1950s Sci Fi/Creature B Movie Flicks HoF

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91138
1950s Sci Fi/Creature B Movie Flicks Hall of Fun!


Super easy, no commitments, anyone can participate and you don't even have to join. So here's how this works:

*Nominate any 1950s Sci Fi B movie under 100 minutes, no obligations to watch. If you choose to watch one or more of the nominations, just post a short write up with your thoughts and rate the movie using MoFo's popcorn scale 1-5.

*If you chose to watch all the nominations you'll still do the same as above. I will pro-rate the movie rating scores so that people who only watch a few of these will still have the same amount of vote power.

*I'll post the nominations as they come in and as soon as you see a movie posted you can watch it if you want. This will be over at the end of February and that's when I will post the movie winner which is the movie with the most points.
The Movies:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91154
The Tingler (1959)
Director: William Castle
Length: 1h 22m
Nominated by: Thief


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91155
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Director: Nathan Juran
Length: 1h 19m
Nominated by: Death Proof


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91156
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Director: Eugène Lourié
Length: 1h 20m
Nominated by: SpelingError


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91157
Creature With the Atom Brain (1955)
Director: Edward Cahn
Length: 1h 9m
Nominated by: Allaby


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91158
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Director: Roger Corman
Length: 1h 3m
Nominated by: Citizen Rules


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91161
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Director: Nathan Juran
Length: 1h 28m
Nominate by: Torgo


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91165
The Blob (1958)
Director: Irvin S Yeaworth Jr
Length: 1h 26min
Nominated by: Mesmerized


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91166
Destination Moon (1950)
Director: Irving Pichel
Length: 1h 32m
Nominated by: Captain Steel


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91186
The Abominable Snowman (1957)
Director: Val Guest
Length: 1h 25m
Nominated by: Siddon


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91187
Gog (1954)
Director: Herbert Strock
Length: 1h 23m
Nominated by: Beelzebubble

[Citizen Rules]

Ratings for the noms, these are linked to the write ups:

Attack of the Crab Monsters
Allaby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2366650#post2366650) rating_3
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2366790#post2366790) rating_3_5
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374861#post2374861) rating_3_5
Thief (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373833#post2373833) rating_3
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369586#post2369586) rating_3

Creature With The Atom Brain
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367374#post2367374) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369939#post2369939) rating_4
Thief (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373371#post2373371) rating_3_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371643#post2371643) rating_4

Destination Moon
Allaby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367377#post2367377) rating_3
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2369173#post2369173) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370032#post2370032) rating_2_5

Gog
Allaby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373827#post2373827) rating_3
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368188#post2368188) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374837#post2374837) rating_1
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374976#post2374976) rating_4

The Abominable Snowman
Allaby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373949#post2373949) rating_2_5
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367660#post2367660) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373601#post2373601) rating_5

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370068#post2370068) rating_3
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375292#post2375292) rating_2_5
(https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375292#post2375292) Thief (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374999#post2374999) rating_3_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368767#post2368767) rating_3

The Blob
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2371138#post2371138) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2368829#post2368829) rating_3
Thief (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375499#post2375499) rating_2_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367199#post2367199) rating_4

The Deadly Mantis
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2367068#post2367068) rating_3
Kaplan (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374903#post2374903) rating_2
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370086#post2370086) rating_2
Thief (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375055#post2375055) rating_2_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2370531#post2370531) rating_4

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/rating_3_5) rating_3_5
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2375347#post2375347) rating_3_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2372739#post2372739) rating_5

The Tingler
Allaby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2366873#post2366873) rating_4
Citizen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374351#post2374351) rating_4
Siddon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2373612#post2373612) rating_5
Torgo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2374364#post2374364) rating_4


.

[Allaby]

Yup. Are you in? Hope so🙂

Yes, I'm in. I'm not letting those nasty monsters keep me away!

[SpelingError]

Not sure if I'll watch every nomination, but I'll join.

[Thief]

Well, I can throw something out and see if I can watch a couple.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IBbkZmgBvbQ/UmnbzL3PpKI/AAAAAAAAP6g/vxtegSotuRc/s1600/tingler_poster_02.jpg

The Tingler is a fun watch, especially if you watch it with the context of when and how it was marketed and released. Even if you can't fully get the theater experience, you can put yourself in the audience's shoes at the time and try to imagine how it was. Plus, it stars the always deliciously wicked Vincent Price.

Rating: 3?

[Citizen Rules]

Well, I can throw something out and see if I can watch a couple.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IBbkZmgBvbQ/UmnbzL3PpKI/AAAAAAAAP6g/vxtegSotuRc/s1600/tingler_poster_02.jpg

The Tingler is a fun watch, especially if you watch it with the context of when and how it was marketed and released. Even if you can't fully get the theater experience, you can put yourself in the audience's shoes at the time and try to imagine how it was. Plus, it stars the always deliciously wicked Vincent Price.

Rating: rating_3?
That's perfect! And yup you don't have to watch anything, cool if you can watch some🙂 These movies are short! usually just over an hour so easy to watch.

[Citizen Rules]

Yes, I'm in. I'm not letting those nasty monsters keep me away!Ha, I swear every creature that could be mutated or grow giant did so in the 50s!

Not sure if I'll watch every nomination, but I'll join. Perfect. I wanted to try something different to hopefully get more people involved.

[Wyldesyde19]

I’m in!

[Citizen Rules]

I’m in!Cool!

I'll post all the movies we got so far tomorrow.

[Wyldesyde19]

Cool!

I'll post all the movies we got so far tomorrow.
It will be a few hours before I get home from work and decide what to nominate. Will probably go with a blind watch

[Citizen Rules]

It will be a few hours before I get home from work and decide what to nominate. Will probably go with a blind watchI might go with a blind watch too for my nom, I'm not sure...soooo many good choices.

[Death Proof]

One of my favorite genres. Here's my pick:




https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Deadlymantis.JPG


rating_4




The Deadly Mantis is one of my all-time favs. The creature effects are remarkably good for a 50's B-movie, especially the shot in the tunnel at the end. The only downside is a mostly "generic" cast who sleepwalk their way through the movie. They should have gotten a bigger name to carry the movie. James Whitmore comes to mind.

[Citizen Rules]

^Cool I just got that movie too but haven't seen it yet. I love giant bugs!:eek:

[Death Proof]

AMT models made three giant monster kits - spider, scorpion and mantis... so I HAD to build the mantis one:




https://imgur.com/a/MiHJoBc

[Citizen Rules]

AMT models made three giant monster kits - spider, scorpion and mantis... so I HAD to build the mantis one:

https://imgur.com/a/MiHJoBc Damn! That is wickedly cool, love it. Did you build the town set too?

[Citizen Rules]

OK so the Noms are up on the 1st post and if we get more I'll add them there. Also on the 1st post I'll link the write-ups/ratings for each movie. So keep an eye on the 1st post.

Right now we have a neat collection:
The Tingler (1959)
Director: William Castle
Length: 1h 22m
Nominated by: Thief

The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Director: Nathan Juran
Length: 1h 19m
Nominated by: Death Proof

Creature With the Atom Brain (1955)
Director: Edward Cahn
Length: 1h 9m
Nominated by: Allaby


The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Director: Eugène Lourié
Length: 1h 20m
Nominated by: SpelingError


Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Director: Roger Corman
Length: 1h 3m
Nominated by: Citizen Rules

These are so short I think I'll watch a couple tonight:eek:

[Allaby]

These all look like fun!

[Death Proof]

Damn! That is wickedly cool, love it. Did you build the town set too?




Thanks - it's mostly a cardboard base and backdrop that comes with the set, but the one building, dock, and caboose are models. I wasn't happy with the way the window frames came out but I thought the dock came out very good.

[Torgo]

I'm in! These days, if a movie is over 100 minutes, I probably won't watch it, so this is (Ric Ocasek voice) just what I needed.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm in! These days, if a movie is over 100 minutes, I probably won't watch it, so this is (Ric Ocasek voice) just what I needed.Torgo just PMed his nom:

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Director: Nathan Juran
Length: 1h 28m
Nominate by: Torgo

That's two movies directed by Nathan Juran, someone I never heard of until this morning:D

[Captain Steel]

I'd like to nominate Destination Moon (1950) - one of the more realistic sci-fi's of the time with some ironic prophesies toward the real moon shots.

[Citizen Rules]

I'd like to nominate Destination Moon (1950) - one of the more realistic sci-fi's of the time with some ironic prophesies toward the real moon shots.Good one, I might have watched that on your recommendation sometime in the past. I've been meaning to watch it again.

[Citizen Rules]

So that's two more tasty choices for us to pick from. These were just added to the 1st post:

The Blob (1958)
Director: Irvin S Yeaworth Jr
Length: 1h 26min
Nominated by: Mesmerized

Destination Moon (1950)
Director: Irving Pichel
Length: 1h 32m
Nominated by: Captain Steel

[skizzerflake]

Not exactly "realistic" but it's enjoyable, one of my favorite creature features, directed by Jack Arnold in his early career monster phase - Tarantula, 1955. It has John Agar getting to the bottom of things, Mara Corday looking appealing, Leo G Carroll for wrinkles as well as an uncredited early appearance by Clint Eastwood as a fighter plane pilot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtU1YYxQXJw

[Citizen Rules]

Not exactly "realistic" but it's enjoyable, one of my favorite creature features, directed by Jack Arnold in his early career monster phase - Tarantula, 1955. It has John Agar getting to the bottom of things, Mara Corday looking appealing, Leo G Carroll for wrinkles as well as an uncredited early appearance by Clint Eastwood as a fighter plane pilot.Cool! Yet another neat sci fi creature flick that I had planned on watching. You guys must have read my mind when you picked your noms or maybe you have one of these nifty helmets:p
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.consideredwords.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F11%2FSci-fi-society-Xray-Delta-One.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=8a7b13cb6397f07fa23304d192ae04c63b2c172c3417ab4d0f6e2f5af6ae43f4&ipo=images

[Thief]

Looking forward to a couple of these. The only one I've seen, other than The Tingler, is The Blob. It is fun, but I prefer the remake.

For anyone interested, I had an article published on Leonard Maltin's website where I compared both the original and remake.

ORIGINAL VS. REMAKE: THE BLOB (1958) VS. THE BLOB (1988) (https://leonardmaltin.com/original-vs-remake-the-blob-1958-vs-the-blob-1988/)

Enjoy!

[Mesmerized]

It is fun, but I prefer the remake.


You must be very young.

[Thief]

You must be very young.

https://media.tenor.com/H05SVWGfp1cAAAAC/the-breakfast-club-brian.gif

Thank you!


But seriously, I'm an 80's kid, so I guess the remake was more akin to my sensibilities. In that article I get a bit into why I prefer the remake.

There are other similar cases where it's not that clear. For example, I'm kinda on the fence between both The Fly films. Then again, those are two very different films, so I like both for very different reasons.

[Citizen Rules]

...I'm an 80's kid, so I guess the remake was more akin to my sensibilities. In that article I get a bit into why I prefer the remake. I can understand that. Now I love 1950s stuff but I'm not a 50's kid, I wasn't even born then...I just like how in the 50s sci-fi b movies blossomed and were like everywhere.



There are other similar cases where it's not that clear. For example, I'm kinda on the fence between both The Fly films. Then again, those are two very different films, so I like both for very different reasons.The remake of The Fly is IMO one of the few truly great remakes. Though the original had a lot of heart with a lot more going for it than just a fly creature. Both are rather sad and effective.

[Thief]

I can understand that. Now I love 1950s stuff but I'm not a 50's kid, I wasn't even born then...I just like how in the 50s sci-fi b movies blossomed and were like everywhere.



Same. I've always been very interested in these kinds of films, which is why I'm looking forward to dig into some of these.

[Wyldesyde19]

Still searching for my nomination. I’ll think of one probably tonight

[beelzebubble]

How about "gog" (1954) a murder mystery that takes place in a robotics lab?

[Citizen Rules]

Still searching for my nomination. I’ll think of one probably tonight:up:

Check this out, the Kitchen of the Future in the 1950s.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F38.media.tumblr.com%2Fb54131430028e2d52768503e32f7a615%2Ftumblr_n9m9etcNHm1sxpzxeo1_ 400.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=dd1e79ac2276684cc52568c9837932ef8c1abeb6921453668633a874161dc302&ipo=images

[Torgo]

Same. I've always been very interested in these kinds of films, which is why I'm looking forward to dig into some of these.Will this be a future Movie Loot episode subject, possibly?

[Citizen Rules]

How about "gog" (1954) a murder mystery that takes place in a robotics lab?I have Gog, but have never seen it. A lot of these 50s sci-fi/creature films are in the public domain so easy to find. Were you choosing Gog as your nomination? Or just asking if we've seen it?

[Siddon]

Not exactly "realistic" but it's enjoyable, one of my favorite creature features, directed by Jack Arnold in his early career monster phase - Tarantula, 1955. It has John Agar getting to the bottom of things, Mara Corday looking appealing, Leo G Carroll for wrinkles as well as an uncredited early appearance by Clint Eastwood as a fighter plane pilot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtU1YYxQXJw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5jfCb6-2RA



I was going to nominate this one or Rodan but I went with a Hammer film instead.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Egmbv6TIY

[beelzebubble]

I have Gog, but have never seen it. A lot of these 50s sci-fi/creature films are in the public domain so easy to find. Were you choosing Gog as your nomination? Or just asking if we've seen it?
Yeah it is my nomination and no I haven't seen it. I think it is available on Prime streaming.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah it is my nomination and no I haven't seen it. I think it is available on Prime streaming.Right on, I'll add that to the 1st post just as fast as my fingers will type:D

[Citizen Rules]

Two more to choose from:D These just came in:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91186
The Abominable Snowman (1957)

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91187
Gog (1954)

[Thief]

Will this be a future Movie Loot episode subject, possibly?

Possibly. Every topic is a possible loot! :willem:

[SpelingError]

I'll probably use a random number generator to determine which films I end up watching from this thread.

[Allaby]

I'm going to try and watch all of them (unless I get eaten by a monster before I finish).

[Citizen Rules]

I'm going to try and watch all of them (unless I get eaten by a monster before I finish).Me too...I mean watch all the noms:p Monsters be damned!

[Allaby]

I watched Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957). I thought this was alright. There were some amusing moments, but it could have used more of the crab monsters. I did like the design of the crab monsters. Acting was mediocre though. The story was alright for this type of film. I've seen 11 Roger Corman films. This one isn't one of his best, but not one of his worst either. I would rank it in the middle of the pack out of the Corman films I have seen. Attack of the Crab Monsters may not be great, but it is watchable. 3

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957). I thought this was alright. There were some amusing moments, but it could have used more of the crab monsters. I did like the design of the crab monsters. Acting was mediocre though. The story was alright for this type of film. I've seen 11 Roger Corman films. This one isn't one of his best, but not one of his worst either. I would rank it in the middle of the pack out of the Corman films I have seen. Attack of the Crab Monsters may not be great, but it is watchable. rating_3I watched that one too, I'll write something up tomorrow.

[Death Proof]

Looking forward to a couple of these. The only one I've seen, other than The Tingler, is The Blob. It is fun, but I prefer the remake.

For anyone interested, I had an article published on Leonard Maltin's website where I compared both the original and remake.

ORIGINAL VS. REMAKE: THE BLOB (1958) VS. THE BLOB (1988) (https://leonardmaltin.com/original-vs-remake-the-blob-1958-vs-the-blob-1988/)

Enjoy!




I've been to the movie theater in Phoenixville, PA where they shot the external movie theater scene in the original. They actually have a "Blobfest" (or used to - the pandemic might have quashed it) and show the original movie, plus everyone does the running out of the theater bit afterwards.

[Death Proof]

I was going to nominate this one or Rodan but I went with a Hammer film instead.




I love Rodan. I love Rodan so much I built my own.


https://imgur.com/a/cBpAAGO

[Citizen Rules]

I love Rodan. I love Rodan so much I built my own.
https://imgur.com/a/cBpAAGONice! Though I liked the giant Preying Mantis model even more. Think I'll watch The Deadly Mantis (1957) tonight.

[Citizen Rules]

Last night I watched my own nom Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957). I've seen it before and really liked it despite it being a 'Z' movie with a micro budget of only $70,000. Which I believe is the smallest budget for any of the noms here. The biggest budget nom is $650,000 for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

With almost no money, good old Roger Corman the king of b movies churned out a fun and creative flick about telepathic giant crabs. I love the weirdness of this one. Any other director would've said, 'OK giant killer crabs, that's enough.' But not Roger Corman he goes to some lengths to include scientific reasons why the giant crabs are immune to most weapons...their atoms have dislocated electrons that allows matter to freely pass through the crabs and only electricity disrupts their atomic cohesion.

If that's enough the crabs are purposely destroying the island by making huge tunnels so that they can get at the humans. And we see landslides as the island is being reduced to rumble.

But the best part is the whole idea that the former missing researcher's minds still roam on the island. The giant predatory crabs, a mated pair, can talk to people by telepathy by using metal objects as the 'receiver'. They consume humans and absorb their personalities, into the crab's consciousness which is pretty wild! As soon as I seen the bear creature in Annihilation I thought of Attack of the Crab Monsters...and of course Roger Corman thought of that first.

3.5

[Thief]

I've been to the movie theater in Phoenixville, PA where they shot the external movie theater scene in the original. They actually have a "Blobfest" (or used to - the pandemic might have quashed it) and show the original movie, plus everyone does the running out of the theater bit afterwards.

Nice!

[Allaby]

I watched The Tingler (1959). Directed by William Castle, The Tingler stars the legendary Vincent Price as a pathologist who discovers a parasitic creature. This was fun! Vince Price gives a very entertaining and effective performance. The screenplay is above average for this kind of film. There are some fantastic scenes. The film is creepy and spooky in an enjoyable sort of way. It's a real scream! I've only seen 3 William Castle films so far and this is my favourite of the ones I have seen. I do want to eventually see more. I've now seen 25 Vincent Price films and this would be in his top 5 for me. 4

[Wyldesyde19]

I've been to the movie theater in Phoenixville, PA where they shot the external movie theater scene in the original. They actually have a "Blobfest" (or used to - the pandemic might have quashed it) and show the original movie, plus everyone does the running out of the theater bit afterwards.

Do you live close by there? I lived in Kutztown in the late 90’s-2005 and I’ve been to Phonenixville on occasion, although never for the Blobfest, which I was aware of.

[Citizen Rules]

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

Last night I watched this lesser known B sci-fi creature flick. What impressed me was the creative usage of stock military footage. The film nicely incorporates components of the U.S. & Canadian Distant Early Warning Line aka the Dew Line. Which was part of a series of 'radar fences' that spanned across North America in Canada and beyond and was designed for advanced warning for incoming Soviet air bombers...or in the case of the movie a 200 foot long Preying Mantis! Mantis are wickedly cool looking insects that do eat other bugs, so the idea of making one into a monster is pretty cool.

I liked how the movie made the story about the military and their radar stations be the main focus, most everyone we see are military or scientist. The acting was pretty good for a b movie and a couple of the actors went onto to have a notable career. I would have liked to seen that giant Mantis pick someone up and bite off his head for a midnight snack! 3

@Death Proof (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=115153) thanks for the fun movie!

[Torgo]

The Blob (1958) - 4

Don't you hate when an object from space lands in your small town that unleashes a slime that threatens your neighbors and engulfs your hangouts? That hasn't happened to me, but as this movie demonstrates, it's pretty scary. The movie uses a "less is more" approach like Jaws does when it comes to showing the monster, and for the most part, it's successful. Steve and his pals' warnings being constantly dismissed effectively builds suspense, and even though the monster is a pile of fake jelly, I got a jolt (no pun intended) every time it’s on screen. Also, as Messiah of Evil, Demons and this movie demonstrate, there are few scarier set pieces than movie theaters, and isn't Burt Bacharach's theme song a banger?

Despite liking how it builds suspense, I wish there were a little more action than talk, and labor laws for children and teenagers must have been different in the '50s than they are now, but I wish the actors playing the teenagers were a bit younger. From the look of them, the cops might as well have been in high school as well! The movie remains a classic monster tale that proves there are consequences to dismissing the intelligent and the warnings of younger generations. Oh, and 80 cents for a movie ticket? Those must have been the days...

[Death Proof]

Do you live close by there? I lived in Kutztown in the late 90’s-2005 and I’ve been to Phonenixville on occasion, although never for the Blobfest, which I was aware of.


Unfortunately, no - I'm in South Jersey near Philly. It's about an hour drive for me.



It sucks because they have a beautiful old-style movie theater there and they show classic movies all the time. If I lived closer I'd be there every other weekend.


Last time I was there they showed The Holy Grail.


I might have to make it out there in April for Silent Running - I'm not quite old enough to have seen the original in theaters.


https://thecolonialtheatre.com/

[Death Proof]

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

Last night I watched this lesser known B sci-fi creature flick. What impressed me was the creative usage of stock military footage. The film nicely incorporates components of the U.S. & Canadian Distant Early Warning Line aka the Dew Line. Which was part of a series of 'radar fences' that spanned across North America in Canada and beyond and was designed for advanced warning for incoming Soviet air bombers...or in the case of the movie a 200 foot long Preying Mantis! Mantis are wickedly cool looking insects that do eat other bugs, so the idea of making one into a monster is pretty cool.

I liked how the movie made the story about the military and their radar stations be the main focus, most everyone we see are military or scientist. The acting was pretty good for a b movie and a couple of the actors went onto to have a notable career. I would have liked to seen that giant Mantis pick someone up and bite off his head for a midnight snack! rating_3

@Death Proof (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=115153) thanks for the fun movie!






https://media.tenor.com/lNMyjjSWLYcAAAAd/my-man-my-man-denzel.gif

[Citizen Rules]

Creature With the Atom Brain...this one hooked me right at the start and thanks to it's snappy dialect and efficient direction it kept me hooked. It's neat in that it's basically a noir crime film and like so many of those from the 1950s it's based on police procedural of a strange case. A very strange case of dead people being remotely controlled and powered by radium. For a b budget film I was impressed with the number of shooting locations and sets. I especially liked the mad scientist lab with it's walls covered in lead shielding to stop the U.S. military from detecting the radiation. The 'control device' they planted in the heads of the corpses was cool! And the technological explanation about how the dead could be remotely controlled sounded at least like it made some sense. 4
@Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) I enjoyed the movie!

[Allaby]

Creature With the Atom Brain...this one hooked me right at the start and thanks to it's snappy dialect and efficient direction it kept me hooked. It's neat in that it's basically a noir crime film and like so many of those from the 1950s it's based on police procedural of a strange case. A very strange case of dead people being remotely controlled and powered by radium. For a b budget film I was impressed with the number of shooting locations and sets. I especially liked the mad scientist lab with it's walls covered in lead shielding to stop the U.S. military from detecting the radiation. The 'control device' they planted in the heads of the corpses was cool! And the technological explanation about how the dead could be remotely controlled sounded at least like it made some sense.
Allaby I enjoyed the movie!

I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. Otherwise, I would have had to send my pet monster after you. He is an atomic tingling giant alien crab bug. He is cuter than he sounds though. His name is Larry.

[Allaby]

I watched Destination Moon (1950). Directed by Irving Pichel, this Oscar winning film is about the first manner rocket to the moon. The film plays it mostly serious and for the subject matter and time is somewhat realistic. There are no creatures, monsters, or aliens in the film. The film is competently made and performances are decent. The film drags a little at times and can be a bit boring. It's not really a fun movie. I did enjoy the surprise celebrity appearance by a special star of that time. ;) 3

[Citizen Rules]

I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. Otherwise, I would have had to send my pet monster after you. He is an atomic tingling giant alien crab bug. He is cuter than he sounds though. His name is Larry.Ha!:p...

One scene that I loved was when the husband comes home dead tired and his wife makes him a martini. He tells her "I've been waiting for this all day." But before he can even drink it, a fellow cop comes to the door and says he has to come down to the precinct. Duty calls and so he grabs his coat and hat and heads out the door, handing his wife the martini. This is the cool part, she looks at the drink and considers it and then cautiously takes a little sip and...scrunches up her face...I guess that martini was extra dry!

That little extra added life to the characters and I appreciate that in all the films I watch.

[Captain Steel]

Creature With the Atom Brain...this one hooked me right at the start and thanks to it's snappy dialect and efficient direction it kept me hooked. It's neat in that it's basically a noir crime film and like so many of those from the 1950s it's based on police procedural of a strange case. A very strange case of dead people being remotely controlled and powered by radium. For a b budget film I was impressed with the number of shooting locations and sets. I especially liked the mad scientist lab with it's walls covered in lead shielding to stop the U.S. military from detecting the radiation. The 'control device' they planted in the heads of the corpses was cool! And the technological explanation about how the dead could be remotely controlled sounded at least like it made some sense. 4
@Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) I enjoyed the movie!

At this juncture I'll mention Roky Erickson - he was a musician who produced several songs that were based on old horror & sci-fi movies. One of these was Creature with the Atom Brain. Erickson would sometimes even incorporate his rendition of pieces of the movies' soundtracks into the songs as he does with this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVcK2BRvCgU

[Citizen Rules]

The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Oh! this was a good one. If you guys only watch a couple of these, you might want to consider this little known gem. I was impressed by how serious the film takes itself, it's not a cheesy fun film...Instead it's well written and thought provoking, much along the lines of The Day The Earth Stood Still.

First off I was impressed with the world building as the film immerses the viewer in the world of a high altitude Tibetan monk monastery. The monastery set was convincing and I loved the actual footage of the expedition into the Himalayan mountains. I just read that those scenes were shot on the Pyrénées in France. Even the studio scenes where we see the actors close up still match the overall look of the Himalayan mountains.

The third act was an unexpected plus as I hadn't expected a deeper philosophical view from the film. I haven't seen many Hammer films but if The Abominable Snowman is any indication of their quality of work I'll have to watch more from that studio. rating_4+
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) Good one!

[Citizen Rules]

Gog (1954)

Really good movie, really bad movie poster! I swear when I seen the movie poster I thought this would be a fun but super cheesy film...I mean it is named Gog and in 3D. Boy was I wrong! This is a smart film, very science orientated and detailed. It was also quite surprising in just how grisly the deaths in this film are. The print I seen was restored and looked great especially as it was done in color. Look for the early product placement from the Coca Cola company. rating_4

@beelzebubble (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109178) Thanks for a very different sci fi b film! I enjoyed it.

[Torgo]

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms - 3

The opening credits for this movie really raised my anticipation since they have two of my favorite Rays, i.e., Bradbury and Harryhausen. While it wasn't fully paid off, I still had a good time. A common trait of movies like this one is scenes requiring our heroes to convince others of something that is very hard to believe, usually to no avail. The scenes that prove that Professor Nesbitt and company are not just making things up are always satisfying, especially since each one is a win for science, which as we know doesn't always happen in the real world. Harryhausen's animation of the dinosaur is up to his high standards, especially during its attack on New York, which also seems so real due to how many extras it features. The practical effects of the building destruction in this scene and others like the one with the lighthouse deserve praise as well as prove that the real thing is no substitute for CGI.

With that said, I like it, but I don't quite love it: for one, it could have been a little less about the science and more about the characters. I would have liked more "coffee chats" with Tom and Lee, in other words. Also, the scene where it's revealed that the dinosaur is carrying infectious diseases isn't paid off to my liking. I still had a good time overall, and if anything, I have an easy recommendation for someone who wants to see a movie like this that's not subtle about the dangers of meddling with nuclear weapons.

[Siddon]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRLpRWm4bBYYuxPfUYUJFeuQ10Xq_dODyotDw&usqp=CAU

The Blob (1958)

The Blob is a classic of the genre...doesn't mean it's a good film. As a matter of fact when it comes to the script and performances from the actors it's Plan 9 From Outer Space level bad. Steve McQueen is near thirty and Aneta Corsaut is her mid twenties and they look it. But they are supposed to play teenagers hiding from their parents...the comedy for me is in later scenes McQueen kept his wedding ring on. That is objectionably terrible writing, casting, and directing. And a lot of the supporting cast is just bad and weird even for the genre.

The flip side though is Thomas E. Spalding's cinematography is incredible. At times I felt like I was watching a Sirk film with the angle's and the shot compositions. I was bored listening to the actors speak for most of the film but I was never bored with what I saw on the screen. The FX in the film are practical and gorgeous you kinda know how they are doing it but you also don't care because it's so well shot.

rating_3

[Citizen Rules]

Destination Moon (1950)

I seen this like 10 years ago and I believe it was Captain Steel who told me about back then. On my second watch I liked it even better. This time around I appreciated the first half of the film more with it's explanation about how U.S. industries came together to put a man on the moon. It's not the U.S. government doing the moon launch, it's big business. Sound familiar?

I also appreciated the striking similarities between this 1950 sci fi and the actual Apollo moon mission. Now this is from memory and I didn't bother to Google any of it, but I believe there was a probe sent to Mars in the 90s, who's high gain antenna was 'froze' because some technician lubed the antenna's gear and the lube froze in the coldness of space. That same thing happens in the movie. I also remember that Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 upon decent to the moon's surface couldn't find a suitable landing spot and had only a few seconds of fuel left when he finally put down the craft. The same scenario happens in the movie.

Destination Moon gets a lot of things right and did it almost 20 years before we actually landed on the moon. As a movie today it might not be the funnest b-sci-fi flick I've seen...but...it held my attention and I found it interesting. rating_4 mainly for the realism.
Captain Steel Thanks!

[Torgo]

Attack of the Crab Monsters - 3

Like so many other '50s B-movies, this is another cautionary tale about using nuclear weapons. Even though the monster is not a giant lizard, it doesn’t deviate from their formula that much, but I still had a pretty good time. From the radio being sabotaged to the island literally and randomly becoming smaller, the stakes are high, and there's something very creepy about the crabs speaking in their victims' voices as if they are ghosts haunting them. Speaking of the crabs, that they absorb their prey's bodies and retain their personalities is a clever touch and makes me wonder if they inspired the aliens in John Carpenter's The Thing. Also, for the whole thing coming across like it was filmed over a weekend at a rich friends' house, kudos goes to the performers for keeping things professional and taking the material as seriously as anyone could possibly take a story about killer crabs, which is undoubtedly due to the Roger Corman touch. Again, it treads pretty familiar territory; plus, our heroes could have used a bit more personality. I’m still glad I watched it, and if anything, I admire its makers' resourcefulness.

[Thief]

I'm gonna try to sneak one of these tonight.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm gonna try to sneak one of these tonight.Didn't you say that before:D

[Thief]

I watched The Tingler (1959). Directed by William Castle, The Tingler stars the legendary Vincent Price as a pathologist who discovers a parasitic creature. This was fun! Vince Price gives a very entertaining and effective performance. The screenplay is above average for this kind of film. There are some fantastic scenes. The film is creepy and spooky in an enjoyable sort of way. It's a real scream! I've only seen 3 William Castle films so far and this is my favourite of the ones I have seen. I do want to eventually see more. I've now seen 25 Vincent Price films and this would be in his top 5 for me. 4

Vincent Price is always a treat. I've seen a couple of his films and he's always the highlight.

As for Castle, I've only seen The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill. Both a lot of fun.

[Thief]

Didn't you say that before:D

In this thread? Nah.

[Siddon]

http://www.moriareviews.com/rongulator/wp-content/uploads/Creature-with-the-Atom-Brain-1955.jpg
Creature with the Atom Brain (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscifist.net%2F2021%2F09%2F05%2Fcreature-with-the-atom-brain%2F&psig=AOvVaw1dZocnyoFCseCOignY52t2&ust=1675880766881000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwjou9G_hIT9AhUMHd8KHRtHAqMQr4kDegUIARD7AQ)

Low budget film making is an art form in it's own right. Often times filmmakers miss the little things or take short cuts that hurt the film. Creature with the Atom Brain doesn't do that. I am very glad I watched this after The Blob because while The Blob had better FX this was the better film.

This is like a weird sci-fi noir where a group of cops are hunting a mysterious Nazi scientist and his gangster employees. The casting was done right here...all the guys are in their 40's and 50's which is what the story needs. The set pieces are perfect simple and clean giving us that retro-science fiction look that we need from this era. But the other thing is how the monsters are just a little bit bigger than the cops. It's a little touch like that, that is so nice to see.

My only complaint is that the story isn't as cohesive as it needs to be. Another 10-15 minutes of runtime to tighten up the plot would have been perfect this was something that I enjoyed very much.

rating_4

[Siddon]

https://www.scifi-movies.com/images/contenu/data/0000660/image3.jpg
Destination Moon (1950)

An historical oddity of a film, this was made 20 years prior to the Apollo missions and they managed to get a number of things correct. They also got a number of things wrong but still as a historical piece it's an interesting watch. The issue with the film is that it's also a fairly dull story likely wasn't dull in 1950 but it's pretty dull now.

Four astronauts go to the moon they have an old guy a captain a side kick and some other guy. Nobody stands out in this film accept for Joe who is really really really annoying. I don't know if right now I can think of an offensive Italian American stereotype that was as bad as Joe. His job in the film is to in essence be an idiot and ask dumb questions...also he cracks wise about the starting pitcher for the Dodgers and the hot date he's got. It was just cringey....and a distraction.

It's a really shame the film has that distraction because the matte painting is undeniably gorgeous(though we know the Moon doesn't look like that) and many of the effects looked pretty good for 1950. Still I found my mind drifting I don't even remember what caused the third act to get set up and this is an hour after watching it. I didn't hate the film but I also didn't enjoy it I was just fascinated by it as a historical piece.

rating_2_5

[Citizen Rules]

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

I watched some time back when I was watching the Ray Harryhausen movies. The plus is the stop motion animation and the way Harryhausen gives the illusion of life to the giant dinosaur. In one scene the soldiers fire at it and it turns around to avoid being directly hit by fire. That scene added alot but it made me feel sorry for the creature who was only doing what it was born to do. It was refreshing to see that the scientist who had a German accent wasn't evil but was a handsome and smart man. Cecil Kellaway is always a joy to see on the screen. The story itself didn't do much for me, but the destruction scenes in the city were done well.
3
Thanks SpelingError

[Siddon]

https://alexonfilm.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/deadlymantis1.jpg?w=584

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

I applaud the naked theft of The Thing From Another World, Tarantula, and Them!...this was like the Tarantino of B-movie monster films!. This is one of those films that's fun but it's also not really that great. The film lives and dies based on the Mantis effect and you can't really make the Mantis move so through out the film the filmmaker makes a number of efforts to keep the puppeteers right off frame.

While the film rips off a lot of other B-Movies the first act is really solid in the arctic. It would have been better if they would have stayed their and tried killing off members of the cast like a Creature from the Black Lagoon. Taking the film to a second location was a mistake because what were the stakes for the film?

2

[Torgo]

The Deadly Mantis - 4

Of all the '50s movie monsters, I'm the most glad that this one doesn't exist. Considering how much ice has melted over the years, we'd be swarmed with them! But anyway, I had a lot of fun with this movie which if anything, defines resourcefulness. The mantis is not the most expensive looking puppet and the buildings and vehicles it ransacks are obviously models, but I still found it terrifying. The scale of the creature in the models makes him seem humongous and that buzzing noise is bound to haunt me. While more talk than action seems to be a trademark of this genre, this one had just enough cake and frosting, if you will. It helps that the character scenes intersperse the technobabble with more romance and comedy than I expected like all the scenes where the military men are overjoyed to see a woman. It's also nice to see a finale that trades action for horror for a change. In short, I had a lot of fun with this and can imagine it being a gateway movie for this genre. Oh, and that Italian boat captain is so stereotypical, he might as well be wearing a chef's hat and flipping pizza dough.

Has anyone seen the MST3K version of this movie? Is it any good?

[Citizen Rules]

The Deadly Mantis - rating_4

Of all the '50s movie monsters, I'm the most glad that this one doesn't exist...The scale of the creature in the models makes him seem humongous and that buzzing noise is bound to haunt me.

Yeah, that buzzing noise it made when it flew was my favorite part, nicely done. But I wish instead of 'roaring like a giant lion' when attacking it instead made a series of loud clicks...That would've been freaky.

[Torgo]

Yeah, that buzzing noise it made when it flew was my favorite part, nicely done. But I wish instead of 'roaring like a giant lion' when attacking it instead made a series of loud clicks...That would've been freaky.Agreed, a roaring insect would be pretty terrifying, but a more insect-like sound would have been more appropriate.

I'm two for two for Nathan Juran movies now. I'll have to check out more of his work. Looks like he also made B-movie classics Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and Jack the Giant Killer.

[Siddon]

Yeah, that buzzing noise it made when it flew was my favorite part, nicely done. But I wish instead of 'roaring like a giant lion' when attacking it instead made a series of loud clicks...That would've been freaky.

Very good point

How do you guys feel about the flimmaker doing basically the same ending as Them!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcVRtAwJMas

Or this is a film that you haven't seen....because that kind of colored my feelings of this film quite a bit.

[Citizen Rules]

Very good point

How do you guys feel about the flimmaker doing basically the same ending as Them!?
Or this is a film that you haven't seen....because that kind of colored my feelings of this film quite a bit.I've seen Them and plan on rewatching it sometime, I don't remember the ending to well but yeah The Deadly Mantis seemed a lot like Them.

[Citizen Rules]

Agreed, a roaring insect would be pretty terrifying, but a more insect-like sound would have been more appropriate.

I'm two for two for Nathan Juran movies now. I'll have to check out more of his work. Looks like he also made B-movie classics Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and Jack the Giant Killer.I haven't seen Jack the Giant Killer, but I did see Attack of the 50 Foot Woman like a few days before I made this thread. That movie and Siddon's review of I Married a Monster from Outer Space gave me the idea for this thread.

[Thief]

Just finished Creature with the Atom Brain. I'll write more later, but it sure was a lot of fun.

Casually, this is the second film I see from Edward L. Cahn in the last two months, since I saw Twelve Hours to Kill in December.

[Citizen Rules]

Just finished Creature with the Atom Brain. I'll write more later, but it sure was a lot of fun.

Casually, this is the second film I see from Edward L. Cahn in the last two months, since I saw Twelve Hours to Kill in December.Glad you liked it, it was a good one. I'll check back tomorrow and read your review...I seen The Blob for the second time and thought it was well done and loads of fun. I'll write a little something up tomorrow.

[Citizen Rules]

91507


The Blob...This reminded me of Rebel Without a Cause and Steve McQueen seemed like a James Dean type. In the opening scene, which is my favorite, we have Steve (Steve McQueen) and Jane (Aneta Corsaut) parked at a teenage 'lovers lane'. The scene rang true with a shy 'nice girl' being weary of the young man's intentions. She accuses him of handing her a line about the stars so that he can kiss her again. And this is where McQueen becomes the sincere and 'deep' outsider as we learn that he's indeed very interested in the stars. This scene then begins to cement the bond between these two people who apparently are just getting to know each other...that bond grows throughout the film culminating in Jane risky her life to help Steve.

"No, no, it's not what you think, Janey girl."
"My name is Jane, just Jane."

Just those two lines told me so much about these people and their relationship to each other.

Of course I loved the setting of the film in a real small town, that added so much realism to the film. The 'no one will believe the delinquent teens' take, which is another reason the film reminded me of Rebel Without A Cause....so did the harassment by the town's teens with their challenge to race McQueen. Though it was an odd tonal shift as after that conformation the other teens seem to be McQueens best friends. The blob looked great and the film was suspenseful.

4
Nice choice Mesmerized

[Torgo]

Creature with the Atom Brain - 4

This is a fun police procedural that deserves credit for how it exploits the fears of the atomic age in an unlikely way: reanimating the dead Frankenstein's monster style. It has such a clever concept, and maybe this has happened already (Possessor, which I haven't seen, sounds similar), but I'm surprised no one has remade it yet. It's a "thinking person's" B-movie and it's not ashamed of it, which is to the movie's benefit as the exposition that respects the audience's intelligence indicates. Also, for a movie from a decade I'm still hesitant to fully explore due to the typically long runtimes and not-so-steady paces, the breakneck one in this movie makes it more akin to '70s crime thrillers. As for the creature (or is it creatures?), they're terrifying for what they don't do rather than what they do. There's something very off-putting about seeing someone cause death and destruction without showing any concern or remorse for their actions.

Again, I approve of the fast pace, but it could have let up a little bit here and there since the relentlessness made me lose interest a few times. I also think some of the exposition, especially in the third act, is excessive. With that said, as much as I like '50s B-movies that have atomic lizards and insects, it's a nice change of pace to see one with atomic, umm...people as the villains for a change, not to mention one that's so much fun. Oh, and speaking of the "creatures" being more fitting than "creature," shouldn't the title be Creatures With Atomic Brains instead? My first thought was that it's about a creature with a really, really small brain.

[Thief]

Just finished Attack of the Crab Monsters. A lot of fun :D

[Torgo]

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - 5

While considered a B-movie, this has the potential to be one of the best fantasy movies I've ever seen, or at least the most fun one. Nathan Juran's direction is a well-oiled machine for how every scene has something enjoyable in it. There's also a welcome buildup and release between each moment of fun so you never feel like it's being crammed down your throat. In other words, Michael Bay must have skipped the showing of this movie while he was in film school. The cast are no slouches either, the highlight for me being Torin Thatcher's scenery-chewing performance as the devious Sokurah, which must have been a fun role to play. Also, with its vibrant Technicolor, detailed sets and Spanish shooting locations, the movie is simply a joy to look at. Now, let me finally praise the movie's secret weapon: Ray Harryhausen. Not only is each of his claymation inventions from the cyclops to that poor baby roc to my favorite, the skeleton knight, impossible to look away from while they're on screen, they have near-seamless integration with the performers. Then again, is Bernard Herrmann the real MVP? The movie has one of his best scores, particularly during the skeleton knight battle, which features an instrument I would describe as a bone xylophone.

Are there any noticeable flaws? Not really. While I could mention that Sinbad is never properly introduced - I'm much more familiar with the one who was in Houseguest, I might add - it's because he doesn't need to be; after all, the character is in three feature films released not too long before this one, so he was sort of a superhero of his era. Not to mention, early on, I expected to criticize the marginalization of Parisa's character - no pun intended - as a mere damsel in distress. Thankfully, she's more than that and actually uses her new size to her advantage. All in all, it's a very fun fantasy adventure that stands alongside several that came after it that have more advanced and/or larger budgeted special effects. Oh, and if you don't think a scene with a claymation creature can bring you to tears, watch this.

[Death Proof]

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - rating_5

While considered a B-movie, this has the potential to be one of the best fantasy movies I've ever seen, or at least the most fun one.




One of Harryhausen's best.




rating_5

[Thief]

CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN
(1955, Cahn)

https://i.imgur.com/eDURbuj.jpg


"My theory was to use these creatures to help people live, by doing everything that was difficult and dangerous. You just want to see people die."



Creature with the Atom Brain follows police doctor Chet Walker (Richard Denning) as he tries to stop atom-powered creatures unleashed by Frank Buchanan (Michael Granger), a criminal on the run that wants to get revenge on his enemies. To do this, Frank has recruited ex-Nazi scientist Wilhelm Steigg (Gregory Gaye) whom he is forcing to work for him.

This is the second film from Edward L. Cahn I've seen in the last 2 months; the first one being another B-movie titled 12 Hours to Kill. There is something very pleasant and comforting about his economical approach to these two. If it has to do with skill or just the limitations of the film, I don't know. The truth is that both films work really well for what they are.

The tension in the film is well handled and Buchanan makes for a decent, moustache-twirling villain. The creatures, with their Frankenstein-like stitched heads, might seem silly but I found their mindless lumbering to be creepy enough within the setting. I also liked the way they tried to explain the logistics behind the brain implant that allows Buchanan and Steigg to control them.

Denning is also pretty effective as the lead, although he acts more like a detective than a police doctor. The 69 minute length is also a big plus, considering what the film has to work with. Some other films would've bothered with senseless exposition, or bloated backstories, but from the opening scene, Cahn knows what we're here for. We just want to see people die.

Grade: 3.5

[Thief]

Not sure if it was brought up here, but anybody has a link for The Deadly Mantis? Can't find it anywhere.

[Torgo]

Not sure if it was brought up here, but anybody has a link for The Deadly Mantis? Can't find it anywhere.Sent.

[Thief]

Going with The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms instead.

[Thief]

Sent.

Thanks! I'll check it out tomorrow.

[Siddon]

https://i0.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/abom2.png?ssl=1

The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Hammer films is well known today but it was just starting to really break out in 1957. It had two directions to go in...the franchise route with Frankenstein, Dracula etc. and the original route with this. Personally I prefer this So the basic premise of the story is you have two groups that are heading into the mountains to find the yeti. One group led by Peter Cushing as a fairly idealistic botanist the other more sinister group led by Forrest Tucker.

This is a thinking man's monster movie...which are to me the best ones. Anyone who ever watched any of those Big Foot or Paranormal Activity shows knows that 25% is exposition, 25% is atmosphere, 30% is the conflict with the cast. And that really is what this film is...what elevates it above everything else is that it's a mountain movie shot in glorious wide screen. But then it's also a monster movie where the suspense is what's happening outside the tent and view of the audience. And then you get the third layer as the human characters are all well defined and they leave the film one by one.

Val Guest is a fantastic film maker so many of the shot in this film look so good. He treats the tibeten monks with a degree of respect and reverence that you don't always see in films like this. The characters are well defined they don't just exist to die and their motives aren't simply black and white. You have complicated characters...in a monster B movie.

Anyways I love this film it's one of my personal favorites of all-time I hope some of you bother to check it out over the next week.

rating_5

[Siddon]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDu1cW_P6SPIH-3q1FoVhTlxl0h6LJlXjPxg&usqp=CAU

The Tingler (1959)

William Castle was sort of the anti-Hitchcock, Hitch's film always felt high brow and ornate type films where you had gimmicks but they were things like real time or framing or killing the lead at the end of the first act. Castle wanted shocks in seats, skeletons down the isles and actors giving out insurance at the door. Now when we look back at the films I'm almost charmed by what Castle did.

I'm not going to pretend that the Tingler is a perfect film...but as a man who nominated a film with a werewolf break (shoutout to The Beast Must Die) I love this stuff even if it's an achor. And look this film has a lot of good going for it. It's not just the gimmick the creature is effective and it moves and feels real and different. And you have one scene in the second act where Castle does something different and it is spooky and well made.

You've also got Vincent Price playing his best type of character the misanthrope with the bad wife. Price is the perfect anti-hero because he's naturally creepy but he has a warmth to the character. The other performances and very strong as well, especially for a B-picture. Several of the actors came from the stage and you can kinda tell this is a touch that Castle did with his work.

I'm not going to pretend to say the film is perfect but it's perfect for me.

rating_5

[Thief]

https://media.tenor.com/9PRHMjKb5AkAAAAC/jack-nicholson-yes.gif

[Citizen Rules]

Think I'll check out The Tingler tonight. I've seen it once, but years ago when I was watching William Castle films. Like Roger Corman, Castle adds in those nice little extras that makes his films so satisfying to watch.

[Thief]

Had a slow day at work, so I managed to sneak in The Deadly Mantis!

[Citizen Rules]

Had a slow day at work, so I managed to sneak in The Deadly Mantis!Lucky you:p I'm having a busy day at work:eek: OK back to work for me.

[Captain Steel]

Think I'll check out The Tingler tonight. I've seen it once, but years ago when I was watching William Castle films. Like Roger Corman, Castle adds in those nice little extras that makes his films so satisfying to watch.

Trivia: the creature in The Tingler (1959) bore a remarkable resemblance to the creatures that Khan placed in the ears of Captain Terrell & Chekov in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).

I always wondered if the ear-borers had been inspired by the Tingler?

[SpelingError]

Had a slow day at work, so I managed to sneak in The Deadly Mantis!
Are you allowed to watch movies on the job? If so, sign me up!

[Thief]

Are you allowed to watch movies on the job? If so, sign me up!

I work IT support but there was close to nobody in the office today, so :shrug: :D

[Citizen Rules]

Trivia: the creature in The Tingler (1959) bore a remarkable resemblance to the creatures that Khan placed in the ears of Captain Terrell & Chekov in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).

I always wondered if the ear-borers had been inspired by the Tingler?It also bares a resemblance to the hellgramite in The Twilight Zone 'The Hellgramite Method'.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgenresnaps.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F03%2Ftzhellgramite1-300x234.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=8a90ddb58e5b3cc5f8bebde7ceff2df36c24bde4f497359a978edce6151f8429&ipo=images

[Allaby]

I watched Gog (1954) today. I think the film did a decent job of being reasonably intelligent and made the science sound somewhat believable. Performances were fine. There was quite a bit of exposition and not enough of the robots for my taste though. There were a couple effective, fun moments, but I felt they could have done more with the story. The film started off strong, but then dragged somewhat in the middle, but picked up towards the end. Overall, worth checking out. 3

[Thief]

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS
(1957, Corman)

https://i.imgur.com/Ty9oDV8.jpg


"Jim, you don't know what's down there!"
"What could be other than earth, water and few land crabs?"



After all, what can a few land crabs do? Well, that's what Attack of the Crab Monsters wants to answer. The film follows a group of scientists sent to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean to study the effects of nuclear tests. What they eventually find is that the island is inhabited by mutated giant crabs that take over the minds of their victims.

There is an undeniable charm to these creature features that were made during the time (which I suppose is the reason why this HoF is so appealing to some of us). Part of it had to do with the fears of the moment, i.e. radiation, nuclear power; but another big part of it has to do with the "low budget" approach to these films. There's obviously a bit of both in this one.

Most of the focus falls on biologist couple Dale and Martha (Richard Garland and Pamela Duncan), and technician Hank (Russell Johnson). There are even hints at a love triangle between them, but it all ends up being pointless. Like modern slashers, the rest of the cast are more or less disposable, with the real stars of the film being the giant crabs.

The goofy design of the crabs, with the almost "googly" eyes, just adds to that, uhh, charm. However, I really don't understand the purpose for having the crabs take over the minds of their victims, as opposed to have them be just "killer giant crabs". But putting that aside, Corman does a solid job keeping a nice pace to things, especially considering that the only thing we have here is earth, water, and a few land crabs.

Grade: 3

[Allaby]

I watched The Abominable Snowman (1957) today. Honestly, this film didn't do much for me. The story didn't grip me. I appreciate what they were going for, but it didn't work for the most part for me. Acting was alright, but I wasn't invested in the characters. The film looks good and has some nice scenes. I felt like they could have done more with it and made it more thrilling or entertaining. It's an interesting idea, but I didn't find it compelling or engaging enough. 2.5

[Citizen Rules]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BHxUJzgkL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg

The Tingler (1959)

Gotta love the ballyhoo salesmanship of William Castle. Probably the best part of his movies are the unique way that he found to promote them by involving the audience in some sort of creative 'gag' tie-in. With The Tingler he introduced movie patrons patooties to 'Percepto'...aka an ass buzzer which was wired into the theater seats. Such a naughty boy Castle was:eek:

But wait...there's more! At select theaters 'shill screamers' would let out blood curdling screams, which if you've seen the film renders the Tingler num and limp. Such a fun concept that I wish I had a time machine and could see this first run on opening night.

Count me as a fan of William Castle. I've seen most all of his filmography and The Tingler is one of his best done films.
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) rating_4

[Torgo]

The Tingler - 3

This is an odd little horror comedy that, if anything, deserves credit for how it made me believe that its very imaginary creature - and thank goodness that it is - actually exists. Vincent Price, who gets to be devious, silly, deceptive, threatening; in short, all of his modes that make him one of my favorite actors, has a lot to do with this, as does Judith Evelyn, which says a lot (no pun intended) given that her performance is completely wordless. Her "bathroom freakout" scene no doubt made audiences do what William Castle hoped they would in his prologue speech. Speaking of, if any movie knows the power of the color red, it's this one. The strong performances also go a long way in convincing me that the oversized rubber caterpillar that is the titular monster is real, with its moment in the sun - or dark, if you prefer - of course being the very fun movie theater invasion scene.

Despite delivering pretty much what I expected and the strong turns from the cast, I think it's a good movie, but not quite a great one. I didn't find the noir-ish plot involving Ollie's and Dr. Chapin's relationships with their wives to be all that interesting. Even though this may be intentional so that Dr. Chapin's Tingler obsession gets to be front and center - the cake to its frosting, in other words - it's pretty plain cake, not to mention a little stale. I still had a good time, especially since I thought I had already seen all of Vincent Price's best performances. Oh, and if this movie and House on Haunted Hill are of any indication, William Castle sure had a hang-up with wives, didn't he?

[Torgo]

I think I'll be able to watch one more of these before the end of the month. It's been fun.
Oh, and someone else should give my movie (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) a chance. It's great. Trust me.

[Citizen Rules]

I think I'll be able to watch one more of these before the end of the month. It's been fun.
Oh, and someone else should give my movie (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) a chance. It's great. Trust me.It's great all right. I've seen it several times so I don't think I'd rewatch it. It's probably the best example of stop motion animation done by the master Ray Harryhausen.

[Thief]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BHxUJzgkL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg

The Tingler (1959)

Gotta love the ballyhoo salesmanship of William Castle. Probably the best part of his movies are the unique way that he found to promote them by involving the audience in some sort of creative 'gag' tie-in. With The Tingler he introduced movie patrons patooties to 'Percepto'...aka an ass buzzer which was wired into the theater seats. Such a naughty boy Castle was:eek:

But wait...there's more! At select theaters 'shill screamers' would let out a blood curdling screams, which if you've seen the film renders the Tingler num and limp. Such a fun concept that I wish I had a time machine and could see this first run on opening night 1959.

Count me as a fan of William Castle. I've seen most all of his filmography and The Tingler is one of his best done films.
@Thief (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=109353) rating_4

Oh yeah, definitely agree that I would've loved to be on one of those theaters back then.

[Thief]

I still owe a couple of reviews for The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and The Deadly Mantis. I might also write something about The Blob and The Tingler, since I've already seen it. Before February ends, I might try to sneak in another one; maybe Destination Moon.

[Siddon]

Did like half the posters submit not bother to do any reviews?

[Citizen Rules]

I watched/rewatched & reviewed all the movies except for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which I've seen a number of times.

[Siddon]

https://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2016/02/23/660/64768/High-Def-Digest-www.highdefdigest_.com-Blu-ray-Review-GOG-3D-Kino_4_.jpg

Gog (1954)

This is a bit of an odd duck of a film. It was originally shot for 3-D which doesn't really work. It's also basically a mystery film which is sadly underwritten and poorly delivered which had the film been better it could have really worked.

A group of scientists are in a bunker working on a satellite to beat the Russians. Gog and Magog refer to two robot helpers when shenanigans start happening the crew of the underground lab start dying one by one. It's a solid concept but the execution is lacking the robot effects don't really function that well and you see everything. The characters are very flat and the film dips into camp at several points.

It's a strange film to ask people to watch.

rating_1

[Siddon]

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/50189cc3e4b0807297e80058/1545361690502-WLHRSTKJ99KHFB1BV9MQ/Attack+of+the+Crab+Monsters.jpg

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

In 1957 Roger Corman released 8 movies this was one of two he released in the same month. The man had chutzpah. It's almost a shame that he didn't do more with this project because the idea of a group of people trapped on an Island being stalked and murdered by a telepathic crab...it's a great idea.

The film has great effects for the era, underwater photography, the Crab moves pretty great and while the effects are cheesy they are effective. Hell the story isn't even half bad...the only thing that doesn't work...is the crab talks. Their is a way to do it and not make it dumb just kinda like keep it mysterious and it could have worked.

The pacing is also really good here, every scene feels like it would look great the trailer. Something that I think works for the genre.

rating_3_5

[Thief]

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

The pacing is also really good here, every scene feels like it would look great the trailer. Something that I think works for the genre.

rating_3_5

This makes sense. Wikipedia says that, according to the writer, Corman told him: "I want suspense or action in every scene. No kind of scene without suspense or action."

[Kaplan]

I watched The Deadly Mantis. I love praying mantids, I've kept quite a few as pets, and currently have three, an adult Texas unicorn mantis (she's very cool looking), and two Australian rain forest nymphs, tiny now but will be quite big when they become adults. As for the movie, it's actually competently made. Decent actors and I found the special effects decent given the genre, but man, the movie itself feels like it was made from some very generic creature feature template, with "mantis" inserted. There's not one original second in the entire film. The characters are stock, and very bland at that. And I realize it's silly to nitpick these types of films, given we all know insects can't grow to 200 feet, but still, I fail to see how a prehistoric insect frozen for millions of years could thaw out in the friggin' arctic. Also insects are cold-blooded, but I guess the creature feature template had the setting in the arctic, so they couldn't be bothered to set the movie on, say, a tropical island or somewhere temperate. I'll give it a rating_2 to be nice and because it features a mantis.

[Kaplan]

Out of the other nominated films, I've seen The Blob and Attack of the Crab Monsters. The Blob is a good one of the genre but I can't say Attack of the Crab Monsters is one of Roger Corman's better films.

[Torgo]

Gog - 4

This is a fun and scary little '50s B-movie that's part hard sci-fi, part techno-thriller and part murder mystery, and it succeeds at all three without seeming overstuffed. First of all, talk about claustrophobic! Whether intentional, the result of budgetary limitations or because I'm a pretty claustrophobic person, I felt just as confined as the scientists. I would go as far to say that it has the same appeal in this regard as The Thing from Another World and its 1982 remake. The fact that the movie is so prescient is also why it held me interest and resonates so much, whether due to the mysterious entity wreaking havoc on the facility essentially being a hacker or the movie exposing the dangers of relying too much on AI. Since it's apparently going to be writing our literature and generating our artwork now, it's too bad the view count on IMDB isn't a little higher, huh? There's also that expertly edited nail-biter of a finale, which deserves bonus points and not demerits for its use of stock footage.

As is typical of '50s B-movies - at least the ones I've seen - it's as if there is more talk than action, which makes things tedious at times. Also, this may be due to the low budget or the technology being relatively new at the time, but the movie doesn't do a great job at showing the effects of radiation on humans. The talk is at least interesting - to this sci-fi lover, anyway - and I appreciate that it respects the audience's intelligence. Again, for how scarily prescient the movie is and for delivering so much fun and chills about the nuclear age on a peanuts budget, I can think of few better ways for hard sci-fi and/or claustrophobic thriller lovers to spend 80 minutes. I'm still holding out hope for a Half-Life adaptation, but in case we don't get one, we at least have this movie, which despite not having a dimensional rift sort of serves as a Half-Life prequel.

[Thief]

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS
(1953, Lourié)

https://i.imgur.com/pH89YJT.jpg


"A prehistoric animal would be presumptuous to be alive today and upset your neatly cataloged theories."



That is how physicist Thomas Nesbitt (Paul Christian) sums up another scientist skeptical reaction to the alleged appearance of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, a prehistoric dinosaur awakened by a nuclear bomb test. The film follows Nesbitt's attempts to alert everybody after his first encounter with the beast in the Arctic. An encounter that everybody dismisses as a moment of delirium.

And there is a good deal of that skepticism, as Nesbitt goes around from his military friends to fellow scientists. He is eventually joined by Dr. Thurgood Elson (Cecil Kellaway) and his young assistant Lee (Paula Raymond), but the film takes almost an hour to finally confirm the existence of the beast to the higher uppers, when it is already too late.

But regardless of the scientific push-and-pull from the story, this is a film about a giant lizard wreaking havoc, and in that aspect, the film delivers. The special effects and stop-motion animation of the beast are quite impressive and wonderful to look at. One notable example is the moment when the beast destroys a lighthouse, which results in a very visually striking moment (hence my inclusion of it here), but the scenes in the city halfway through, or the closing ones in Coney Island are just as good.

The toxic blood in the last act was a nice twist, but I don't think the way it was executed and eventually solved was that effective. Still, at 80 minutes, the film doesn't overstay its welcome and offers enough destruction and solid special effects for any fans of the genre.

Grade: 3.5

[Thief]

How interesting to see the patterns between some of these :laugh: I mean, scientists investigate X thing in the Pacific, Arctic, whatever... nuclear tests awaken monster... monster wreaks havoc... scientists stop monster.

Also, the way these films pretty much end abruptly. Crab Monsters ends literally two seconds after one of the main characters sacrifices to kill the crabs, 20,000 Fathoms ends as the beast is ablaze... I think The Deadly Mantis has a bit of a more relaxed closing, but it's interesting to see all those connections.

[Citizen Rules]

I watched The Deadly Mantis. I love praying mantids, I've kept quite a few as pets, and currently have three, an adult Texas unicorn mantis (she's very cool looking), and two Australian rain forest nymphs, tiny now but will be quite big when they become adults... That is very cool. I looked up both species and wow! They're intimidating looking even when they're not 200 feet long. They must be rare where I live, W. Washington state, as I've lived here all my life and only seen two of them...and that was in the last 10 years. I don't know if they are indeed uncommon in the wild here, or aren't native and are just moving into the area. I took this picture of one who was on the side of my house happily hanging out upside down.
91789

[Death Proof]

How interesting to see the patterns between some of these :laugh: I mean, scientists investigate X thing in the Pacific, Arctic, whatever... nuclear tests awaken monster... monster wreaks havoc... scientists stop monster.

Also, the way these films pretty much end abruptly. Crab Monsters ends literally two seconds after one of the main characters sacrifices to kill the crabs, 20,000 Fathoms ends as the beast is ablaze... I think The Deadly Mantis has a bit of a more relaxed closing, but it's interesting to see all those connections.




What always interested me about 20,000 Fathoms is that when the creature gets wounded, its blood causes a contagion to be released which kills even more people. The majority of giant monster movies is just them smashing everything in sight, but with the added threat of a prehistoric disease as well, it makes it a more interesting movie to me.



I guess it's not unlike Godzilla and company's radioactivity being as much of a threat as a fire breathing nuclear powered iguana.

[Thief]

What always interested me about 20,000 Fathoms is that when the creature gets wounded, its blood causes a contagion to be released which kills even more people. The majority of giant monster movies is just them smashing everything in sight, but with the added threat of a prehistoric disease as well, it makes it a more interesting movie to me.



I guess it's not unlike Godzilla and company's radioactivity being as much of a threat as a fire breathing nuclear powered iguana.

Yeah, I brought up the "toxic blood" in my review, but I think that twist could've been executed better. In the end, it didn't seem to make much of a difference when it came to just shoot the beast (by none other than Lee Van Cleef! in a very small role)

[Thief]

THE DEADLY MANTIS
(1957, Juran)

https://i.imgur.com/NEhmMwF.jpg


"I'm convinced that we're dealing with a Mantis in whose geological world the smallest insects were as large as man, and now failing to find those insects as food, well... it's doing the best that it can."



The Deadly Mantis follows a team of scientists and military personnel as they try to find and stop the titular creature as it starts attacking several military bases in the North Pole. The military team is led by Col. Joe Parkman (Craig Stevens) and General Mark Ford (Donald Randolph), but they are joined by paleontologist Ned Jackson (William Hopper) and journalist Marge Blaine (Alix Talton).

I read an article on praying mantises that opened with the following sentence: "From extreme camouflage to sexual cannibalism". Obviously, this unique insect has fascinated people since forever, not only because of their appearance, but also for their behavior or skills, as mentioned on this quote. Unfortunately, this creature feature resorts to a more traditional portrayal of it as a big "anything", instead of capitalizing on its uniqueness.

The Deadly Mantis follows a template, and it does so fairly well. However, its pace is a bit more clunky than, say, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. At times, it feels like it kinda sputters often, before actually getting things going. In addition, none of the main characters are that memorable. There's also the frequent objectification of Marge, which we are meant to take in stride because she does so as well, all while dozens of soldiers ogle and leer at her.

The special effects are not as great as other similar films, but they are effective. Director Nathan Juren tries to make the most out of his limitations, while still giving us decent amounts of destruction and chaos. It's not enough to put this in the same category as other similar films, but well... it's doing the best that it can.

Grade: 2.5

[Kaplan]

That is very cool. I looked up both species and wow! They're intimidating looking even when they're not 200 feet long. They must be rare where I live, W. Washington state, as I've lived here all my life and only seen two of them...and that was in the last 10 years. I don't know if they are indeed uncommon in the wild here, or aren't native and are just moving into the area. I took this picture of one who was on the side of my house happily hanging out upside down.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91789



Very nice mantis there. It looks like a female, so maybe she'll have babies, but yeah, you're pretty far north, and they definitely like warmer climates. I live in the desert, in Nevada, so we don't have a lot here either since it's so dry, but the first mantis I kept was actually wild caught, what I'm certain was an Arizona mantis, and she is still the best mantis I've had in terms of being fun to handle and watch eat. She ended up laying three egg cases, and I kept one of them, hoping she had mated prior to her ending up in my shoe in my garage where I found her, but it turned out not to be fertilized. I did raise some Chinese mantids from an egg case. Here is how I found her, just noticing her before putting on my shoe:


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91806

[Citizen Rules]

Very nice mantis there. It looks like a female, so maybe she'll have babies, but yeah, you're pretty far north, and they definitely like warmer climates. I live in the desert, in Nevada, so we don't have a lot here either since it's so dry, but the first mantis I kept was actually wild caught, what I'm certain was an Arizona mantis, and she is still the best mantis I've had in terms of being fun to handle and watch eat. She ended up laying three egg cases, and I kept one of them, hoping she had mated prior to her ending up in my shoe in my garage where I found her, but it turned out not to be fertilized. I did raise some Chinese mantids from an egg case. Here is how I found her, just noticing her before putting on my shoe:


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91806I love that photo, I could just image putting on a shoe and seeing that face peak out at you. I'll have to keep a sharp eye for any mantis this summer, I do live out in the country surrounded by foliage/trees and so who knows maybe one will hang out in my garden and eat those stinky shield bugs, I've put two of them in my mouth by accident! I was picking and eating fresh raspberries and didn't see them. They sure taste bad! I wouldn't mind a mantis hanging out and eating them.

[Siddon]

https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/thebeastfrom20000fathoms1953.68257.jpg


The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1954)

A dinosaur gets unleashed from the artic and a team have to come together and take it down. This is one of those films where everything is forgettable except for the special effects which is kinda a problem but for this hall it makes sense.

The film is very similar to King Kong and Godzilla but it doesn't really do the little things that those films did. I think if the film had a better score or it didn't feel like it had a predictable plot I would have enjoyed it move. Some of the cinematography was impressive for the time but once again comparing it to the other works in this hall...it's lacking.

I kept waiting to become engaged with anything in the film and it just didn't happen. It's not good or bad just really average.

rating_2_5

[Siddon]

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0729/0023/products/vlcsnap-2020-06-05-19h41m12s622_grande.png?v=1675728496

THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)

This was a great film, I'm glad I watched this after the earlier Harryhausen film because this fixed and improved on most if not all of my issues with Beast from 20,000 leagues. This film tells the story of Sinbad as he goes on several quests to stop the Cyclops, defeat the evil wizard, and return his betrothed to her normal size.

The production values here are strong...likely the strongest of all the noms. You have multiple monsters that generally look great I think my favorite is the two headed bird creature thing. The film also has a proper score, a fully developed cast and a number of different set pieces and locations. Visually the film is perfect...I just had two issues with it.

The first is the obvious everyone in this film is in brown face. While I can somewhat accept this for films in the 30's this was the 50's and it becomes a little gross. My other issue with the film is the pacing, act 1 and act 2 are perfect but act 3 is all over the place. It has what feels like three different endings which is weird for a 90 minute movie. It was like they had so many cool tricks to do that the filmmaker wanted to show and do it all rather than tell a cohesive ending to the plot.

rating_3_5

[Siddon]

So that's 10/10 and my rankings would be

1. The Abominable Snowmen 5/5
2. The Tingler 5/5
3. The Creature with the Atom Brain 4/5
4. THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD 3.5/5
5. Attack of the Crab Monsters 3.5/5
6. The Blob 3/5
7. Destination Moon 2.5/5
8. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms 2.5/5
9. The Deadly Mantis 2/5
10. Gog 1/5

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91835
THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)


I'm glad I decided to watch this last night as I'd thought I'd seen it many time...wrong! I must've had it mixed up with Jason and The Argonauts (1963).

It's the stop motion animation detail that makes this film so special. The cyclops licking his chops says so much about the cyclops...he really likes barbecued human! All of the creatures in this film had some sort of personality thanks to the artistic genus of Ray Harryhausen. Though emotionally that 'creature detail' worked against the heroic story for me. Example when the first cyclops has it's eye burnt out by Sindbad, the cyclops reacts very realistically, showing pain as it held it's eye and stumbled around blind.

That made feel sorry for the cylops and I'm guessing that's not the film maker's intent. I also felt sorry for the poor dragon that guarded the magician's cavern entrance. It was clever how the chained dragon was cranked over towards the wall by a huge wooden turnstyle that wound up the dragon's chain tightly. At the same time I felt sorry to see this poor dragon treated in such a miserable manner. Usually when there's threatening creature-monsters in these kind of movies they are so threatening and so hideous that I'm glad to see them get killed off. But here most of the creatures seem to suffer and I ended up liking them more than the people. Maybe Harryhausen wanted it that way, I don't know.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=91837
Loved the scope of this scene which impressively uses dimensional scale to great advantage.


The sets in the palaces were amazing. There was this one scene in a courtyard with a large pool and that looked like a real building not a matte. Visually this film is a 5/5+++

But on the flip side the story really wasn't compelling or fleshed out, it was just enough story to insert the various creatures into. And the acting was medicore. Sinbad was boring, the miniature princess was cute but what was that hair thing sticking out of her forehead. I did like the magician Torin Thatcher who also wore similar garb in the Star Trek episode The Return of the Archons.

rating_3_5 Torgo I watched it:)

[Thief]

THE BLOB
(1958, Yeaworth)

https://i.imgur.com/6dowS6A.jpg


"Well it's kind of a - kind of a mass. It keeps getting bigger and bigger."



That's the way Steve McQueen's character tries to describe the title creature to the police in the 1958 original version of The Blob. As a matter of fact, it isn't called the "blob" at any moment, but is referred to as "monster", "thing", and "parasite", among other things. The "blob" is essentially an amorphous, jelly-like creature that slithers around devouring anything in its path, while getting bigger.

Set in rural Pennsylvania, the film follows "teenagers" Steve and Jane (Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut) after they discover the titular "blob", who ends up devouring an old man, a doctor, and a nurse. They then have to face the skepticism and disbelief of the town as they try to alert them and stop the creature from devouring everything around them.

Even though I had seen the remake back in the late 80's, I had never seen the original until 2013. This original version was an independent, low budget film that ended up becoming a surprise hit. It is a mixture of classic horror and sci-fi, but with a certain goofiness to it, which was a bit of a staple of the era. That might help appreciate the film in terms of its place in time, but it doesn't make it any less silly.

Despite that, the film is held together mostly because of Steve McQueen, who delivers a fairly good performance on his first notable film role. Although he doesn't pass as a teenager, he still brings a certain charm and charisma to his character that keeps the film focused and afloat. The supporting cast, on the other hand, ends up feeling wooden and lifeless.

The story is fairly simple, and it has that classic sci-fi charm, but it also suffers from a sorta abrupt and lacking ending. Maybe it's because I'm an 80's kid and I saw the remake first, but this is one of those cases where I feel the remake is significantly better. Still, the original is not bad, and it should be an interesting watch for any fan of horror/sci-fi films or cinema overall.

Grade: 2.5

[Thief]

I couldn't get to anything else, so that's it for me. I was going to try to write something about The Tingler, but even though it was my own nomination, it's been a couple of years so I don't have a lot of things fresh in my mind. Anyway, I will add the others to my watchlist and will try to get to them at some point. Overall, I had a lot of fun with what I saw, so thanks to Citizen Rules for leading this!

https://i.gifer.com/Pkl.gif

[Citizen Rules]

I couldn't get to anything else, so that's it for me. I was going to try to write something about The Tingler, but even though it was my own nomination, it's been a couple of years so I don't have a lot of things fresh in my mind. Anyway, I will add the others to my watchlist and will try to get to them at some point. Overall, I had a lot of fun with what I saw, so thanks to @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637) for leading this!

https://i.gifer.com/Pkl.gifThanks! and thanks for your movie, I enjoyed it! I totally get not wanting to write a review for something you've seen a couple of years ago. Heck, even two weeks for me and I writing a review would be hard, I usually like to do write my thoughts the very next day.

[Thief]

Oh boy, why didn't I mention the amazing Burt Bacharach song for The Blob in my review? That alone was worthy of half a popcorn :laugh:

[Citizen Rules]

So here's the results based on the popcorn ratings divided by the number of people who reviewed the movie. Thanks to everyone for participating, I had tons of fun:) Hope you did too.

The Tingler
average rating: 4.25

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
average rating: 4

Creature With The Atom Brain
average rating: 3.875

The Abominable Snowman
average rating: 3.5

The Blob
average rating: 3.375

Attack of the Crab Monsters
average rating: 3.2

Destination Moon
average rating: 3.16

Gog
average rating: 3

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
average rating: 3

The Deadly Mantis
average rating: 2.7

[Thief]

Wooh! I did good!

https://media.tenor.com/Q4jtafhmjQQAAAAC/clapping-applause.gif

[AtomicMonster]

Can't believe I missed that. Those are some of my favorite movies.

[KeyserCorleone]

I'd be taking part in this in a heartbeat if I wasn't trying to lower the percentage of horror movies on my log. I'm trying to get it below 20%, just like I recently did with the metal on my albums log.

[Citizen Rules]

I'd be taking part in this in a heartbeat if I wasn't trying to lower the percentage of horror movies on my log. I'm trying to get it below 20%, just like I recently did with the metal on my albums log.It's long over. But if I do another one of these and I just might, I'd love to have you join.