AKA The Sun Demon, Blood on his Lips



1959, Directed by Robert Clarke & Tom Boutross

Sunlight turns a man into a rubbery lizard thing. Would a really strong modern suntan lotion stop his transformations?

This looks like fairly standard bloke-turns-into-a-psycho-monster tale from the fifties - apparently the mutation is triggered by a radioactive experiment gone awry, so it really does tick all the appropriate boxes.

Intriguingly, comedian Jay Leno led an eighties comedy re-dubbing of the movie called “What’s Up, Hideous Sun Demon?” which by all accounts is very rude.

Why is it relevant that the monster is hideous? Is there a Beautiful Sun Demon out there somewhere and we need to differentiate the two? Maybe if we stopped insulting him he wouldn’t kill so many people.

Favourite bit: The odd gurgling noises the Sun Demon makes.

IMDB LINK

1958, Directed by Gene Fowler Jr

Typical - you marry the man of your dreams and he turns out to be some kind of rubber alien.

Obvious parallels with The Invasion of the Body Snatchers aside, this looks like standard 50’s B-Movie fare. It serves up the standard menu of paranoia, dodgy special effects and men dressed up in funny Martian suits. However, unlike other 50’s B-movies this one is apparently quite good.

Several sources say that this movie was banned in Finland. I wonder why? It seems to be fairly harmless. I can only assume that Finnish Government were all secretly aliens at the time, and were worried that releasing the film would teach the population how to see through their disguises.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space was remade for television in 1998 as I Married a Monster, splendidly featuring the lead actors from the original as an old couple.

Favourite bit: The lightning-flash-evil-face-reveal, or LFEFR for short.

IMDB LINK

AKA Monster from Mars, Monsters from the Moon



1953, Directed by Phil Tucker

Oh, don’t look at me like that. I had to put it on here eventually.

The most infamously lazy monster design in history terrifies mankind by playing with a bubble machine. Great. Although he also apparently has the power to unleash terrifying dinosaur footage edited out of another movie, One Million B.C.

The wonderfully over-the-top voice-over really puts the ‘hyper’ in hyperbole. “Robot Monster brings you an actual preview of the devastating forces of our future!” So our future consists of gorillas with diving helmets and bubble machines? Not sure if I’m looking forward to that or not, to be honest.

Favourite bit: The end plate with the alternate title Monster from Mars. The monster shown is clearly just a welder.

IMDB LINK

AKA Beasts, Island of the Twilight People



1973, Directed by Eddie Romero

Supernatural science? Aren’t those two terms mutually exclusive?

This is a hideous low-budget version of H. G. Well’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, and it really isn’t afraid to show it. Crappy prosthetics, gaudy red blood, rubbish fangs and constant stock animal noises are all in evidence. They must have spent most of the budget on Pam Grier.

Not much imagination went into this trailer. “Let’s splice together all the bits where people are hit with the butt of a rifle! That’ll get the punters in!” Some nice alliteration in the voice-over though.

The bat man (called “Darmo” apparently) is rapidly becoming one of my favourite characters ever. He’s like Dracula envisioned by a five-year-old.

Favourite bit: The bat man’s wonderfully unconvincing flight.

IMDB LINK

1961, Directed by Roger Corman

OK, the monster looks like a mouldy Homer Simpson. Let’s get that out of the way early on.

A gangster’s plan to make off with a large proportion of Cuba’s treasury is thwarted by the presence of Mouldy Homer, who uses his bizarre pencil-fingers to do away with various crew members. The victims should have tried poking him in his giant goggly eyes.

This is a rarity from B-movie master Roger Corman - a tongue-in-cheek parody of B-movie horror rather than actual B-movie horror. However, due to idiocy amongst its distributors, the movie was advertised as a serious monster flick, which misled and disappointed movie-goers.

Favourite bit: The monster. Undoubtedly.

IMDB LINK

1962, Directed by Ishiro Honda

Now this is what it’s all about - two blokes in rubber suits beating the crap out of each other while Tokyo falls down around them.

The King Kong suit looks a bit of an embarrassment, especially next to the rather nifty Godzilla one. Its pectoral muscles are nearly down at its waist! “Bloke from a Fancy Dress Party vs Godzilla” would be more accurate.

As with many such Japanese monster movies, the US version replaces a lot of the original scenes with localised versions. This movie takes it a bit further though - the Japanese original was a satire on commercialism, but the American release removes the humourous elements entirely. This left a much inferior, serious science fiction effort.

If you’re wondering - King Kong wins. (In both versions, despite the persistent false rumour that Godzilla wins in the original Japanese film.)

Favourite bit: “They are natural enemies.” So giant gorillas and mutant lizards are natural enemies? Who carried out the research to discover that?

IMDB LINK

1957, Directed by Roger Corman
Attack of the Crab Monsters seems to do exactly what the title implies…

B-Movie maestro Roger Corman provides giant crab-related shocks on a remote island. And the crabs look pretty good, considering it was made fifty years ago on a tiny budget.

Something not obvious from the trailer is that the crabs talk, and apparently one has a French accent. It’s got to be worth a watch if only for that.

Favourite bit: All the parts with the giant crabs.

IMDB LINK

1958, Directed by Eugène Lourié

Wow, this ticks all the fifties monster movie boxes. A dour scientist, an inhuman brute carrying an unconscious woman, breaking glass, laser beams - it’s all here. I’m not sure what the deal is with the people standing around on a giant chessboard, though.

Some idiot decides to put some poor sod’s brain in a big metal robot thing, and the next thing you know it’s on a rampage. And has somehow acquired the ability to shoot lasers out of it’s eyes. But remember, this may soon become science fact!

Isn’t a colossus supposed to be an absolutely gigantic statue? As opposed to about 7 foot tall like the one shown here? Maybe it got special dispensation because of the eye lasers.

Against all odds, though, I think this movie looks like it might be quite good. Am I mad? Probably.

Favourite bit: The wonderfully over-the-top piano music.

IMDB LINK

AKA Kronos: Destroyer of the Universe, Kronos: Ravager of Planets



1957, Directed by Kurt Neumann

A vanguard of sudden death! Science fiction’s biggest thrill sensation! A busload of excessive hyperbole!

So then - A giant cartoon obelisk (seemingly made out of stealth Lego) comes out of a UFO and starts draining the world’s energy. I wonder if there’s a metaphor for communism in there somewhere, as movies from the late fifties were rife with such things.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this may be a more serious science fiction film than the trailer would have us believe. I wouldn’t put any money on it, though.

Favourite bit: “Emotional Assault” - Oh, come on.

IMDB LINK

1961, Directed by Poul Bang and Sidney W. Pink

Some decidedly dodgy special effects on display in this monster movie. The green acid-spit / fire effect from the monster is appalling - at least they convinced some real people to ride their bicycles off a bridge.

Watch the trailer again, and keep an eye on the guy’s hair at 54 seconds in. When he receives bad news it almost flies off the top of his head.

Spolier! They appear to show the monster dying halfway through. Didn’t that ruin the ending of the full movie for everyone…?

Favourite bit: The shocked look on the face of the scientist with the glasses - I think we can assume that acting wasn’t his main job.

IMDB LINK