Killers from Space (1954)

User Rating:

2.6/10   

Director:

W. Lee Wilder

Writers:

William Raynor (screenplay)
Myles Wilder (story)

Release Date:

23 January 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Earth attacked!

Plot:

A scientist monitoring atomic tests, killed in a plane crash, is revived by aliens so he can spy on the tests and help them conquer the world.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Plane Crash | Secret Service Agent | Truth Serum | Underground Hideout

Cast

Peter Graves	...	Dr. Douglas Martin
James Seay	...	Col. Banks
Steve Pendleton	...	Briggs, FBI
Frank Gerstle	...	Dr. Curt Kruger (as Frank Gerstel)
John Frederick	...	Denab / The Tala (as John Merrick)
Barbara Bestar	...	Ellen Martin
Shepard Menken	...	Maj. Clift - MD (as Shep Menken)
Jack Daly	...	Power House Guard
Ron Kennedy	...	Sgt. Powers, Sentry
Ben Welden	...	Tar Baby 2 Pilot
Burt Wenland	...	Sergeant Bandero
Lester Dorr	...	Gas Station Attendant
Robert Roark	...	Guard
Ruth Bennett	...	Miss Vincent, Secretary
Mark Scott	...	Narrator

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:G (2005 DVD release) | Australia:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16683) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Planet Filmplays

Trivia:

Contrary to the usual practice in the 1950s, the credits for "Killers from Space" appear at the end rather than at the beginning of the movie.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Denab shuts the cage door behind Martin to trap him in with the huge animals they are breeding, then later opens the cage to let Martin back in, asking him, "Don't you think you would feel more at ease on this side of the cage?" But both before he shuts Martin out, and after he lets him back in, the cage door is wide open - leaving the Astron-Deltans themselves at risk of being attacked by their giant insects and animals.

Quotes:

Briggs, FBI: Did you ever stop to think that perhaps this Dr. Martin isn't really THE Dr. Martin?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monsterama Sci-Fi Late Night Creature Feature Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

And the winner is...

Were some of these low-budget 1950s sci-fi flicks intentionally competing to see who could come up with the most ridiculous looking aliens? When it comes to getting laughs, the bug-eyed beetle-browed killers from space are second only to Corman's conquering turnip. But it's a close second, and they get a good deal more speaking lines and screen time. Modern film makers actually trying to make their monsters amusing have never been able to create aliens as hilarious as this. Other than that, however, there isn't really anything to recommend in this rather mundane effort.