Directed by:
Edward L. CahnScreenplay:
Jerome BixbyCinematography:
Kenneth PeachCast:
Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer, Robert Bice, Ray Corrigan, Bert Stevens, Pierre Watkin, Paul Langton (more)VOD (2)
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Too terrifying to even have a name, It is a seemingly invincible monster that is hell-bent on killing everyone on a mission to Mars. A rescue ship travels out to Mars to retrieve the only survivor of a space probe that has experienced some sort of cataclysm. That survivor, Col Ed Carruthers (Marshall Thompson) is accused of murdering his fellow crewmen. But Ed claims that the killer was a Martian monster, and hopes to prove his assertions by signing up for a second journey to the Red Planet. Before long, the crew members of this second expedition are being systematically killed off, and it looks as though Ed is up to his old tricks. As it turns out, however, Ed was telling the truth: there is a monster on board, the savage descendant of the once-mighty Martian civilization, who snuck on board when an irresponsible crew member left the door open. The monster stays alive by absorbing the vital body fluids of its victims - and there seems to be no way to stop this parasitic creature! Will they be able to destroy the monster before it manages to feed on them all? (101 Films)
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Reviews (4)
This could have been a kind of black-and-white predecessor to Alien. The potential was there. However, the screenplay is bland and, at times, so dull it drags the film down to a below-average level. When the characters are not busy uttering terrible dialogues, they run hysterically inside a not-so-spacious rocket, fire grenades in it and shoot from an anti-tank weapon; they form a team of scientists, but behave impulsively like young kids. Tension is inexistent. As for the Martian’s costume, which is more or less the same as in Creature from the Black Lagoon, it doesn’t add much value either.
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At least as endearingly naive and entertaining as Ed Wood's greatest hits. A rescue expedition flies to Mars to retrieve a stranded crew, only to discover on the way back to Earth that they have a Martian on board. This unleashes a ruthless and thrilling fight for survival :). The alien itself is about as frightening as Alf. It is terribly funny to see an actor dressed in a kind of sackcloth, with a mask on his head, waving his paws and running around the deck like a madman. Not only is it unearthly strong, but its scratch infects humans with a bacillus that instantly causes leukemia. Facing it, there’s the crew armed with pistols and rifles. There are also traps with grenades and even an anti-tank gun (in a rocket, lol) There are lots of memorable moments, including walking on the rocket's shell with magnetic boots as the actors feign weightlessness, as well as incredibly banal dialogues, terrible acting, funny visual effects; in short, a joy to watch. And most importantly, you don’t get bored for a second, it’s royal fun.
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There is always something happening in this likably short sci-fi flick. And you can even see an effort to actually depict characters. However, the situations and the acting (i.e. the directing) are so poorly handled that they drag the whole thing down to the level of a B-movie. It’s a shame that the actors look like they have a chicken running around on their ship. Along with the director, they butcher a rather decent screenplay.
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Good classic of the B-movie genre. It's a sci-fi where one beast is lurking on Mars and preying on humans. I have to say, I really liked the depiction of the alien. It looks genuinely terrifying for its time, although it does have some elements of the creature from the Black Lagoon. The plot is quite classic, but it incorporates claustrophobia and other elements that make this film quite action-packed and interesting.
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