Tag Archives: Sci-Fi

Warning From Space (1956) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Warning From Space (1956)Warning From Space (1956) by #KôjiShima
w/#KeizôKawasaki #ToyomiKarita

Aliens travel to earth to warn people of an oncoming catastrophe. To prevent panic about her appearance, one alien takes the form of a popular singer.

“SECRET AGENT: seductive android woman…MISSION: warn earth of planet X’s time table for its bloody conquest!”

#SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Warning From Space (1956) is a Japanese movie. I don’t think I saw too many Japanese movies when I was a kid. One or two, perhaps, but I don’t believe any of them were on my favourite late night show, Not Quite Classic Theatre.

Of course, the most famous Japanese horror films were probably those starring Godzilla and his fellow Kaiju. I somehow missed those movies when I was a kid. I always wanted to see them, especially King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963). I thought that looked super cool, but I didn’t get the opportunity until I was much older.

This is my way of saying that I am no expert on Japanese horror and science fiction movies. I had heard of Warning From Space (1956), but I knew nothing about it until one week ago, when I screened it at the home drive-in… Continue reading →

The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960)The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960) by #PhilTucker
w/#ScottPeters #LindaConnell

When a couple are killed in a car accident, their bodies are inhabited by aliens determined to sabotage the U. S. space program.

“You humans with your puny minds!
You must not learn the secrets of space!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960) begins with some balls of light flying around, and a disembodied voice saying “I told you we would find suitable bodies here…”

We see a man lying on a beach towel, and a woman running toward him from the water. He smokes a pipe as they put their clothes on. Then they get into a car and drive off…

…only to have a terrible car accident, which appears to kill them. But in a bizarre twist, they wake up and get out the car – leaving the man’s arm behind. He doesn’t seem terribly upset by this, but the woman says “I’ll take it and sew it back on in the laboratory…” Continue reading →

The Gamma People (1956) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Gamma People (1956)The Gamma People (1956) by #JohnGilling
w/#PaulDouglas #EveBartok #LesliePhillips

Two reporters are stranded in a strange country where the local dictator is using gamma rays to experiment on children.

“Gamma-Ray Creatures Loose!”

“Sinister looking dump isn’t it.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The first thing that struck me while watching The Gamma People (1956), was the nice opening theme music played by a full orchestra. It didn’t feel like a cheap B-movie. It felt more like a serious film, almost like I was watching something by Alfred Hitchcock, or maybe some sort of epic adventure drama. Had a mistakenly chosen a prestige picture for my night at the home drive-in? Continue reading →

Spaceways (1953) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Spaceways (1953)Spaceways (1953) by #TerenceFisher
w/#HowardDuff #EvaBartok

While working on sending the first artificial satellite into high orbit, two scientists blast off to solve a murder.

“Space is a cold place to die!”

“The screen’s first story of SPACE ISLANDS in the sky!”

#SciFi #Thriller
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Spaceways (1953) begins with a very dramatic main title theme. The credits inform us that the movie was directed by Terrence Fisher, who would go on to a distinguished career working for companies like Hammer Films. He would direct some certified classics like Dracula (1958) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). So, the bar of expectations was immediately raised (for me) going into this relatively unknown movie… Continue reading →

The Night the World Exploded (1957) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Night the World Exploded (1957)The Night the World Exploded (1957) by #FredFSears
w/#KathrynGrant #WilliamLeslie

Scientists locate the epicentre of earthquake activity and find an explosive ore is working its way up from the depths of Earth.

“Super-quake tilts the earth!”:

“I am a scientist, I guess, but I’m a woman, too.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Night the World Exploded (1957) begins with a scientist named Dr. Conway building a machine that somehow measures pressure and/or predicts things like earthquakes. He finishes it just in time to get a reading predicting a massive earthquake in the next 24 hours. He and his colleague, Dr. Morton, rush off to the capital city, where they try to warn the governor and convince him to evacuate one million people from the city. The governor doesn’t go for it because there’s no proof that these guys are right…

Of course the earthquake happens, and thousand die. But that’s not the worst of it. According to the machine, there are going to be several more earthquakes all over the world. And even THAT’s not the worst of it. Apparently the entire planet has already been knocked off of its axis by the first earthquake.

Something bad is clearly happening, but Drs Conway and Morton have no idea what it is. So they, along with beautiful scientist Laura “Hutch” Hutchinson, set out to find some answers… Continue reading →

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) by #BertIGordon
w/#GlennLangan #CathyDowns

After sustaining fatal radiation burns, an Army colonel miraculously heals & begins to grow larger.
“Savage Giant on a Blood-Mad Rampage!”
“Not even the U.S. Army can keep her away from the man she loved–but only the U.S. Army can save her from the monster he became!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

I don’t think I ever saw The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) on late night TV when I was young – or any time since, for that matter. For some inexplicable reason I’ve seen the sequel, War of the Colossal Beast (1958), several times. Having seen photographs in magazines, and clips on TV (not to mention flashback scenes in War of the Colossal Beast), I’ve been wanting to see The Amazing Colossal Man for a long time. Last Friday I finally got my chance… Continue reading →

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) by #FredFSears
w/#HughMarlowe #JoanTaylor

After destroying recently launched satellites, aliens contact an earth scientist and demand a meeting.
“The Battle of Your Lifetime!”
“When an armed and threatening power lands uninvited in our capitol, we don’t meet him with tea and cookies!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

A lot of big names were involved in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956). The executive producer was Sam Katzman. The screen story was by Curt Siodmak, who was probably best known for writing The Wolfman (1941). And perhaps most significantly, the special effects were done by Ray Harryhausen. It’s probably no surprise that Earth vs. the Flying Saucers would turn out to be a cut above the average 1950s science fiction horror B-movie. Continue reading →

Target Earth (1954) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Target Earth (1954)Target Earth (1954) by #ShermanARose
w/#RichardDenning #KathleenCrowley #VirginiaGrey

Giant robots from Venus invade Chicago.
“Raw Panic The Screen Never Dared Reveal!”

“You’ll be paralyzed with fear!”

“You don’t need a reason to die, Frank. Just one to live.”

#Horror #SciFi #Robots
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Target Earth (1954) opens with a sweeping shot of a big city; Chicago, in fact.  It’s 1:30 AM and a woman lies unconscious with a bottle of spilled sleeping tablets near her hand. We get the feeling that maybe she has attempted suicide.

Her eyes open and she seems confused. Perhaps she is wondering why is she still alive. She sits up holding her head.

After getting dressed and leaving her building, she wanders around trying to find other people, but the entire city seems to be deserted. Is she the last woman alive? Continue reading →

The Crawling Eye (1958) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Crawling Eye (1958)

The Crawling Eye (1958) by #QuentinLawrence
w/#JenniferJayne #JanetMunro #ForrestTucker

A series of decapitations on a Swiss mountainside appear to be connected to a mysterious radioactive cloud.

“The nightmare terror of the slithering eye that unleashed agonizing horror on a screaming world!” “It’s looking for you!”

“WARNING: If you’ve ever been hypnotized, do not come alone!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Crawling Eye (1958) opens on a mountain range. Two guys are on a ledge near the top of a mountain, talking to a third guy who’s up above them – but off screen. They ask him why he’s taking so long. He tells them that somebody’s coming. Next thing we know he’s screaming, and then his body falls past the two men on the ledge. It’s hooked up to a climbing rope, so they catch him and try to pull him back up. But one of the men suddenly screams and lets go of the rope.

“You idiot!” the other man says. “We nearly had him. Why did you let him go?”

“Didn’t you see?” his buddy asks.

“What are you talking about?”

“His head! It was torn off!”

Nearby, a train is racing along the tracks, and as it enters a dark tunnel, the title of the movie appears on the screen…
Continue reading →

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) by #ValGuest
w/#BrianDonlevy #JackWarner

After an experimental space flight, two astronauts are missing, and the third has an unidentifiable illness.

“Beware THE CREEPING UNKNOWN!”

“There’s no room for personal feelings in science, Judith!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

A giggling couple in a farmer’s field – they hear a sound like an airplane approaching – and suddenly realize that something might be about to crash down on top of them, so they run into the house. The noise gets worse and something does crash, causing earthquake like effects inside the house. Then all goes quiet…

The girl’s father goes outside to investigate and discovers that a spacecraft has crashed in his field.

And so goes the opening to The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) by Val Guest, and it’s certainly an intriguing one. This was enough to confirm for me that I had never seen this movie before. I’d certainly heard of it, and perhaps others with the name Quatermass attached. I’m not sure why I never watched it. Perhaps because it didn’t have an obvious monster in the title, and I wasn’t sure if it would deliver the kind of 1950s sci-fi goodness that I like. Or maybe it was just random chance that kept it off my home drive-in screen. Who knows? Needless to say, I was long overdue to take a look… Continue reading →