This Easter, the Horror Channel is running two film marathons. Easter Saturday is a feast of horror, Sunday is a classic sci-fi marathon
Starting 1pm on Sunday afternoon (April 4) is a marathon of film classic sci-fi films, guaranteed to amuse, entertain, thrill or just bring out the nostalgia. While you may have seen one of more of them before (many times) it’s still a change from streaming the latest blockbuster and something different. Full details on the Horror Channel website, here’s some of their notes on the films chosen, with our thoughts as well.
It Came From Beneath the Sea
Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast…
This 1955 movie has effects by Ray Harryhausen and a straightforward US military vs the monster plot. The effects are generally felt to be the highlight, and it only scrapes a 30% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
This Island Earth
When atomic scientist Dr. Meacham is chosen to take part in a top-secret research experiment, he quickly discovers that he is really involved in an evil scheme by alien Metalunans to take over Earth. After he and Dr. Adams make their escape, they are whisked away in a flying saucer to Metaluna, where they are blamed for the destruction. Will interstellar negotiation save the day or will the scientists be forced to take part in a treacherous battle to the death?
Hugely memorable and a staple of UK TV in the early ’70s, this 1955 film scores 44% with the audience (but a much better 73% with critics) on Rotten Tomatoes, and we feel that while it has some moments, decent effects and a (slightly) better role for Faith Domergue than women often had, it’s easily overrated. We rewatched recently and found it was a film better remembered fondly than rewatched.
Earth vs the Flying Saucers
UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end…
More Harryhausen in this 1956 film, and a more respectable 54% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes this is very much a Cold War influenced piece. It’s been re-colourised, though we don’t know if that applies to the version being shown. The film includes in its cast Joan Taylor who will pop up later in this run of films.
The Incredible Shrinking Man
While on a boating trip, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is exposed to a radioactive cloud. Nothing seems amiss at first, but several months later Scott realizes that he’s shrunk in height by several inches. He sees a doctor, who admits that he’s baffled. As Scott continues to shrink, decreasing to three feet tall, he becomes bitter, and lashes out at his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart). He begins to fear a cure will never be found — since even as he becomes a national sensation, he’s still shrinking..
This 1957 film is a great example of a simple idea driving a plot. The ratings of 92% (critics) and 82% (audience) on Rotten Tomatoes support the view this should be high on your list for Easter Sunday. For its time, it provides a rare example of the power of science fiction to tell a story about the human experience, good and bad.
20 Million Miles to Earth
A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet’s surface. Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), his American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor [back from defeating flying saucers earlier in the day as noted above), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle to the creature before it destroys everything in its path…
More Harryhausen and a simple, fun romp to end the day. The audience quite liked it on Rotten Tomatoes, but for our money this is more about winding down after the previous film, though not without merits.