What a hoot!!!! This film tops them all……and the 50’s had some real “winners” in the genre. And like all that went before and after, this will win your heart. Knowing that computer generated effects and advanced use of the blue screen were things yet to come, we usually have to bite the bullet and figure they did the best they could with what they had. BUT, in this case, they really hit bottom with the monster bird. It has to be the worst of all…..it’s a damn wooden puppet on strings that bobs around like Big Bird on a binge……pretty pitiful. Jeff Morrow probably wanted to commit suicide or die of terminal embarrasment after seeing this film in its finished state. And the lovely Mara Corday, who was always stuck in the lower echelon of film making, had to count this as a low point in her career. She deserved better. And of course Morris Ankrum never learned….he just kept plugging away in “B” films and became on of the most famous faces seen in supporting roles. Now, after saying all those negative things, I can honestly say that I love this movie….it is so outrageous that you are just sucked in, forever becoming a fanatic of low budget, 50’s horror/science fiction films. Yes, it is really bad, really bad…..but somehow you can’t quit watching. Have fun with it!!!!!
B Movie Nation
Foundational Cinema