Dusting off the decades to bring you this flashback of fear…or not. Let’s get into them.
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953)
It’s a thrill that an old sci-fi flick based on the writings of Ray Bradbury was made in 3D, but unfortunately the Blu-ray release is specifically made for the failed 3D TVs that were hot for like a second and then flopped. There’s no classic red/blue glasses option, leaving me to watch this one in 2D.
I’d say it’s just as enjoyable. This is the epitome of sci-fi scary of the 50s, right down to that eerie whistling alien music effect. Love it.
A hetero couple sees something crash to earth through their telescope. When they head into the wilderness to check it out, the man goes into the crater and sees a one-eyed monster in a spaceship before it is buried by an avalanche.
No one believes him.
But the people in town start to change. This is Invasion of the Body Snatchers without the pods. We get plenty of one-eyed POV as numerous people are attacked in a swirl of smoke machines on an isolated desert road, including none other than the professor from Gilligan’s Island.
There are some truly creepy scenes in this little film, even if it is as cliché as they come by today’s standards. The action even gets a little silly when a laser shooting rod is whipped out near the end, but we do get to see a space ship make its escape.
THE BRAIN EATERS (1958)
This little sci-fi horror flick also has elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, plus hints of Invaders from Mars and various other alien life form movies of the era. It’s pretty low budget and not big on special effects or even alien pay-off, but it’s only an hour, so it’s a fun watch if you’re hankering for some old school drive-in thrills.
Interestingly, it takes place in a town called Riverdale. I wonder what Archie felt about that back then. A conical metal structure appears in the woods, the mayor goes missing, there are some mysterious murders, and a senator comes to see what’s up. The cone is indestructible, so the senator kind of demands that a scientist just get his ass in there and see what’s up.
That’s like a senator today being like, “COVID is fake! Don’t believe the scientists! Hey, scientist, inject yourself with this COVID virus and see what happens.”
Law enforcement and scientists soon discover there are parasites attaching themselves to the backs of victims necks. The kicker? We never get to see the attaching action! Yawn.
It’s really rather lame as a result, but there is a trio of guys in a sort of hypnotic state that goes around with a fish bowl of these parasites to attach to the necks of others. That’s about as scary as it gets, including a parasite POV when they release one into the bedroom window of a sleeping woman.
Eventually we get a glimpse of these hairy critters they call leeches in the movie. Most interesting is the sort of god-like spokesperson who shows up at the end to explain why the aliens are there, offering a cool sci-fi philosophy.
The bottom line is that humans spend so much time looking for strife rather than peace and harmony. In other words, shit never changes for us miserable fucking human beings.
EYE OF THE DEVIL (1966)
This is an okay occult sacrifice and ritual film that definitely shows signs of things to come in later movies, but it’s generally tame and not very compelling.
A man is called to one of his vineyards because the crops are all dried up. He tells his wife to stay home, but she instead surprises him with the kids in tow.
She soon fears something is very wrong at the vineyard. There’s a weird on site priest played by Donald Pleasence. There’s a creepy pretty pair lurking around and terrorizing her—a dude who is good with a bow and arrow and a young, beautiful Sharon Tate, who bewitches the children. So tragic that Sharon was murdered. She sizzled on screen in this minor role and could have become quite a horror icon.
There’s also a cult in black robes that makes the wife’s life miserable as she tries to unravel the mysteries behind the land. A scene of her being hunted by them in the woods is the horror highlight for me.
Although there are plenty of pagan aspects to the plot, when it comes down to it, there’s a major religious aspect behind the attempt by the staff to resurrect the grape vines.
