probe has returned to Earth orbit, but that they haven't been able to make radio contact with it. When it is brought down by remote control, they find three of the four crewmembers aboard: one of them, Professor Gettell (Les Tremayne), is dead; another, mission commander Colonel Tom O'Bannion (Gerald Mohr), is in a coma and suffering from some kind of alien infection; and the third, exo-biologist Iris Ryan (Nora Hayden), is in a state of shock. The ship's tape library seems to have been wiped clean of any record of what took place on the mission, and the doctors can't begin to save O'Bannion until they know what happened. In desperation, they decide to put Iris Ryan into a state of hypnosis, forcing her to recall the events of the mission. The bulk of the film is an un-narrated flashback in which we see the voyage to Mars and the quartet of explorers - rounded out by technician Sam Jacobs (Jack Kruschen) - proceeding successfully to a landing. As they draw closer to signs of intelligent life, however, the group also encounters increasingly dangerous creatures, including a man-eating plant, a giant bat-rat-spider, and a huge amoeba-like creature that consumes anything in its path.

One of a relative handful of 1950s sci-fi films done in color, The Angry Red Planet did its rivals one better with the use of a special effects process called "Cinemagic," which gave the entire screen a deep red tint but also created the illusion of dimensionality and made the monsters look particularly eerie.

Director Ib Melchior who also wrote the screenplay went on the write and direct another excellent (color) sci-fi film: The Time Travelers (1964) which is also available from this website.

(Melchior also wrote one of the best of The Outer Limits TV series: The Premonition)

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Arabian Adventure (1979) - 98 mins

Starring Christopher Lee, Milo O’Shea, Oliver Tobias, Capucine, Peter Cushing & Mickey Rooney

Directed by Kevin Connor

A valiant prince battles an evil sorcerer to rescue his true love in this colorful fantasy, which features high adventure and plenty of special effects. The hero must overcome a number of dangers, along the way receiving help from a beautiful street urchin and a magical rose.

One of nice sextet of sci-fi / fantasy / horror films directed by legendary Brit, Kevin Connor: From Beyond the Grave (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1975), At the Earth's Core (1976), The People That Time Forgot (1977), Warlords of the Deep (1978) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - all of which are available from this website.

The Atomic Man (1955) (aka Timeslip) - 79 mins

Starring Gene Nelson, Faith Domergue, Joseph Tomelty, Leonard Williams, Peter Arne & Barry MacKay

Directed by Ken Hughes

Based on a story & subsequent screenplay by prolific sci-fi writer Charles Eric Maine, The Atomic Man of the title is initially Jarvis (Peter Arne) who is fished out of the Thames with a bullet in his back. Jarvis is discovered to be highly radioactive and it turns out that he is the missing atomic scientist, Dr. Stephen Rayner whose exposure to radioactive substances, coupled with his brush with death, has endowed him with remarkable prognostic powers.

With the help of reporter Mike Delaney (Gene Nelson), Rayner sets out to expose a plot hatched by his evil double, a tungsten magnate who is trying to destroy Rayner's experiments in artificial tungsten.

The Atomic Submarine (1959) - 72 mins

Starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Paul Dubov & Bob Steele

Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Seasoned serial director Spencer Gordon Bennett helmed this story of a one-eyed, octopoidal space alien, wreaking havoc upon atomic subs at the North Pole. The monster is determined to take over the world and Cmdr. Richard 'Reef' Holloway, Capt. 'Skipper' Dan Wendover and Dr. Carl Neilson Jr. (Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey respectively) head underwater to neutralize the alien's submerged flying saucer.

At the Earth's Core (1976) - 90 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Cy Grant, Godfrey James & Sean Lynch

Directed by Kevin Connor

In England around the turn of the century, Dr Abner Perry unveils his invention - The Mole, a giant vehicle designed for exploring the center of the Earth by drilling through the ground. He and engineer David Innes take it on its maiden voyage but it goes out of control and they end up in the prehistoric land of Pellucidar at the Earth's core. There they are captured by The Mahars, intelligent, telepathic flying reptiles which keep primitive humans as their slaves via mind control. David falls for the beautiful slave girl Dia. But when she is chosen as a sacrificial victim in the Mahar city, he organizes the humans to rebellion to save her.

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) was the first of three Edgar Rice Burroughs tales that were adapted for film by British production house Amicus under the direction of Kevin Connor and starring American actor Doug McClure (remember Trampas from the 60's TV series The Virginian ?). The second was At The Earth's Core (1976), which also starred Peter Cushing and the lovely Caroline Munro, and the last was The People That Time Forgot (1977), a sequel to the first film in which Patrick Wayne goes in search for Doug. The Land That Time Forgot is also significant because well known Fantasy writer Michael Moorcock worked on the screenplay. A fourth Connor / McClure film in this series of period lost world films was also produced : Warlords Of Atlantis (1978). Although not based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, it followed fairly much the formula set by the other films in the series - a journey by stalwart period English scientists into a lost world filled with monsters, a voyage that takes places in a marvellous vehicle of period technology.

(Kevin Connor sandwiched these 4 films between equally enjoyable sci-fi / fantasy romps: From Beyond the Grave (1973) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - both of which are available from this website)

McClure then returned to US TV but within two years was back on the big screen in the outrageous Humanoids from the Deep (1980). From the Roger Corman (low-budget shocker) stable this film achieved dubious notoriety for its gratuitous and uncompromising approach to the genre

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

Battle in Outer Space (1959) - 90 mins

Starring Ryo Ikebe, Kyôko Anzai, Koreya Senda, Minoru Takada, Leonard Stanford, Harold Conway & Yoshio Tsuchiya

Directed by Ishirô Honda

A group of aliens from the planet Netal in another solar system has designs on conquering Earth. They start off by destroying a space station and its entire crew. They then take over the mind of an Iranian scientist who tries to steal a powerful heat ray that can be used against them. The nations of the earth are banding together to fight off invaders from outer space. At the core of their defense is an attack in which two space ships from the earth land on the moon where the aliens have set up their base of operations. But this pre-emptive strike may not be enough.

Incredible special effects!

I vividly recall seeing this film at my local cinema and being enthralled by it - I didn't notice the dubbing or the slightly Asian appearance of the cast - it was just "good gear" all-the-way.

For all of the originally non-English speaking films which can be found on this website, I have elected to go with the original spoken language with subtitling in English - and its as indicated as such.

But this, Battle in Outer Space (1959) is my single departure (once only). I elected to go with the "International Release" print - dubbed in English and no subtitles.

The Beast from 20, 000 Fathoms (1953) - 80 mins

Starring Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods & Lee Van Cleef

Directed by Eugène Lourié

Nuclear physicist Professor Paul Nesbitt (Paul Hubschmid) sees what he believes to be a giant monster after an atomic bomb test in the arctic. The only other witness is killed when he is covered by ice. When Nesbitt returns to the States he tries to convince the world that he did see the monster. He even tries to convince paleontologist Thurgood Ellison (Cecil Kellaway). The only person who will believe him is Ellison's assistant, Lee Hunter (Paula Raymond). Ellison is finally convinced when Nesbitt and a survivor of a ship that was attacked by the monster both identify the monster as a rhedosaurus. Eventually the monster makes its way to New York where it kills several people and not only by devouring them or crushing them with its sheer weight - the beast also is the carrier of a deadly virulent disease!

A longtime "dream" project of production designer-turned-director Eugene Lourie, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms represented effects artist Ray Harryhausen's first solo effort, after assisting Willis O'Brien on Mighty Joe Young (1949).

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Beginning of the End (1957) - 76 mins

Starring Peter Graves, Peggie Castle, Morris Ankrum, Than Wyenn, Richard Benedict & Don C. Harvey

Directed by Bert I. Gordon

Reporter Audrey Aimes (Peggie Castle) is driving along a highway in Illinois when she is stopped by the military and informed that a small town has been destroyed and everyone has seemingly disappeared. She then goes to a lab run by the Department of Agriculture where she meets the lab's director, Dr. Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves). Ed tells her that strange things have been happening ever since he discovered that a bunch of grasshoppers managed to get into a silo containing a batch of radioactive wheat. They soon discover that the grasshoppers have grown to monstrous proportions and not only are devouring the local vegetation, but have developed a taste for human flesh as well. Now the locusts are marching towards Chicago and the military is threatening to destroy the city with the atom bomb.

Beyond the Time Barrier (1960) - 75 mins

Starring Robert Clarke, Darlene Tompkins, Vladimir Sokoloff, Boyd 'Red' Morgan & John Van Dreelen

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Experimental pilot Maj. William Allison (Robert Clarke) whilst testing a new rocket powered craft (actually a Convair F-102 interceptor) is hideously disfigured by a mishap in space. In flashback, we learn that Clarke had earlier returned to his base, only to discover that he'd passed through a time warp and that the Earth has been decimated by some disaster or other. He crosses the path of the ruling class, led by the Supreme, and a tribe of mutants, left over from a plague caused by extraterrestrial radiation. Only by returning to his own time can Clarke save the world from this fate.

Director Edgar G. Ulmer introduces some interesting sci-fi touches in this intriguing film which also brings a second collaboration between this director and star Robert Clarke - they initially combined to make the equally intriguing The Man From Planet X (1951) - which is also available from this website.

Biggles : Adventures in Time (1986) - 108 mins

Starring Neil Dickson, Alex Hyde-White, Fiona Hutchinson & Peter Cushing

Directed By John Hough

One minute the New Yorker advertising expert Jim Ferguson is at a business party -- the next he finds himself way back in 1917 in a plane fight during WWI. The mysterious Mr. Raymond explains to him that he has a time-twin, to whom he's relocated in space and time whenever one of them is in trouble. So he has to help his twin: biplane pilot Biggles, in his attempt to destroy a Nazi-German super weapon, that could win their war.

Children of the Damned (1963) - 90 mins

Starring Ian Hendry, Alan Badel, Barbara Ferris, Alfred Burke, Sheila Allen & Patrick Wymark

Directed by Anton Leader

Five children with remarkable - possibly inhuman - intellectual and psychic powers are discovered by a group of scientists. But as the military cast their eager eye over the children, they escape and hide out in a church - the race is on to protect them before they can be used as weapons, or before the authorities, terrified by their increasing powers, order their destruction.

Sequel to Village of the Damned (1960) which is also available from this website.

Conquest of Space (1955) - 81 mins

Starring Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Hopper & Benson Fong

Directed by Byron Haskin

A multi-national crew are on the first space flight to Mars with General Samuel T. Merritt (Walter Brooke) heading the team. Supporting him are his son, Captain Barney Merritt (Eric Fleming), Sergeant Mahony (Mickey Shaughnessy), Jackie Siegle (Phil Foster) and Imoto (Benson Fong). As the ship gets closer to their Martian quest, General Merritt cracks and tries to sabotage both the mission and the crew, babbling about the blasphemy of mankind trespassing upon God's domain. His son is called upon to save the mission, with the hope that the crew can still go through with a Mars landing.

This George Pal production pulls out all stops in the special effects department, creating "The Wheel" (a earth-orbiting circular space station), rocket launches into space, and a breathtaking near-collision with an asteroid.

The Cosmic Man (1959) - 72 mins

Starring John Carradine, Bruce Bennett, Angela Greene, Paul Langton & Scotty Morrow

Directed by Herbert S. Greene

When a strange sphere settles down in a California canyon, it causes both the scientific and military communities to gather around in an instant. The object appears to have one figure inside but there is no clear way of penetrating the sphere. As the military brass argue for a destructive course of action, scientist Karl Sorensen (Bruce Bennett) defends the sphere and its passenger, advocating a reasoned approach to the enigma. In the meantime, a ghostly entity wanders around town and a man hidden underneath heavy clothing checks into the lodge where the antagonistic investigators are staying.

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Cult of the Cobra (1955) - 82 mins

Starring Richard Long, Faith Domergue, Marshall Thompson, Kathleen Hughes, Jack Kelly & William Reynolds

Directed by Francis D. Lyon

Six GIs stationed in Asia secretly photograph the arcane rituals of a group of cobra worshippers. At the climax of the ceremony, the cult members turn themselves into snakes. The high priestess catches the soldiers spying and throws a curse upon them. Soon after they return to the US, the vengeful priestess follows them and people begin to die from snake venom poisoning, adding credence to the strange tale told by a surviving GI to the police, who become less sceptical as more evidence is unearthed. More trouble follows when the serpentine goddess falls for the ex-soldier's room-mate.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - 92 mins

Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray & Lock Martin

Directed by Robert Wise

All of Washington, D. C. is thrown into a panic when an extraterrestrial spacecraft lands near the White House. Out steps Klaatu (Michael Rennie), a handsome and soft-spoken interplanetary traveler, whose "bodyguard" is Gort (Lock Martin), a huge robot who shawers forth laser-like death rays when danger threatens. After being wounded by an overzealous soldier, Klaatu announces that he has a message of the gravest importance for all humankind, which he will deliver only when all the leaders of all nations will agree to meet with him. World politics being what they are in 1951, Klaatu's demands are turned down and he is ordered to remain in the hospital, where his wounds are being tended. Klaatu escapes, taking refuge in a boarding house, where he poses as one "Mr. Carpenter". There the benign alien gains the confidence of a lovely widow (Patricia Neal) and her son, Bobby (Billy Gray) whilst seeking out the gentleman whom Bobby regards as "the smartest man in the world" -- an Einstein-like scientist, Dr. Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe). The next day, at precisely 12 o'clock, Klaatu arranges for the world to "stand still" -- he shuts down all electrical power in the world, with the exception of essentials like hospitals and planes in flight.

Perfectly directed by Robert Wise - an out-and-out classic!

The Day the Earth Stood Still was based on the story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates.

Day the World Ended (1955) - 79 mins

Starring Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Mike Connors & Paul Birch

Directed by Roger Corman

Jim Maddison (Paul Birch) had been expecting the worst, so when the world is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, he's made provisions for himself, his daughter Louise (Lori Nelson) and their friend Rick (Richard Denning). They have enough supplies to last until the radiation abates but Jim's plans go awry with the unexpected arrival of Tony Lamont (Mike Connors) and his girlfriend Ruby (Adele Jergens). Not only does it affect the supply situation but Tony is far too slick and a schemer to be trusted. As the weeks go by however, they soon realize that they also have to face a mutated creature living in the nearby woods.

An earlier directorial effort from the legendary Roger Corman.

The Deadly Mantis (1957) - 79 mins

Starring William Hopper, Craig Stevens, Alix Talton, Donald Randolph & Pat Conway

Directed by Nathan Juran

The calving of an Arctic iceberg releases a huge, carnivorous praying mantis and it attacks several people in military outposts in a remote Arctic region. Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper), Col. Joe Parkham (Craig Stevens) and Ned's assistant Margie Blake (Alix Talton) track the predatory monster as it heads southward towards the warmer latitudes of Washington and New York.

Good sci-fi film with a great climax in the Manhattan Tunnel

In 1957 William Hopper emerged from supporting roles to lead the cast in two well-received sci-fi films directed by Nathan Juran: The Deadly Mantis & 20 Million Miles to Earth. These roles helped him score his career-defining (and Emmy nominated) role of Paul Drake in 255 episodes of TVs Perry Mason.

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) is also available from this website.

Destination Moon (1950) - 92 mins

Starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson & Erin O'Brien-Moore

Directed by Irving Pichel

Scientist Dr. Charles Cargraves (Warner Anderson), former Air Force General Thayer (Tom Powers), and industrial tycoon Jim Barnes (John Archer) believe that it's time that the U.S. blazed new trails and found new adventures. Convinced that exploration of space is the wave of the future and that America's participation is vitally important to its place in the world, the three men begin planning and constructing a spaceship called "Luna" in the Mojave Desert that will take the men to the moon and back. However, anti-American forces begin flooding the press with propaganda against the moon mission, and finally the men make their way to moon without the aid of the federal government. While the men are thrilled to succeed in their mission, it turns out that they miscalculated the amount of fuel needed to return and that the rocket needs to drop a lot of weight if it is to return to Earth.

Producer George Pal assembled an impressive roster of behind-the-camera talent, including noted science fiction author Robert Heinlein (who wrote the novel on which the film is based) and artist Chelsey Bonestell for this pioneering sci-fi adventure.

Oscar winner for Special Effects as well as a Nomination for Art Direction & Set Decoration

Dr. Cyclops (1940) - 77 mins

Starring Albert Dekker, Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, Paul Fix & Victor Kilian

Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack

A mad scientist Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker) has developed a process that will shrink human beings to doll size. His first victims include mining engineers Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley) and Steve Baker (Victor Kilian) and biologists Mary Mitchell (Janice Logan) and Dr. Bullfinch (Charles Halton). At first willing to play-act the role of benevolent despot with his miniaturized captives, Thorkel reveals the more sinister side of his personality by abruptly murdering Bullfinch in cold blood. The remaining captives escape and proceed to hack their way through a jungle of gigantic foliage and do battle with oversized wildlife.

The first Technicolor horror film since Mystery of the Wax Museum, Dr. Cyclops was directed by Ernest Schoedsack, of King Kong fame.

Oscar Nominated for Best Special Effects!

Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956) - 83 mins

Starring Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba

Directed by Fred F. Sears

Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook, which is tasked with sending rockets into the upper atmosphere to probe for future space flights. Unfortunately, all the rockets are somehow disappearing. While investigating this strange occurrence, Russell and his new wife Carol are abducted by a flying saucer. The aliens demand to meet with certain people in order to negotiate - but its a trick, and the aliens only want to kill them. The invasion has begun and if Russell and Carol can't find a way to stop these creatures and get past their defenses, it may be the end of the human race.

An acknowledged Classic of Sci-Fi.

First Man into Space (1959) - 77 mins

Starring Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, Robert Ayres & Bill Nagy

Directed by Robert Day

Navy test pilot Lieut. Dan Prescott (Bill Edwards) in the experimental rocket plane Y-13, disobeys orders and becomes the first man to fly outside the ionosphere before vanishing in a mysterious cloud. The space capsule eventually returns to Earth, covered in a bizarre extraterrestrial coating. Shortly thereafter, a hulking, half-human creature raids a blood bank, killing the nurse on duty and gulping down the supplies. More bizarre, unexplained events occur before Prescott's older brother Cmdr. C.E. Prescott (Marshall Thompson) concludes that the monster is actually his missing brother, transformed by his experiences in space into a mutant, vampiric beast.

Filmed not long after the launch of Russia's Sputnik satellite, First Man Into Space benefited from a realism made possible by enhanced public knowledge of space-travel.

A good, tight sci-fi experience!

Five (1951) - 93 mins

Starring William Phipps, Susan Douglas Rubes, James Anderson, Charles Lampkin & Earl Lee

Directed by Arch Oboler

Five people are miraculously spared when the fall-out from a super-atomic bomb eventually kills all of the rest of humanity on earth. They are Roseanne Rogers, a pregnant woman who was in an ex-ray room; Michael, a sensitive young poet and philosopher; Eric, a black man; Mr. Barnstaple, a banker; and Charles, a cosmopolitan Alpinist who was saved from the radio-active dust because he was climbing Mt. Everest at the time of the explosion and fall-out.

A out-and-out cult film directed by Arch Oboler who was one of the greatest radio writers of all time.

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The Flying Saucer (1950) - 69 mins

Starring Mikel Conrad, Pat Garrison, Hantz von Teuffen, Lester Sharpe & Denver Pyle

Directed by Mikel Conrad

The CIA sends secret agent Mike Trent (Mikel Conrad) to Alaska with agent Vee Langley (Pat Garrison), posing as his nurse, to find out whether or not UFO reports coming out of Alaska constitute a threat against American defenses. Installed in a hunting lodge, the two look for eyewitnesses to the flying-saucer phenomenon as well as conduct searches in the wilderness. Then they sight a saucer and whilst investigating, they clash with a gang of Soviet spies who are also after the saucer secret.

Filmed on location in Alaska

Striking while the iron was hot, actor/producer/director/writer Mikel Conrad registered the title The Flying Saucer for copyright not long after UFOs were allegedly spotted in Washington State.

Forbidden Planet (1956) - 98 mins

Starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly & Earl Holliman

Directed by Fred M. Wilcox

In the 23rd century, Cmdr. J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) guides United Planets cruiser C-57-D on a rescue mission to faraway planet Altair-4. Twenty years earlier, Earth ship Bellerophon disappeared while en route to Altair-4. Only the ship's philologist, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), survived; in the intervening decades, Morbius has created an Edenlike world of his own, for the benefit of himself and his nubile young daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis). His private paradise is zealously guarded by Robby the Robot, a piece of technology far in advance of anything on Earth. When Adams and his crew land on Altair-4, Morbius announces that he has no intention of being rescued and returned to Earth. When Adams attempts to contact home base, he finds that his radio equipment has been smashed by some unseen force. Holding Morbius responsible, Adams confronts the scientist, who decides to tell all. At one time, according to Morbius, Altair-4 was populated by the Krel: a wise, intellectually superior race. Using leftover Krel technology, Morbius has doubled his intellect and gained the ability to shape a new world to his own specifications.

MGM's first big-budget science fiction film, Forbidden Planet, combined state-of-the-art special effects with a storyline based on Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Oscar Nominated for Best Special Effects

A terrific "thinking person's" sci-fi story - fabulous!

Note that one of the stars of this film is Robbie the Robot - an ingeniously constructed unit for the film (it was heavily used within and without the US as a promotional tool for the film).

Robbie the Robot was back one year later in The Invisible Boy (1957) - which is also available from this website.

4D Man (1959) - 85 mins

Starring Robert Lansing, Lee Meriwether, James Congdon, Robert Strauss & Patty Duke

Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Two brothers, scientists Scott and Tony Nelson, (Robert Lansing & James Congdon respectively) develop an amplifier which enables a person to enter a 4th dimensional state, allowing him to pass through any object. Scott experiments on himself and discovers that each time he passes through something he ages rapidly. He begins killing people, sucking out their life energies and regaining his youth as a result. It falls to Tony and Scott's girlfriend, Linda (Lee Meriwether), to try to put a stop to his murderous rampage.

4D Man is exciting and played in a lively fashion with the careful use of Ralph Carmichael's jazz-based score to accent the action. This helps set the film apart from other science fiction films of the era.

Early roles for eventual TV stars: Robert Lansing (12 O'Clock High) and Lee Meriwether (The Time Tunnel & Batman, as Catwoman)

Four Sided Triangle (1953) - 81 mins

Starring Barbara Payton, James Hayter, Stephen Murray, John Van Eyssen & Percy Marmont

Directed by Terence Fisher

Lena is a British girl raised in America who returns to her hometown on a sentimental journey. Here she is reunited with her childhood friend Bill, now a scientist. With the help of his pal Robin, Bill has developed a duplicating machine (a type of cloning device). When Robin and Lena fall in love, the heartbroken Bill decides to create a duplicate Lena, whom he names Helen.

Noirish Sci-Fi from the Brits!

Director Terence Fisher co-adapted the screenplay from a novel by William F. Temple.

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From Beyond the Grave (1973) - 98 mins

Starring Ian Carmichael, Ian Bannen, Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Donald Pleasance, David Warner & Leslie-Anne Down

Directed by Kevin Connor

Anthology film adapted from four short stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes strung together about an antique dealer (Peter Cushing) who owns a shop called Temptations Ltd. and the fate that befalls his customers who try to cheat him. Stories include "The Gate Crasher" with David Warner who frees an evil entity from an antique mirror, "An Act of Kindness" featuring Donald Pleasence, "The Elemental" with Ian Carmichael and "The Door" starring Lesley-Anne Down & Ian “Return of The Saint” Ogilvy.

Humanoids from the Deep (1980) (aka Monster!) - 80 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow, Cindy Weintraub, Anthony Pena & Denise Galik

Directed by Barbara Peters

In a Pacific Northwest town, experiments with genetically treated salmon backfire when they are eaten by coelacanths, who mutate into humanoid monsters with giant craniums and sharp claws: halfman, halffish which terrorize a small fishing village by killing the men, raping & mating with the women and eventually creating total pandemonium at the annual salmon festival. This is the UK version which is uncut and has been re-titled Monster!

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

I'll Never Forget You (1951) (aka The House in the Square) - 90 mins

Starring Tyrone Power, Ann Blyth, Michael Rennie, Dennis Price & Beatrice Campbell

Directed by Roy Ward Baker

Tyrone Power stars as an American atomic scientist working in London. He lives in an ancestral home which dates back to the 18th century. Late one rainy evening, Power is struck down by lightning just as he enters his home. When he awakens, he finds himself transported back to the 1700s, in the person of his own ancestor. As he falls in love with his beautiful cousin Ann Blyth, Power tries to bring some 20th century technology to his "backward" forebears. Branded as a lunatic for his "hallucinations" of the future, Power is about to be carted off to Bedlam when he lapses again into unconsciousness. He awakens in his own time, but to what??

In an interesting approach, I'll Never Forget You opens in black and white, then switches to color when Power is sent back in time.

I'll Never Forget You is an updated remake of 1933's Berkeley Square, with both films being adapted from John L. Balderston's stage play.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - 81 mins

Starring Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent, Paul Langton & Raymond Bailey

Directed by Jack Arnold

Scott Carey who, while catching some sunshine on his brother's yacht, is enveloped by a mysterious dark cloud. Soon after, he discovers that he's getting thinner and smaller. Despite the assuring attitude of his family doctor Carey is losing an inch's worth of height with each passing day. By the time he's reached the size of a small boy, Williams has become world-famous. But the phenomenon has adversely affected his personality, turning him into a tyrant, lashing out at the world in general and his faithful wife in particular. When Carey is attacked and by his pet cat, his wife assumes that he's been killed: in fact, Carey, by now so minuscule that even a garden-variety spider poses a deadly threat to him, is hiding in his cellar. Uncertain of what is in store for him, he steps out into the mists, summing up his new-found philosophy: "Smaller than smallest, I meant something too. To God there is no zero. I still exist!"

Adapted by Richard Matheson from his own novel.

Part of the Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination 3 DVD set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

The Invisible Boy (1957) - 90 mins

Starring Richard Eyer, Dianne Brewster, Phillip Abbot & Harold J. Stone

Directed by Herman Hoffman

Based on a short story by Edmund Cooper, the film finds electronics genius Dr. Merrinoe (Phillip Abbott) developing a huge talking computer. While Merrinoe is the master of his laboratory, he has trouble controlling his rambunctious son Timmie (Richard Eyer). When the doctor takes Timmie to the lab with him, hoping to impress his son with the importance of his work, Timmie is interested only in reassembling a robot left behind by Merrinoe's predecessor. Though the robot has been programmed not to bring harm to human beings, the poor clunking creature falls under the spell of Merrinoe's "super computer," which has developed a demonic mind of its own. The computer arranges to launch a rocket, with the robot at the controls, that will enable it to control the earth's orbit.

Impressive on a technical level, The Invisible Boy was one of the first films to look at the idea that computers could one day take control of us!

Though Richard Eyer and Philip Abbott get top billing, the real star of The Invisible Boy is Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet (1956) fame, which is also available from this website

It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955) - 79 mins

Starring Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis, Ian Keith & Harry Lauter

Directed by Robert Gordon

After an encounter at sea with an unknown underwater creature, a naval commander works with two scientists to identify it. The creature they are dealing with is a giant, radioactive octopus that has left its normal feeding grounds deep in the sea and has risen towards the surface in search of new sources of replenishment. As the creature attacks San Francisco, the Navy tries to trap it at the Golden Gate Bridge but it manages to enter the Bar area leading to a final confrontation with a submarine.

It Came From Beneath the Sea was the first of several fruitful collaborations between producer Charles H. Schneer and special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. "It" is a giant, six-tentacled octopus, and the stop-motion animation utilized by Harryhausen is convincingly frightening.

It Came From Outer Space (1953) - 81 mins

Starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer & Russell Johnson

Directed by Jack Arnold

Based on a story by Ray Bradbury, It Came From Outer Space tells of writer John Putnam, a new arrival to the town and an amateur astronomer. One night he is looking at the skies with his fiancée, schoolteacher Ellen Fields, when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. Putnam and Ellen go to the site of the crash and find a huge crater. When he goes down inside, Putnam sees what is very obviously some kind of vehicle or device embedded in the ground, but before he can show it to anyone, a rock slide buries what he saw. He reports that a spacecraft of some kind is buried there and is duly ridiculed by the local press and some of his own colleagues in the astronomical community, and even Ellen has her doubts. Putnam is at a loss as to what to do when various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien "duplicates."

A Classic!

Part of the Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination 3 DVD set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) - 69 mins

Starring Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer & Paul Langton

Directed by Edward L. Cahn

A rescue ship travels out to Mars to retrieve the only survivor of a space probe that has experienced some sort of cataclysm. That survivor, Col Ed Carruthers (Marshall Thompson) is accused of murdering his fellow crewmen. But Ed claims that the killer was a Martian monster, and hopes to prove his assertions when he gets back to Earth. On the long voyage back home, mysterious sounds precede a violent confrontation between the crew members and an unknown assailant - they are being systematically killed off, and it looks as though Ed is up to his old tricks. As it turns out, however, there is a monster on board, the savage descendant of the once-mighty Martian civilization, who came secretly aboard ship just before blast-off. The monster stays alive by absorbing the vital body fluids of its victims and there seems to be no way to stop this parasitic creature!

A truly frightening sci-fi talewhich is full excitement and action all-the-way. Fans of Dabbs Greer will love his contribution here.

One of the best of the medium-budgeted science fiction flicks of the 1950s, It! The Terror from Beyond Space is set in the future: 1973! If the plot of It! The Terror from Beyond Space seems vaguely familiar, it is because it was one of the primary inspirations for the 1979 sci-fi classic Alien.

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Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - 104 mins

Starring Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovak, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall MacGinnis & Nigel Green

Directed by Don Chaffey

Jason (Todd Armstrong), rightful heir to the throne of Thessaly, is spared from death through the intervention of the goddess Hera (Honor Blackman). The other celestial inhabitants of Mount Olympus watch in amusement as Hera surreptitiously aids Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. Obstacles to this goal include a giant come-to-life statue named Talos, the screeching harpies plaguing blind prophet Phineas (Patrick Troughton), a set of huge clashing rocks, the seven-headed hydra, and an army of skeletons - this bravura climactic sequence assured special-effects guru Ray Harryhausen place in the hearts of 13-year-old boys of all ages. Bernard Herrmann's surging musical score was icing on the cake for this greatest of all Ray Harryhausen creations

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969) aka Doppelgänger - 101 mins

Starring Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Patrick Wymark, Lyn Loring, George Sewell, Ed Bishop & Herbert Lom

Directed by Robert Parrish

A previously unknown planet is discovered within our solar system, orbiting on the far side of the sun exactly opposite the position of the Earth, and at precisely the same speed. The European space agency Eurosec, headed by Jason Webb (Patrick Wymark), whose solar probe made the discovery, decides to send a manned mission to investigate, teaming America's top astronaut Glenn Ross (Roy Thinnes) and British astro-physicist John Kane (Ian Hendry). Their voyage aboard the space vehicle Phoenix is supposed to take six weeks, but when the ship returns to orbit in only three weeks - ending in a crash of their landing vehicle that kills Kane - Eurosec can only conclude that Ross has engaged in some sort of sabotage. The astronaut is at a loss as to how they could have done a round-trip in just three weeks, until he makes a startling discovery - that everything that he sees, from the layout of rooms and buildings to all of the writing around him, is reversed, left to right and right to left.

Absorbing well made sci-fi employing the skills of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson of The Thunderbirds fame - they also wrote the story

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Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) - 80 mins

Starring John Agar, Greta Thyssen Carl Ottosen, Peter Monch, Ove Sprogøe & Louis Miehe-Renard

Directed by Sidney W. Pink

Travelling by spaceship to the planet Uranus in year 2010, a group of astronauts discovers a bizarre world right out of their own heads, featuring places and people the crew-members recall from childhood. and a gargantuan one-eyed monster. It's all part of a fantasy created by the planet's master, a giant, pulsating brain that can also turn their worst thoughts into reality!

Filmed in Denmark with a largely Danish cast except for Hollywood actor John Agar and Greta Thyssen (a former Miss Denmark who had doubled for Marilyn Monroe and appeared opposite The Three Stooges) added a bit of box-office value to the otherwise mundane proceedings. Apparently filmed in English, the Danish actors speak their lines with utmost care and deliberation, presumably to make it easier for dubbing purposes.

Note: this is a very nice print - much better than commercial offerings!

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) - 90 mins

Starring Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, Keith Barron, Anthony Ainley & Godfrey James

Directed by Kevin Connor

Its 1916 and the US Montrose is fired on and sunken by a German U-boat. However the survivors manage to sneak aboard and capture the U-boat. In between subsequent coups, the British and Germans agree to an uneasy truce until they can reach a neutral port. But they become lost and instead arrive on the mythical continent of Caprona where dinosaurs and cavemen still roam. Amid this savage, primitive environment they attempt to survive and repair the submarine

(Kevin Connor sandwiched these 4 films between equally enjoyable sci-fi / fantasy romps: From Beyond the Grave (1973) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - both of which are available from this website)

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

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The Land Unknown (1957) - 78 mins

Starring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Phil Harvey & Douglas Kennedy

Directed by Virgil W. Vogel

Cmndr. Harold 'Hal' Roberts (Jock Mahoney) and Lt. Jack Carmen (William Reynolds) are leaders of an expedition to the South Pole. Along for the ride is girl reporter Maggie Hathaway (Shirley Patterson), over whose affections Hal and Jack constantly battle. Making a forced landing in the Antarctic, the intrepid explorers find that they've descended well below sea level. Before long, they are attacked by prehistoric beasts which have been preserved in this heretofore uncharted region. When not fending off Tyrannosauri and Pterodactyls, Hal, Jack, Maggie and copter pilot Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) try to steer clear of an unwieldly carnivorous plant. Further complicating things is the presence of a long-lost and demented scientist (Henry Brandon) who craves after Maggie!

Quite convincing special effects

Fans of "Jocko" won't be disappointed!

The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 86 mins

Starring Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart & Umberto Raho

Directed by Sidney Salkow

Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only survivor of a devastating world-wide plague due to a mysterious immunity he acquired to the bacterium while working in Central America years ago. In this post-epidemic nightmare world, the entire population of the Earth have become vampire-like creatures and Morgan is the monster slayer that the vampire-society fears. Curing one of them, Ruth (Franca Bettoja), with a transfusion of his blood gives Morgan hope for the future. But the vampires will never give up in their quest to kill him.

This dark tale, based on Richard Matheson's even darker novel "I Am Legend" was later remade as The Omega Man (1971) with Charlton Heston in the Dr. Robert Morgan role.

The Omega Man (1971) is also available from this website.

The Leech Woman (1960) - 77 mins

Starring Grant Williams, Coleen Gray, Phillip Terry, Gloria Talbot & John Van Dreelen

Directed by Edward Dein

June Talbot (Colleen Gray) goes on a trip to Africa with her husband Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry), only to discover that she is to be the trial balloon in one of his experiments on an anti-aging compound. Not willing to jump off into the unknown, the already unbalanced June kills her husband after she learns of a tribal ritual that will keep her youthful if she can obtain a hormone from the pineal gland of a human male. The problem is that she will revert back to a wrinkled woman unless she keeps replenishing her stock of the hormone. That, of course, leads to gruesome killings and ultimately, one disastrous mistake.

The Love War (1970) - 74 mins

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Angie Dickinson, Harry Basch, Daniel J. Travanti & Allen Jaffe

Directed by George McCowan

The ongoing war between the planets Argon and Zinan is slated to be resolved in a winner-take-all battle, to be held on the "neutral" planet Earth. Among the six representatives of the two planets is Argon warrior Kyle (Lloyd Bridges), who upon assuming human form arrives in a sleepy California town. Kyle's militaristic resolve is challenged by the curious emotions stirred up via his relationship with local resident Sandy (Angie Dickinson). The Love War was originally telecast on March 10, 1970 as an "ABC Movie of the Week" presentation.

The "cultist of cult" sci-fi films (actually an Aaron Spelling TV movie), this is an intelligent and excellently written piece.

Quality Note: Not the greatest of prints but sure to please in terms of content

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The Man From Planet X (1951) - 70 mins

Starring Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel & David Ormont

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

A New York City newspaper reporter, John Lawrence (Robert Clarke) flies to a remote island off Scotland, on the invitation from scientist and long-time friend, Professor Elliot (Raymond Bond) to cover the news of the approach of a previously-unknown planet (called Planet X) which has entered the solar system and is travelling close to Earth. A spaceship from Planet X soon lands and reveals a strange little man who has come to make contact with friendly Earthlings. But evil scientist Dr. Mears (William Schallert) wants to exploit the spaceman's highly developed intellect for his own selfish ends and his nastiness turns the alien against the other Earthlings, enslaving their minds and transforming them into zombies.

This atmospheric sci-fi film is an early collaboration between legendary sci-fi director Edgar G. Ulmer and star Robert Clarke. They were to combine again almost a decade later for Beyond the Time Barrier (1960) - which is also available from this website

The Monolith Monsters (1957) - 77 mins

Starring Grant Williams, Lola Albright, Les Tremayne, Trevor Bardette & Phil Harvey

Directed by John Sherwood

A strange black meteor crashes near the town of San Angelo and litters the countryside with fragments. When a storm exposes these fragments to water, they grow into skyscraper-sized monoliths which then topple and shatter into thousands of pieces that grow into monoliths themselves and repeat the process. Any humans in the way are crushed or turned into human statues. The citizens of San Angelo desperately try to save themselves and the world from the spreading doom

Screenplay by Norman Jolley who wrote the legendary sci-fi TV series “Space Patrol” (which is available from the TV Series section of this website)

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The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) - 83 mins

Starring Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton, Hans Conried, Harlan Warde, Max Showalter & Mimi Gibson

Directed by Arnold Laven

An underwater earthquake in the Salton Sea releases prehistoric and radioactive giant molluscs. They then start to kill people by feeding on their bones. Navy officers and scientists from the nearby remote naval base investigate and try and stop them, but the molluscs escape into the nearby canal and start to threaten the world. Meanwhile, an unhatched egg is brought to the naval base for examination - however it hatches after a little girl raises the temperature of the water tank in which it has been kept releasing another monster!

The Monster That Challenged the World is the misleadingly title for one of the more well-regarded second-echelon horror films of the 1950s. And it stars Tim Holt the renown cowboy who appeared in so many of those exciting RKO westerns (which are available from within the "B" westerns section of this website)

1984 (1956) - 90 mins

Starring Edmond O'Brien, Michael Redgrave, Jan Sterling, David Kossof & Donald Pleasance

Directed by Michael Anderson

From the George Orwell novel, 1984 is set in a futuristic totalitarian society where individuality is forbidden. The ruler is the never-seen "Big Brother," whose minions have monitored and bugged the activities of the populace so that no one can harbor any "subversive" thoughts. Edmond O'Brien plays Winston Smith, a government functionary satisfied with his lot, until he commits the illegal act of falling in love with Julia (Jan Sterling), a member of the anti-sex league. The lovers try to escape the all-powerful influence of Big Brother, but their every move is recorded by listening and viewing devices.

The Omega Man (1971) - 98 mins

Starring Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash, Paul Koslo, Eric Laneuville & Lincoln Kilpatrick

Directed by Boris Sagal

Unfolding in a post-apocalyptic 1976, we have Charlton Heston as Robert Neville, the sole recipient of a serum that enabled him to survive an onslaught of germ warfare between Russia and China - which seemingly rendered him the last (normal) human alive. Neville lives in a garish, antique-strewn L.A. penthouse. During the day, he roams through the vacant city. At night, he fends off a bloodthirsty horde of mutant scavengers led by Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) and his half-human vampires who want to kill Neville. Neville's last man on earth status is shattered when he comes across a group of young people, presided over by the cynical Lisa (Rosalind Cash). Neville begins to form an interest in her, as the two try to keep Matthias and his minions at bay.

Excellent Sci-Fi!

Based on Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" which was previously made as The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price in the Dr. Robert Morgan/Neville role.

The Last Man on Earth (1964) is also available from this website.

Panic in the Year Zero! (1962) - 93 mins

Starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon, Mary Mitchel, Joan Freeman & Rex Holman

Directed by Ray Milland

En route from Los Angeles to a vacation in the mountains, Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland, who also directs), his wife, Ann (Jean Hagen), and his teen-aged children, Rick (Frankie Avalon) and Karen (Mary Mitchell), are appalled to see a mushroom cloud forming over the L.A. skyline. With the highways clogged by panicking motorists, Baldwin and his family decide to head to the shelter of their fishing spot, there to wait until more news about the nuclear disaster is available. Everywhere they drive, however, the family is confronted by rampaging looters, heavily armed survivalists, and doped-up motorcycle punks. Attempting to remain calm and collected in the face of Armageddon, Baldwin ends up as violent and animalistic as everyone else.

The People That Time Forgot (1977) - 90 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Patrick Wayne, Sarah Douglas, Dana Gillespie, Thorley Walters & Shane Rimmer

Directed by Kevin Connor

Major Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) organises a mission to the Antarctic wastes to search for his friend (Doug McClure) who has been missing in the region for several years. McBride's party find themselves in a world populated by primitive warriors and terrifying prehistoric creatures, all of whom they must evade in order to get back safely to their ship.

(Kevin Connor sandwiched these 4 films between equally enjoyable sci-fi / fantasy romps: From Beyond the Grave (1973) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - both of which are available from this website)

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

The Phantom Planet (1961) - 82 mins

Starring Dean Fredericks, Coleen Gray, Anthony Dexter, Francis X. Bushman, Richard Weber & Dick Haynes

Directed by William Marshall

In this off-beat sci-fi adventure, astronaut Capt. Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) must make a forced landing upon a remote asteroid. His ship is damaged and he must breathe the planet's atmosphere. Soon he begins shrinking and once he gets down to six inches discovers the place populated by diminutive people who have turned this "phantom planet" called Rheton into a ship which has the ability to move in and out of galaxies to escape their enemies. He soon joins forces with the little people to defeat the monstrous Solarites, terrifying creatures out to eat them.

Project Moon Base (1953) - 63 mins

Starring Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke, Ross Ford, Larry Johns, Herb Jacobs & Barbara Morrison

Directed by Richard Talmadge

In the not-too-distant future of 1970, the United States is considering building bases on the Moon, and send a female colonel and two men to investigate. One of the men turns out to be a foreign spy, and the entire operation--and the future of the free world is in danger.

Co-scripted by sci-fi novelist Robert A. Heinlein, Project Moonbase is a "feature film" cobbled together from several episodes of the unsold TV science fiction series "Ring Around the Moon."

Rocketship X-M (1950) - 77 mins

Starring Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery Jr., Hugh O'Brian & Morris Ankrum

Directed by Kurt Neumann

Sometime in the future, the first manned space flight to the moon finds Dr. Karl Eckstrom (John Emery) in charge of the expedition, with Col. Floyd Graham (Lloyd Bridges), Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Osa Massen), Harry Chamberlain (Hugh O'Brian) and Maj. William Corrigan (Noah Beery Jr.) in the crew. Blown off its course by a meteor shower, Rocketship X-M misses the moon and lands on Mars instead (the Mars scenes were tinted orange). During an exploratory expedition, the crew finds evidence of a once-mighty civilization, evidently destroyed by atomic warfare. A savage band of surviving Martians attack the earthlings, killing two and wounding a third. The survivors head back to the ship, but run out of fuel before reaching Earth.

Rocketship X M is an intelligent and well told sci-fi story - produced for $94,000, Rocketship X-M reportedly grossed over a million dollars!

Satellite in the Sky (1956) - 85 mins

Starring Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes & Jimmy Hanley

Directed by Paul Dickson

The story concerns the first manned space satellite, launched from England with commander Michael Hayden (Kieron Moore) at the controls. It is the mission of Hayden and his crew to test out the deadly "tritonium" bomb in outer space. Once he's left the atmosphere, Hayden discovers that he's been harboring a stowaway: reporter and anti-weapons activist Kim Hamilton (Lois Maxwell). Everyone's life is placed in peril when the bomb affixes itself to the side of the satellite. As tension mounts, the crew and Kim race against time to either remove or defuse the ticking weapon.

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Saturn 3 (1980) - 88 mins

Starring Kirk Douglas, Farah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel, Ed Bishop & Roy Dotrice

Directed by Stanley Donen

In the distant future, single man and woman scientific team living on one of Saturn's moons to grow food for the starving Earth, have their isolation shattered when a deranged killer, masquerading as a visiting technology expert, arrives at their lonely outpost to take over their work and build a lethal creation: a super-intelligent 8-foot robot which later takes a murderous mind of its own

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Spaceflight IC-1 (1965) - 65 mins

Starring Bill Williams, Norma West, John Cairney, Jeremy Longhurst & Donald Churchill

Directed by Bernard Knowles

In this sci-fi film set in 2015, the civilized world is controlled by an all-powerful computerized government that is carefully choosing colonists for its newest space launch. The candidates are selected on the basis of their age, health and IQ. They are only in space a few weeks when the crew begins to rebel against the inhuman control of the computer. They then mutiny and in place of the autocracy, they establish a small democratic society and begin searching for a planet to call their own.

Spaceways (1953) - 76 mins

Starring Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley, Philip Leaver, Cecile Chevreau & Andrew Osborn

Directed by Terence Fisher

American rocket scientist Stephen Mitchell (Howard Duff) works day and night to realize his goal of sending the first man-made satellite into outer space. Meanwhile, Mitchell's wife Vanessa (Cecile Chevreau) is carrying on an affair with fellow-scientist Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn). Not long after Mitchell discovers this, the satellite is launched ahead of schedule. Since both his wife and her lover have disappeared at the same time, Mitchell is accused of murdering the pair and stuffing their corpses into the spaceship. To prove his innocence, Mitchell volunteers to go up in a second ship with mathematician Lisa (Eva Bartok) to conduct a search of the satellite.

Adapted from the popular British radio serial of the same name, Spaceways is a dual-market science fiction effort, co-financed by England's Hammer Films and America's Lippert Studios.

Other Howard Duff films of which Trev is a huge fan and which are available from this website are Illegal Entry (1949), Spy Hunt (1950) & Shakedown (1950).

Stranger From Venus (1954) - 75 mins

Starring Patricia Neal, Helmut Dantine, Derek Bond, Cyril Luckman, Willoughby Gray & Kenneth Edwards

Directed by Burt Balaban

An alien comes to our planet to deliver an ultimatum concerning our ill-advised use of nuclear weapons. He lands in England and despite coming with openness and peace, the officials respond with lies and a foolish attempt to steal his space ship.

Sounds like a UK version of The Day The Earth Stood still - and it is (even down to the starring role of Patricia Neal) - but there are some neat twists in this version with Helmut Dantine in excellent form as "The Stranger"

Tarantula (1955) - 80 mins

Starring John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva & Ross Elliott

Directed by Jack Arnold

Professor Gerald Deemer has been working on a special nutrient to help ease a predicted food shortage that is expected to come with the increase in human population. His experiments have been moderately successful but there have been some failures as a result. One day while he is gone two of his colleagues inject themselves with the nutrient with disastrous results and die a few days later. One however goes mad and injects Deemer with the formula. During a struggle, a giant tarantula injected with the formula escapes its cage and grows even larger and starts to attack cattle as well as human beings.

Clint Eastwood has a small (uncredited) but very significant role here!

Part of the Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination 3 DVD set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Target Earth (1954) - 75 mins

Starring Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey, Richard Reeves, Robert Roark & Arthur Space

Directed by Sherman A. Rose

Set in Chicago, this sci-fier concentrates on four people who've congregated in the deserted city after a sudden and mysterious evacuation. The ill-matched foursome are Vicki Harris (Virginia Grey), a flashy, trashy blonde; Nora King (Kathleen Crowley), a young widow; Frank Brooks (Richard Denning), a man with a questionable past; and Jim Wilson (Dick Reeves), a brutish transient. Though they don't get along at first, the four strangers are compelled to unite against a common enemy: an invading army from outer space who use huge robots to do their dirty work.

Target Earth was adapted from Paul W. Fairman's short story Deadly City.

Them! (1954) - 94 mins

Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens & Sean McClory

Directed by Gordon Douglas

After several people in the New Mexico desert wind up missing or dead, including an F.B.I. agent and most of his family, police Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) teams up with F.B.I. agent Bob Graham (James Arness) to find out what's causing the strange occurrences. They find a strange footprint found at one of the crime scenes and it is sent to the Department of Agriculture. Doctor Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter Doctor Patricia Medford (Joan Weldon) arrive and ask to be taken to the scene of some of the disappearances. When they get there they are shocked to find gigantic ants, whose mutations were caused by the first atomic bomb explosion nine years earlier. They manage to destroy the nest of ants, but not before two winged queen ants and a couple of drones have hatched and escaped the nest. Now it is a race against time to find the two queen ants before they can establish more nests and hatch more queens.

Them! is also one of those vintage science-fiction thrillers that holds up as well today as it did when first released.

Oscar Nominated for Best Special Effects.

These Are the Damned (1963) - 93 mins

Starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Know & Oliver Reed

Directed by Joseph Losey

Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field). Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there's a considerable obstacle in their budding romance: Joan's brother King (Oliver Reed), the leader of a violent pack of motorcycle rockers. King has a barely concealed incestuous attachment to his sister, and he sometimes uses her to lure victims into his gang's clutches. King and his cronies attack Simon, take his money, and leave him stranded, where he's eventually found by a pair of military security men. Simon is brought to the home of Bernard (Alexander Knox), a scientist working on a secret project for the government, and his girlfriend Freya (Viveca Lindfors), a sculptor. Joan eventually tracks Simon down in hopes of winning his forgiveness, but another run-in with King causes Simon and Joan to discover a cave that holds a terrible secret: a group of strange, cold-blooded children who were the products of one of Bernard's experiments gone wrong. The children were genetically engineered to survive a nuclear war, and, as a result, they are radioactive enough to kill anyone who comes in close contact with them.

An unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following - aka The Damned

The Thing From Another World (1951) - 87 mins

Starring Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, Dewey Martin, Douglas Spencer & James R. Young

Directed by Christian Nyby & Howard Hawks (uncredited)

The scene is a distant Arctic research station, where a UFO has crashed. The investigating scientists discover that the circular craft has melted its way into the ice, which has frozen up again. While attempting to recover the ship, Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) accidentally explodes the vessel, but the pilot remains frozen in a block of ice. The body is taken to base headquarters, where it is inadvertently thawed out by an electric blanket. The alien attacks the soldier guarding him and escapes into the snowy wastes. An attack dog rips off the alien's arm, whereupon Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) discerns that "The Thing" (played by future Gunsmoke star James Arness!) is not animal but a member of the vegetable family, subsisting on blood. While the misguided Carrington attempts to spawn baby "Things" with the severed arm, the parent creature wreaks murderous havoc all over the base. Female scientist Nikki (Margaret Sheridan) suggests that the best way to destroy a vegetable is to cook it. Over the protests of Carrington, who wants to reason with the "visitor", the soldiers devise a devious method for stopping The Thing once and for all.

The Thing delivers an incredible mix of sci-fi and high octane drama - a superior blend of science fiction, horror, naturalistic dialogue, and flesh-and-blood characterizations, The Thing is a model of its kind.

Is this the Best Ever Sci-Fi film! (Trev thinks so - he watched it many times over on both late night & midday movie TV screenings in the mid 1960s … the TV prints were so crudely censored that one never got to see The Thing).

This print is the restored original print ... one now gets to see The Thing - an incredible film experience!

This Island Earth (1955) - 87 mins

Starring Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Lance Fuller & Russell Johnson

Directed by Joseph M. Newman & Jack Arnold

The story begins when the image of Exeter, a huge-domed scientific genius from the planet Metaluna, appears on an experimental 3D television screen, inviting several noted scientists from around the world to work on a top-secret project at Exeter's earthly mansion. Among those accepting the invitation are Cal Meacham and his ex-fiancee Ruth Adams. Soon, Cal and Ruth learn Exeter's true motives; to use the Earth's atomic knowledge in building a defense shield to protect Metaluna against the enemy planet Zahgon.

This film is certainly one of the most intelligent and elaborate sci-fi films of the 50's - based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones.

Part of the Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination 3 DVD set which can be found in the Classic Movie Combinations section of this website

Time After Time (1979) - 120 mins

Starring Malcom McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Cioffi & Kent Williams

Directed by Nicholas Meyer

H.G. Wells has just invented a time machine but hasn't tried it out yet. Then he discovers that one of his friends John Leslie Stevenson, is actually Jack the Ripper - and further Stevenson has made his escape using the time machine. H.G. follows Stevenson into the late 1970's where he meets Amy Robbins, a bank clerk, who teaches H. G. about life in 70's while they pursue Stevenson, who is enjoying the more violent society in which he continues his murderous activities

Great music score by Miklós Rózsa

Fabulous sci-fi adventure and a worthy companion piece to George Pal's The Time Machine (1960) - see below

The Time Machine (1960) - 103 mins

Starring Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, To Helmore & Whit Bissell

Directed by George Pal

H. G. (George) Wells is a young scientist fascinated with the concept of time travel. On December 31, 1899, George seats himself in his jerry-built time machine and thrusts himself forward into 1917. A dyed-in-the-wool pacifist, George is distressed to see that World War I is raging all about him. He moves past the 1920s and 1930s into the 1940s, only to be confronted by another, even more terrible war. Next he stops in 1966, just as London is destroyed in a nuclear explosion. Retreating to his Time Machine, George is sealed in his cellar by molten lava. By the time he and his machine manage to escape their tomb, the year is 802,701. Looking around, George observes a seemingly idyllic world populated by gentle people. But he also notices that the citizens of the future, known as "Elois," behave more like mindless sheep than human beings. Befriending the lovely Weena (Yvette Mimieux), George learns to his dismay that humankind has forgotten all that it has learned through the centuries, preferring instead to frolic endlessly under the sun.

Oscar Winner for Best Special Effects

Excellent sci-fi adventure and a worthy companion piece to Nicholas Meyer's Time After Time (1979) - see above

Fans of aussie actor Rod Taylor are well catered for on this website with the following titles available: The Time Machine (1960), Seven Seas to Calais (1962), The Birds (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), 36 Hours (1965), Young Cassidy (1965), The Liquidator (1965), Chuka (1967), Dark of the Sun (aka The Mercenaries) (1968), The High Commissioner aka Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Hell With Heroes (1968), Powderkeg (1971) & Cry of the Innocent (1980) - all of which are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

The TV Series section of this website also contains DVD sets of Rod's two TV series: Hong Kong (1960-61) and Bearcats! (1971)

Timeslip (1955) - see The Atomic Man

The Time Travelers (1964) - 82 mins

Starring Preston Foster, Phillip Carey, Merry Anders & John Hoyt

Directed by Ib Melchoir

In 1964, a team of scientists are trying to develop a view screen into the future. What they in fact get is a portal and they soon find themselves on the other side, 127 years into the future with the portal collapsing behind them. The Earth of the future is barren and they are soon attacked by mutated humans but rescued by a group of scientists who are building a spaceship to take them to a new planet. They learn that much of Earth was destroyed as the result of a nuclear war. When it's determined that the visitors from the past cannot be included in the planned voyage, they work furiously to rebuild the portal and return to their own time before departure day.

Has a profound (and memorable) ending?

Director Ib Melchior who also wrote the screenplay had previously wrote and directed another excellent (color) sci-fi film: The Angry Red Planet (1959) which is also available from this website.

(Melchior also wrote one of the best of The Outer Limits TV series: The Premonition)

Tobor the Great (1954) - 77 mins

Starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, Billy Chapin, Taylor Holmes & Steven Geray

Directed by Lee Sholem

Dr. Harrison and Prof. Nordstrom develop the robot Tobor for space flight, intending that he should be controlled by ESP. They announce their plans at a press conference which will spread the news worldwide. But the press conference security has been breached by a spy, who with his henchmen kidnap Nordstrom and his grandson (Brian 'Gadge' Robertson) and Tobor with a view to making the latter do their evil bidding. Fortunately, Tobor who unlike other machines, was endowed with human emotions, is mind-linked to his creator and cannot be easily reprogrammed. The real adventure begins when the boy and the scientists attempt to save the robot.

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) - 82 mins

Starring William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia, John Zaremba, Thomas Browne Henry & Tito Vuolo

Directed by Nathan Juran

When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Sicilian fishing village. The locals manage to save one of the astronauts Colonel Robert Calder (William Hopper), the mission commander whilst a young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien creature. While being subjected to laboratory experimentation, the "Ymir" begins growing by leaps and bounds, and before long the gigantic monstrosity has escaped and is wreaking havoc in Rome.

Another of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's efforts - and it’s a winner!

The Deadly Mantis (1957) is also available from this website.

The 27th Day (1957) - 75 mins

Starring Gene Barry, Valerie French, George Voskovec, Arnold Moss & Stefan Schnabel

Directed by William Asher

Five different people from five different countries suddenly disappearing from view. They have been gently abducted by the agent (Arnold Moss) of a faraway dying planet, who gives each of the five earthlings a "killing capsule" that will destroy everything on Earth and allow the residents of the alien planet to re-colonize the planet - but which will be ineffective if not used after 27 days. In typical Cold War fashion, the representatives of the "good" countries (including Gene Barry) refuse to utilize the capsules, while the Soviets, (personified by Azemat Janti and Stefan Schnabel) intend to deploy the capsules for their own nefarious purposes.

Yes, its a locked-in-the-fifties science fiction film, with Gene Barry returning to the genre after the success of The War of the Worlds 4 years earlier. Lower in budget (and back to B&W), its nonetheless a good action / adventure film.

-NEW TITLE-

The Valley of the Gwangi (1969) - 96 mins

Starring James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith & Freda Jackson

Directed by Jim O'Connolly

When a traveling Wild West show comes to town, the locals are frightened by a one-foot-tall horse that is believed to be a bad omen. Superstitious ones try to return the horse to The Valley of Gwangi to avert disaster. Tuck (James Franciscus) and T.J. (Gila Golan) try to help archaeologist Bromley (Laurence Naismith) find the tiny equine in the valley, but they unleash a prehistoric giant monster in the process.

Another tour-de-force from special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen

Village of the Damned (1960) - 77 mins

Starring George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn, Laurence Naismith & Richard Warner

Directed by Wolf Rilla

Something is seriously amiss in the tiny British village of Midwich. At 11 a.m. one morning, every village resident suddenly falls asleep and then, just as suddenly, everyone wakes up, completely unaffected by the phenomenon. Well, not completely: virtually every woman of childbearing years has become pregnant. All the babies are born on the same night, at precisely the same moment. All look the same, weigh the same, and even have the same curious cross-hatched hair and underdeveloped fingernails. Four years later, the children have all prematurely reached the age of nine or so and all behave in a weird, conspiratorial manner, comporting themselves more like adults than kids. Resident scientist Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders), one of the fathers, surmises that the bizarre manner of the children from their zombie-like movements to their cold, staring eyes is the result of radioactivity, possibly extraterrestrial in nature. One thing is certain: the children possess powers far beyond those of ordinary mortals. And they must be stopped.

One of the most influential science fiction films of the 1960s, Village of the Damned was based on the equally eerie John Wyndham novel The Midwich Cuckoos.

The sequel: Children of the Damned (1963) is also available from this website

Warlords of Atlantis (1978) - 96 mins

Starring Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore, Shane Rimmer, Lea Brodie, Michael Gothard & Hal Galili

Directed by Kevin Connor

In 1896 the aging Professor Aitken and his son charter an expedition aboard the Texas Rose and descend into the depths in an experimental bathysphere designed by engineer Greg Collinson. But under the water they are snatched by a giant octopus and taken down to one of the five remaining of the seven sunken cities of Atlantis. As they marvel at the Atlantean super-science, they learn that the Atlanteans are really survivors from a dying Mars who are using their superior mental abilities to influence the outcome of human history and bring out mankind’s most warlike tendencies.

(Kevin Connor sandwiched these 4 films between equally enjoyable sci-fi / fantasy romps: From Beyond the Grave (1973) & Arabian Adventure (1979) - both of which are available from this website)

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

All of these films are available from within this section of the website - they are also available in a 5 DVD set from within the Classic Movie Combination section of this website

The War of the Worlds (1953) - 85 mins

Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremanye, Robert Cornthwaite, Sandro Giglio & Paul Frees

Directed by Byron Haskin

A meteorlike object crash-lands near the small town of Linda Rosa. Among the crowd of curious onlookers is Pacific Tech scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), who strikes up a friendship with Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson), the niece of local minister Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin). Because the meteor is too hot to approach at present, Forrester decides to wait a few days to investigate, leaving three townsmen to guard the strange, glowing object. Left alone, the three men decide to approach the meterorite, and are evaporated for their trouble. It turns out that this is no meteorite, but an invading spaceship from the planet Mars. The hideous-looking Martians utilize huge, mushroomlike flying ships, equipped with heat rays, to pursue the helpless earthlings. When the military is called in, the Martians demonstrated their ruthlessness by "zapping" Pastor Collins who'd hoped to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the standoff. As Forrester and Van Buren seek shelter, the Martians go on a destructive rampage. Nothing, not even an atom bomb blast can halt the Martian death machines. The film's climax occurs in a besieged Los Angeles, where Forrester fights through a crowd of refugees and looters so that he may be reunited with Van Buren in Earth's last moments of existence.

George Pal's Oscar winning camera trickery is awesome to behold - like Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio adaptation, the film eschews H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds original Victorian England setting for a contemporary American locale, in this case Southern California.

Oscar Winner for Best Special Effects. Oscar Nominated for Best Sound

This one will blow you away!

World Without End (1956) - 80 mins

Starring Hugh Marlowe, Nancy Gates, Rod Taylor, Nelson Leigh & Christopher Dark

Directed by Edward Bernds

The first spaceship to Mars rounds the Red Planet and heads back toward Earth but runs into an unexplained phenomenon in space that accelerates the craft to such a high speed that all four men aboard black out. When they awake, they've crash-landed on a planet that they only gradually realize is Earth - but of the distant future: they have crashed through the time barrier. After they are chased by ugly "Mutates," they are taken in by the declining remnants of human civilization who live underground. It's now 2508 A.D, 400 years after an atomic war almost wiped out the human race. John Borden (Hugh Marlowe) falls in love with Garnet (Nancy Gates), daughter of Timmek, leader of the underground people - a fact that enrages Mories, who's always assumed she would someday be his. The scheming Mories tries to turn his people against the space/time travelers, but falls victim to his own nefarious plans. Learning from Deena, a servant girl from the surface of Earth, that most people up there are normal though cruelly ruled by the deformed ones, Borden and his friends take on the mutates with modern weaponry in an effort to reclaim the Earth for normal humanity.

The very first American feature film to deal with scientific time travel, World Without End had the following tagline: CinemaScope's First Science-Fiction Thriller Hurls You into the Year 2508!

X The Unknown (1956) - 81 mins

Starring Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Anthony Newley, Jameson Clark & William Lucas

Directed by Leslie Norman

A group of soldiers on maneuvers in Scotland stumble across a gravel pit which emanates an unusual amount of radiation. Several deaths occur before the radioactive material is mysteriously stolen. Researcher Dr. Adam Royston (Dean Jagger) speculates that the thief is some sort of inhuman monstrosity dwelling at the Earth's core. He points out that past radioactive disturbances have been occurring at 50-year intervals, each followed by sudden deaths and the disappearance of the material. Royston suggests that the unknown monster has been resuscitated by humankind's recent atomic experiments.

A well-crafted piece of British horror/sci-fi from the 1950s.

This early Hammer effort has secured a "cult" following over the years - much deservedly so!

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