Invasion of the Animal People AKA Terror in the Midnight Sun (1959)
by #VirgilWVogel #JerryWarren
w/#BarbaraWilson #StenGester #JohnCarradine
Aliens release a giant furry beast in northern Sweden.
“Could it Happen? See and Decide for Yourself!”
“Monsters walk the earth in ravishing rampage of clawing fury!”
#SciFi #Horror
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn
I had never seen Invasion of the Animal People (1959) before last week. Imagine my surprise when the movie starts up and John Carradine appears on the screen. He directly addresses us, making a speech to the camera. I had no idea that he was even in this movie. Perhaps it’s going to be better than I thought…
By the time he finishes talking and the credits begin, I feel so pumped that I know there’s no way that the rest of the movie is going to live up to this…
Wait – Jerry Warren co-directed this movie? Will the surprises never cease? The only thing is, I’m not sure if that’s good news or bad…
John Carradine is back! He directly addresses the camera again. This feels a bit like take 2 of the prologue. What was super cool the first time, is feeling a little bit repetitious now. He’s not saying exactly the same thing, but it feels kind of the same. It’s almost like they were trying to stretch the length of the movie by having him talk before and after the credits. It was a great prologue, but I’m not sure why he’s addressing us again right now.
Is there more to Invasion of the Animal People than John Carradine?
Finally the movie actually starts. There seems to be a UFO in the sky and people are waking up and wondering what is going on
Invasion of the Animal People seems like it was shot MOS (no dialogue or sync sound). We just listen to music while we watch people run around looking distressed. It feels like a silent film, to be honest. Even when characters interact, and appear like they’re about to speak, we don’t hear any dialogue.
Finally the narrator speaks again. That’s John Carradine in case you’re wondering.
Wait a minute. The sound effect of a phone ringing has broken the strange silence. Even more amazing, we hear a woman’s voice say “Hello” as she answers the phone. What a treat to hear actual dialogue in this movie. But it doesn’t last.
So, what is Invasion of the Animal People about?
Our main character, a woman who is traumatized by the UFO sighting, goes to Switzerland to forget things. As a result, we get lot’s of gratuitous shots of people skiing and enjoying the great outdoors.
John Carradine (the narrator) informs us that “to the north, native Laplanders notice something evil in the sky.” It appears to be the same UFO that traumatized our heroine.
I’m just guessing here, but it feels like American producers bought a European movie and then shot more scenes. Obviously the stuff with John Carradine was shot by the Americans, and used to make the foreign language (silent) scenes into whatever they wanted them to be. After all, we just have John Carradine’s word as to what’s happening.
And what’s happening in Invasion of the Animal People, is not much. Not much in the way of horror or science fiction, anyway. Just a couple of UFO sightings. And now all we’re getting is lots of skiing and romantic comedy scenarios. I’m not sure if this is gonna go anywhere…
Eventually, there is a monster. A sort of King Kong-like giant Sasquatch type creature. He even carries the woman off, like King Kong does. We also see some alien-like creatures in one scene. But it’s all a little too late for me..
So what’s the verdict?
Invasion of the Animal People (1959) is #NotQuiteClassicCinema, but it’s fairly tedious. I found my mind wandering a lot, and I’m sure I missed some things. Although, honestly, I don’t think I really missed anything. Some people say that the original Swedish version of the movie is better. That could be. But I doubt very much that it’s a lost classic. I can’t really recommend it, but if you’re a John Carradine completist you definitely need to see it. I’m not sorry I watched it. But I doubt that I will be watching it again – not even on a #FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn.
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn
Invasion of the Animal People (1959) by #VirgilWVogel #JerryWarren
w/#BarbaraWilson #StenGester #JohnCarradine
Aliens release a giant furry beast in northern Sweden.
“Could it Happen? See and Decide for Yourself!”#SciFi #Horror #NotQuiteClassicCinema pic.twitter.com/SoRHOHERH0— Angus Kohm (@AngusKohm) August 10, 2024
