Category: Monsters
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Night of the Blood Beast
The crew of a small observation station are besieged by an alien monster while trying to care for a seemingly undead astronaut that has been impregnated with alien babies. Gene Corman’s first SF movie has a novel idea and competent direction, but is done in by its low budget and…
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The Hideous Sun Demon
After a radiation accident, producer/director Robert Clarke turns into a lizard man every time he is exposed to sunlight, and into an idiot every time he sees busty Nan Peterson. The two factors in combination spell disaster in this occasionally decent 1958 no-budget effort. 4/10
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The Astounding She-Monster
A busty radioactive alien woman terrorizes a geologist, a socialite and three gangsters in a mountain cabin. Ronald Ashcroft’s 1957/1958 no-budget picture is inept in all departments, and provides audiences with little else than a chance to laugh at how bad it is. The poster is awesome, though. 1/10
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Curse of the Faceless Man
Archaeologists awake the mummy of a lovesick gladiator at Pompeii, and discover the leading lady is the reincarnation of his lover. Edward Cahn’s 1958 low-budget clunker is competently filmed and has a better-than-average monster, but the talky and slow-moving script is hard to compensate for. 3/10
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It! The Terror from Beyond Space
A mission to Mars returns to Earth with a monstrous stowaway aboard the space rocket. United Artists’ 1958 proto-slasher is clunky and occasionally hilarious, but Jerome Bixby’s tight script builds up some real tension, and gets a few points for originality. 6/10.
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The Brain Eaters
Small-town scientists investigate a strange metallic cone while the townspeople get body-snatched by parasites. An unauthorised ripoff of Robert Heinlein’s “The Puppet People”, this 1958 AIP low-budget clunker directed by Bruno VeSota is inept, but has its moments. 4/10
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Teenage Caveman
Robert Vaughn stars in Roger Corman’s 1958 post-apocalyptic caveman film as the rebel who dares to find out what lies beyond the boundaries of his tribe. The idea is neat, even novel, but the script treads water and is beyond silly, and production values nonexistent. 3/10
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Frankenstein 1970
Boris Karloff stars as Dr. Frankenstein in this 1958 low-budget production about a TV crew getting killed off in an old castle. Despite the title, there is nothing futuristic about this tedious but mildly entertaining adaptation. 4/10
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The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy
Archaeologists recap their previous adventures with the resurrected Aztec mummy and battle a villain and his killer cyborg. The third instalment in the Mexican Aztec Mummy trilogy from 1958 uses up two thirds of the picture on stock footage from the two previous ones. 2/10
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The Space Children
Children help an alien brain with telekinetic powers to sabotage the launch of a nuclear satellite. Jack Arnold’s kiddie-friendly pacifist message film from 1958 is intriguing and fresh in its earnestness, but bogged down by a thin and redundant script. 5/10
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How to Make a Monster
A makeup artist manipulates his actors to kill the studio brass that is shutting down horror movie production. AIP’s third and last teenage monster movie is a self-aware pastiche. The script makes no sense, but it is an entertaining romp. 5/10
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The Fly
What caused Mrs. Delambre to kill her husband in a steel press? And why is she obsessed with flies? Vincent Price ponders these questions in Fox’s 1958 classic, a traditional mad scientist tale, but enhanced by an unusually engaging script. 7/10
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The H-Man
The Tokyo police are flabbergasted when gangsters start melting. Ishiro Honda mixes the police procedural with gooey body horror in this 1958 cult classic. Fun effects and good atmosphere counteract a plodding and confusing script. 6/10
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Space Master X-7
A mystery woman unwittingly spreads a flesh-eating fungus spore from Mars across the US, and G-men race to stop her. This 1958 Dragnet-styled thriller is a competent low-budget potboiler, but fails because the plot needs the smart heroes to act like idiots. Plus the relentless narration.
Scifist. 