TOP 10 50's & 60"s SCI-FI / MONSTER MOVIES Part 2

here we go folks this part 2 and again in no particular order....

Ok, ive put 1-5 in part 1 and this part covers 6-10. Like i have said these are in no particular order as no. 6 is my favorite of all of them....

6. THEM ! (1954)



In the 1950s and 1960s, just as the cold war was becoming more of a pain is Ass, The actual threat of nuclear destruction was becoming more and more of a realistic problem, but Hollywood pushed that to the side and focused more on the effects of radiation and what could happen to us and the things around us. THEM! is a great example of this, It focuses on the mutant killer....wait for it....ANTS!!!. Don't let that put you off because them is a fantastic bit of cold war Era paranoia Sci-fi. The film stars James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness. It was Directed by Gordon Douglas and written by Ted Sherdeman. I can't really recommend this film anymore as it's simply brilliant...

7. INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)



INVADERS FROM MARS is one of those films that can be seen as a nightmare being had by a child. William Cameron Menzie's film is brilliantly produced and having a well established art director as the man calling the shots can't be that bad. One scene has a young boy enter a police station, where inside everything is minimalist, white walls, with black and white checked flooring and it just looks fantastic. the film follows a young boy who witnesses a UFO land in a field behind his house. His father goes and checks it. when he returns he's changed. Then more and more people start to act differently and the young boy realises that they are under the control of visitors. It's up to him, the local police and the armed forces to stop the aliens before they take over the world. The film stars Helena Carter, Arthur Franz and Jimmy Hunt as David (the young Boy). The film looks great and the performers are all class. Stay away from the dreadful 1983 remake by Tobe Hooper.

8. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957)



This film is truly astonishing to see, and when you think this was released in 1957, you would have actually believed that the man was shrinking. The fact that a film can do that is amazing.
Like most of the films i have mentioned, this one too focuses on the effects of radiation. Scott Carey starts to shrink and eventually he becomes small that a match. But the film really focuses more on the emotions and fear of Scott and his wife Louise and how they cope with the shinking. The film stars Grant Williams and Randy Stuart and is directed by Jack Arnold who made a living in the 1950s making these types of films. The film is based on a story by author Richard Matheson (I am Legend) who also wrote the screenplay. This is a great film and is unfortunately not as recognised as some other films. Another recommendation.

9. DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955)



What kind of top 10 50's & 60's Sci-fi/monster movies would this be without a Roger Corman Film in there somewhere, well here we go 1955's THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED. Sure it's very low budget and has a cast of almost unknowns but hey it's entertaining as hell. Again Nuclear war is responsible (there's a patten here) and this time we follow a group of survivors as they make they're escape from the city to the mountains where they come across a former marine and his daughter holed up in there purposely built fallout house. For the remainder of the film they have to a) contend with a low-life mobster who was one of the survivors and b) a mutated creature that's wandering around the woods. The film's not the best ever made but that's why i like it, it's fun, moves at a great pace and the film has an isolation theme running through it. Ive actually tried to write a remake script for this but gave up quite fast when i realised it was pretty cool they way it is. Check it out it's fun.

10. PANIC IN YEAR ZERO (1962)



I know this isn't a Sci-Fi film or A monster Movie but Panic in Year Zero, has the theme of Nuclear destruction in it so it could be considered sort of Sci-fi, Anyway the reason i put this film in is because basically it's brilliant. Ray Milland directed and Stars in this film. It follows a family on the way to a holiday destination for a vacation, on the way American cities get nuked and we then follow them as they try to survive. They load up on suplies, guns, and petrol and make they're way to a cave that the son found years before. They have to contend with chaos on the back roads, roaming gangs and kidnapped girls. The film also stars Frankie Avalon, Jean Hagen and Mary Mitchell, it's a tense film and i absolutely love it. Seek it out if you can....

There we go, my ten fave films.
Honorable mentions to...

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)
FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956)
THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955)
THE TIME MACHINE (1960)
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1959)