CREEPY CLASSICS presents...

MOVIE NIGHTS

Every weekend we're watching movies together...whether you're in Pennsylvania USA, or Sydney Australia. It's a throwback! Back to the days when you had the anticipation for waiting till the weekend to see the classic horror or science fiction film that was listed in the TV Guide. The plan is to watch a movie at 7:30PM on Saturday night in your own time zone. Or, if you can't Saturday night...anytime during the weekend. Then, we'll all get together and e-mail our thoughts on the film...a few paragraphs...or simply a sentence if you'd like. They after-viewing reviews appear on our Creepy Classics/Monster Bash News Page. See the latest thoughts posted by viewers ther now.

Concept submitted by Mike Adams of Carteret, New Jeresey.

Don't have the movie of the week? Order it right now from Creepy Classics for fast delivery!

You can see comments from past movies from viewers by clicking on their title.

Back to Shopping

Weekend Attack On Our TVs!

This past weekend many people on this blog that follow Creepy Classics and Monster Bash all watched EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS! It was a suggestion by Ken Blose who thought it would be a good one to get us in the mood for this year's 1950s Sci-Fi Bash!

Here at Creepy Classics central, our friend Bob Pellegrino came over and my daughter Paisley and I watched it. This is really a fun one. And pretty gruesome too with the "brain scanning" scenes and what happens to many victims. Pretty brutal for its time. I was really impressed by the naturally the saucer effects, but also the lead and secondary actors were all great and not over-layed. Hugh Marlowe is very believable without being over the top. This might be the first movie (back in 1956) to use the now accepted look of what real alien reports look like. The big head, frail body, big eyes, small slit mouth. Interesting. Of course, those rotating sections on the saucer (thanbks to the great Ray Harryausen) really gave the saucers themselves a personality. An all out aliens are here for take-over rumble. Gotta go back to the garage now and finish up my sound-gun...just in case. -Ron in Ligonier, PA

I sure love the sci fi films of this era. All those buttons and knobs and
blinking lights! This was the kind of sets we'd try to build using
cardboard boxes and whatever electrical junk we could recycle. I was
always lucky because my dad was an electrical engineer and would bring
home all kinds of cool junk from work that we could use to play scientist.

Watching this film these days I notice the social aspects of the film
such as cigarettes - Carol lights up after the first saucer visit as if
it's the most normal thing you could do. References to human events are
always US centric, for example the scene where the police officer asks who
has won the most world series' as a way to determine just how much the
aliens know. I'm interested in the way the military is portrayed here (as
well as in several other sci fi films of the era, War of the Worlds and
others) They appear to be organized and respected yet they can never
handle things on their own. The US military looks like it's running the
world, which given that these films were made in the decade following
World War 2 makes sense, and yet their amazing weapons and efficient chain
of command are useless against the invaders. Scientists always have to
come along and save the day. At the time when this film was made, many of
the scientific heroes of the previous generation, Einstein and Oppenheimer
among others were under investigation by the FBI having been classified as
un-American due to their positions on nuclear non-proliferation. I wonder
if the characters like Russell Marvin in Earth Vs. Flying Saucers are an
attempt to give us a scientist who can invent a really cool weapon without
having any pesky questions about the ramifications of such destructive
power.

I've always enjoyed this film, I think it's a great example of a
tight story line with no wasted moments. The plot zips along, the acting
is fine or at least there's no bad acting. The saucers look great, and
the crashes into the Washington landmarks are fantastic. I
remember the giant origami translating thing from when I was a kid, and
those clunky, but still cool space suits. One element of the story that
holds up well, even though there are many things to date the film, is the
idea that there's a whole universe of unknowns out there. Even though our
heroes defeat the invading aliens this time, the ending warns that they
may be back, and that there is more that we don't know than what we do
know. I think that adds an important human element to the story.
All in all, a fun experience! Thanks to whoever suggested this film for
our weekly get-together and I look forward to next week. -Kevin Slick, Colorado

LA TIERRA CONTRA LOS PLATILLOS VOLADORAS

Hey Bash Sync Masters!

I watched this weeks movie differently. Instead of being holed-up in
my spooky attic in the wee hours of the morning, I got my whole family
involved. We watched the Harryhausen approved Colorized version on
the big screen TV and for an added twist, we watched it in Spanish
(my wife is Mexican). We had a good time relishing the Harryhausen
Saucers, and my 7 year old daughter and I exchanged many ¨cooool¨´s
during our viewing. It was good to see Hugh Marlowe get away from
that awful role he played in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, and it was
a joy to see the beautiful Joan Taylor, who I met 2 years ago in Santa
Monica, a wonderfully sweet lady. And those saucers, man, they are
the coolest. Nothing looked cooler until Star Trek came around, and
nothing MOVED cooler until Star Wars and Close Encounters. It is also
a marvel the stop motion destruction. When one thinks of Ray in his
shop moving each stone frame by frame, what patience and artistry.
Long live Ray Harryhausen!

My 7 year old daughter was a testament of the movie effectivness even
in this day and age. She had her head under the covers whenever those
goofy aliens came out! I sometimes worry if she will ever be a
monster kid like her daddy, she spooks so easy. Maybe Paisley can
come and give her a mad doctor brain transplant to bring the monster
kid out! It was a blast, can´t wait for this weeks spooky synch classic!

-Ken in Mexico

This is a film that never fails to entertain. Hugh Marlowe is a great hero who fights an invasion from an alien race. The Ray Harryhausen effects are top notch and this takes me back to a time when movies were strictly for entertainment and fun.
Watching the saucers decimate DC is always fun and there isn't a bad actor or actress in the bunch.
I love the comment from Thomas B. Henry's character of the general when he says When an armed and threatening power lands uninvited in our capitol, we don't meet him with tea and cookies! A true classic. -Kevin Coon, Idaho

Ron,
Like most of the films of Ray Harryhausen, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers is firmly rooted in my childhood.
I had first heard about the film through Famous Monsters. I had seen most of the Harryhausen films, but this one always eluded me. Then one week, while looking through the t.v. guide, I found the film. It was on late Friday night/early Saturday morning. I believe it was on channel 9 WGN-TV Chicago at 3 a.m. I had a plan. This was before the age of vcr's and dvd players. I shared a room with my brother. We had a bunk bed. I had the top bunk. The t.v. was on a chest near the bed. I set the alarm clock to go off a little before three. I got up before the alarm went off. I turned the t.v. on and switched the volume to low so as not to wake up my brother. The movie came on and I haven't been the same since.

Watching this film again, I'm reminded just how remarkable Ray Harryhausen's job was. He gave life and personality to a flying saucer. The saucers just don't spin around. They dip, hover, twirl, and speed up. Sometimes it occurs all at once. Another remarkable aspect of Ray Harryhausen's animation comes into play when the saucers start crashing into famous Washington landmarks. My favorite scene is the crash into the Washington Monument. When the saucer crashes into the monument all the debris that falls as result of the crash is animated separately. This is a remarkable achievement for Ray Harryhausen because it not only happens once, but several times.

One of the reasons I enjoy this film is the cast that includes Hugh Marlowe(who I always get confused with Richard Carlson), Joan Taylor, and Donald Curtis (It Came From Beneath The Sea). I would be remiss if I failed to mention the ubiquitous military team of Morris Ankrum and Thomas Browne Henry. Between the two of them, they starred in just about every sci-fi movie in the fifties. I would like to re-mention Joan Taylor. I feel she really grounds this film with her beauty, acting, and down-to-earth quality. Theses are traits she bought to another film called 20 Million Miles To Earth. Honorable mention must go to Paul Frees, the voice of the alien, simply because I think he's cool and he's got a great voice.
The Saturday night viewing is a great idea. It brings me, just for one day, back to my childhood and the magic of Saturdays.
-Kirk Smith, Illinois

I joined in (Saturday 03/06/2010) for EARTH -vs.- the FLYING SAUCERS (1956) Clover Productions & Columbia Pictures, Fred F. Sears (D) Two**Stars. Our copy is the old B&W one which is how we first saw it on T.V. in the mid 60's. Love it then and now. Only Ray Harryhausen could bring so much character too machines like those FLYING SAUCERS.
Right after I watched E.v.t.F.S. on SVENGOOLIE (WCIU Chicago) at 09:00pm/2100hrs the feature was THE 7th VOYAGE of SINBAD (1958) Morningside Productions & Columbia Pictures, Nathan Juran (D) Four****Stars. Usual 'SVEN' humor & songs, but also a homage too Ray Harryhausen who clearly Rich Koz respects and who helped bring about a generation that dominates Hollywood fantasy today...ROBERT

Hello Ron, Greg here, Earth vs Flying Saucers always a great movie, I watch it at least 3 times a year..The special effects are top notch and the saucer being called an interstellar conveyance is the coolest term ever.....Thanks

Ken From Mexico (Great viewing choice this week!) , Ron, and everyone else out there in the far reaches of our film galaxy, I too watched "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" (1956) this Saturday evening!! This wonderful alien invasion flick has always been one of my favorites. I remember seeing this film on Superhost`s "MAD THEATRE" as well ! (just like last week`s feature- "Creature From The Black Lagoon") In fact, it probably was aired alongside "Creature" at some point during his show`s run on the old channel 43 here in Strongsville, Ohio where I live!!!

All I Can Say Is Wow!!!--- Great Job Everyone with the (above) reviews and points of interest!!! When I was a young kid and I watched this movie- The main points of interest for me were the great Harryhausen SPFX (The spectacular flying saucers and destruction/battle scenes in the city) AND the gruesome subject matter concerning the mind-control aspect of the alien`s use of the Indexed Memory Bank)-When Morris Ankrum`s character becomes, essentially a "mindless" zombie and shows himself to his daughter and son-in-law (both played wonderfully by Joan Taylor and Hugh Marlowe, respectivally) and Joan`s character shrieks and cries in anguish at the horrifying situation that her father (and they-along with the rest of the world) are in- I was scared as well!!!

Looking at this film now- you can see the impact it has had on future films and film(makers)!! Ray Harryhausen`s flying saucers were the best ever done up to that point and in my opinion, influenced the look of the ships (at least) somewhat in 1997`s summer blockbuster "Independance Day" The look of the aliens (both their suits and the creatures themselves) is really cool, too!! I really enjoy the scene where they walk over the unconscious general (Ankrum) and decide to kidnap him and take him to their ship! The way this scene is directed and photographed is really quite powerful and eerie! One of the best parts of the film, in my opinion! As far as the creatures themselves, we only get one quick good glimpse of their appearance- but it is quite unsettling- and reminds me of the look of the alien creatures in "Strange Invaders" (1983)- a querky homage to classic 1950`s sci-fi outer space invasion films set in a farm town in Kansas. This film was directed by Michael Laughlin and starred genre veterans Paul Lemat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Louise Fletcher, Fiona Lewis, June Lockhart and the great Kenneth Tobey (in a great supporting role for him!)

Also, I love those disintegration effects when the people/trucks get "ZAPPED" by the evil aliens! (The sound effects are great too!) This film was admirably directed by Fred F.Sears who also did "The Werewolf" (1956) and that great turkey "The Giant Claw" (1957)! The Screen story was by none other than Curt Siodmak- who penned "Donovan`s Brain" (1953) and 'The Wolf Man" (1941) among many other classics of the genre!! Lastly and Sadly, producer Charles H. Schneer, who is famous for working with Mr. Harryhausen and doing many classics together, passed away on January 21st, 2009. He was 88 years old. And that`s a wrap from the outer reaches of the Milky Way galaxy everybody, hope everybody enjoyed the "sci-fi" memories! Dan Brenneis- Monster Bash Staff Member and Lifetime Film Fan Extroadinarre.

Back To Creepy Classics

Creepy Classics Video
P.O. Box 23, Ligonier, PA 15658
Phone: (724) 238-4317