Tag Archives: Edward L Cahn

Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) by #EdwardLCahn
w/#StevenTerrell #GloriaCastillo #FrankGorshin

Diminutive alien invaders run into teenage opposition when they land in a rural lovers’ lane.

“CREEPING HORROR…from the depths of time and space!”

“SEE teenagers vs. the saucer men!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Another in the long list of late 1950s sci-fi horror films that I may have seen as a kid on Not Quite Classic Theatre – but probably didn’t – is Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). It would have fit in nicely with many of the other films, except for one thing: its tone is more deliberately comical. The basic joke at the heart of it seems to be that the alien invasion is foiled by unassuming teenagers – not the military, who are more or less fumbling around in the dark and unable to do anything. Continue reading →

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: Creature With the Atom Brain (1955)

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Poster for Creature With the Atom Brain (1955)Creature With the Atom Brain (1955) by #EdwardLCahn
w/#RichardDenning #AngelaStevens

An ex-Nazi mad scientist uses radio-controlled atomic-powered zombies in his quest to help an exiled American gangster return to power.

“Terror true to science, based on laboratory experiments described in national magazines!”

“You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema

Creature With the Atom Brain (1955) was produced by Sam Katzman. The last movie I wrote about that he produced was The Giant Claw (1957), which is a masterpiece of #NotQuiteClassicCinema – “the best of the worst” as some people have said – I’ll simply say that I loved it. Creature With the Atom Brain, on the other hand, is actually pretty good. Surprisingly serious and effective, in a way. This could be because it was written by Curt Siodmak, who is perhaps most famous for writing The Wolf Man (1941). Continue reading →

Friday night at the home drive-in: The She-Creature (1956)

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Poster for The She-Creature (1956)The She-Creature (1956) by #EdwardLCahn
w/ #ChesterMorris #CathyDowns #MarlaEnglish

A hypnotist reverts a woman into a prehistoric sea monster.

“It can and did happen! Based on the authentic FACTS you’ve been reading about!”

“I can transport her from what she is to what she was.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Legend has it that Peter Lorre was so appalled by the script for The She-Creature (1956) that he immediately fired his agent for trying to convince him to play a part in it. I have no idea if this is true, but it’s a great story – and perhaps a great introduction to this somewhat lesser known monster movie from 1956.  Continue reading →

Friday night at the home drive-in: It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

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It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) by #EdwardLCahn

w/#MarshallThompson #ShirleyPatterson

In the distant future – 1973 – a rescue team is sent to find out what happened to the first manned flight to Mars.

“It has to kill us or starve and we’ve got to kill it or die.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) must surely have been an influence on the makers of Alien (1979). There were others, of course. Planet of the Vampires (1965) is often talked about – and deservedly so. Shivers (1975) may have been another, less talked about inspiration. But watching It! The Terror from Beyond Space last week, all I could think about were the similarities to Dan O’Bannon’s (and Ridley Scott’s) masterpiece.  Continue reading →

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

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Poster for The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) by #EdwardLCahn

w/#EduardFranz #ValerieFrench #GrantRichards

A family fights against a voodoo curse that marks each member for death.

“A Terrifying Case of SKULL-DUGGERY!”

“Your money NOT refunded if you faint!”

#Horror
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) is a film in which you expect to see Boris Karloff, or some other aging icon of horror. The image on the poster almost looks like Vincent Price if you squint at it just right. But I didn’t recognize any of the major players the first time I watched this film (or even the last time, truth be told).  Continue reading →