Author: Janne Wass
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Fiend Without a Face
When the invisible brain monsters finally become visible in the film’s last 10 minutes, this British 1958 effort becomes one of the most memorable monster movies of the 50s. Unfortunately, the rest of the picture is hardly worth remembering. 4/10
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War of the Satellites
A body-snatching alien infiltrates the international space program with intents at sabotage. Good low-budget effects and acting, but a dull script makes this one of Roger Corman’s lesser SF efforts. 4/10
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Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
A scorned heiress is abducted by a UFO and grows to gigantic proportions, while her cheating husband tries to murder her so he can run off with the town floozy. Nathan Juran’s 1958 cult classic is bad in many ways, but its themes continue to fascinate. 6/10
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Womaneater
A scientist feeds women to a woman-eating tree, which gives him a serum that can bring back the dead. This British 1958 quota quickie is plodding and illogical, but kept afloat, barely, by its silly premise and decent acting. 2/10.
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Attack of the Puppet People
A lonely doll-maker shrinks people in order to have them keep him company in Bert I Gordon’s 1958 film. Decent performances help counteract a plodding script and special effects of varying quality. 5/10
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The Flame Barrier
The search for yet another lost husband in the Mexican jungles leads to a crashed satellite inhabited by a murderous alien blob. Gramercy’s 1958 SF jungle adventure has a good idea but lacks both script and interest. 2/10
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Escapement
Ex-Nazis operate a brainwashing dream machine in a psychiatric clinic in this 1958 UK mystery melodrama. Released in the US as The Electronic Monster, it squanders a good idea in a programmatic cloak-and-dagger plot. 3/10
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The Abominable Snowman
Peter Cushing searches for the Yeti in the Himalayas, but instead finds the dark soul of Man. Hammer puts a fresh, philosophical spin on the snowman in this excellent 1957 effort, that is unfortunately a bit too talky. 7/10
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The Strange World of Planet X
Scientists accidentally blow a hole in the ionosphere, resulting in visiting aliens and giant bugs. This 1958 UK low-budget production has some good ideas, but is hampered by equally bad ones. 4/10
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Terror from the Year 5000
Between romantic rivalries, scientists conjure forth a monstrous woman from the year 5200. AIP’s 1958 curio is cheaply made and poorly directed, but does have a quirky originality and some intreresting ideas. 5/10
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The Monolith Monsters
Meteor fragments that start growing into the size of skyscrapers and topple over threaten a small Southwest US town. Universal’s 1957 effort is one of the better late 50s B SF movies. 6/10
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She Demons
Hapless heroes try to escape the clutches of a Nazi scientist turning native women into monsters. Starring Irish McCalla of “Sheena: Queen of the Jungle” fame, this 1958 clunker is terrible but quite funny. 3/10
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The Mysterians
Aliens land in Japan, and demand to mate with Earth women. The united military might of Earth engage in battle with the aliens. Ishiro Honda’s 1957 epic is a visual feast, but unfortunately thin on plot. 6/10
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Nude in His Pocket
A married scientist shrinks his assistant and lover into a pocket-size statue. This French 1957 screwball sex comedy is a breezy piece of entertainment that suffers from a thin script and lazy special effects. 5/10
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I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
A ruthless scientist creates a teenage monster in his basement and tries to hide it from his fiancée. Herman Cohen’s 1957 follow-up to the smash hit I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a slow-moving affair saved by a toungue-in-cheek script. 4/10
Scifist. 