The Beast With a Million Eyes - This is a laughably bad movie but it is actually worth watching if only to play "spot the anomaly". According to IMDb trivia, American International Pictures bankrolled producer Roger Corman with a budget for four films at $100,000 each. There was only $29,000 to $30,000 left when it was time for "
TBWaME" to start filming, so AIP head Samuel Arkoff signed off on shooting the picture non-union. Which ultimately led to this viable candidate for "so bad it's good".
Paul Birch, the other-worldly visitor from
Not of This Earth, plays Allan Kelley and he runs an isolated date farm near Palm Springs. His wife Carol (Lorna Thayer) is dissatisfied and whiny and his daughter Sandy is celebrating a birthday and plans to leave for college. She bears the brunt of her mother's peevishness but the script is so slapdash that their relationship runs hot and cold from scene to scene. There's also a mentally challenged man who helps Allan around the farm but mostly lies on the bunk in his shack surrounded by pictures of pin-up models. Since this is from 1955 any unwelcome thoughts of him playing pocket pool are strictly the viewers responsibility. He spies on Sandy as she takes a dip in a pond but despite the implied ickiness nothing comes of that plotline. He does however give her boyfriend Larry (a very young, Bill Hader looking, Dick Sargent) the old stinkeye while holding an axe.
Anyway, a ship of some kind flies overhead emitting a high pitched hum that wreaks havoc on Carol's china and glassware. This is mentioned several times and there are also lingering shots of nothing in particular that go on for so long that you're left wondering, "Am I missing something here? What am I supposed to be looking at?" The ship turns out to be a visitor from the stars which we all know because the movie starts out with a speech by the alien clearly stating his intentions in a rich plummy voice. He's going to take over the minds of animals which will allow to see things through their eyes, hence the title. He takes control of all manner of fauna including the Kelley's German Shepherd Duke. And there's a side story involving the Kelley's neighbor, Ben Webber. He's played by Chester Conklin who got his start as a Keystone Kop . Somebody must have forgotten to tell him it's a talkie because he's hamming it up like he was back working for Mack Sennett.
There are special effects guaranteed to put a smile on your face like a bird attack with one stuffed sparrow gently tossed at a cars windshield and several shots of Duke supposedly barking without once opening his muzzle. The time of day seemingly changes from shot to shot and the last 20 or so minutes appear to have been filmed at a much later time. Actress Lorna Thayer appears to have gained noticeable weight and also lightened her hair considerably. So much so that the last few scenes take place in dim lighting. The family of three spend an unbelievably lengthy amount time discussing how they're going to ultimately defeat the alien. There's such a thing as padding a scene but this went on and on and on.
This is a lot of words devoted to what was basically a really subpar effort but sometimes janky movies are the ones that are the most fun to talk about. I think this went all in and should be judged accordingly. Neither fish nor fowl.
50/100
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