As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
I recently came to realize, how far back my love for horror films went. My mother brought me some boxes of things from the home I grew up in and in one of them were some old 16 mm films. Among them was 'Son of Frankenstein' and 'The Monster That Challenged the World'. All at once, my memories from childhood, watching these on an old film projector we had, came rushing back. They belonged to my father, an avid lover of old school sci-fi and horror films. I had all but forgotten that they'd even existed, until that moment. However, once they were in my possession again, I started to remember other things. Like the monster magazines my brother used to have lying around or the classic monsters action figures I used to play with. Ever since then, I've been nostalgic for those days of old. A simpler time, when monster movies and horror films were still a thing that I didn't fully understand. As I grew older, I drifted away from them, but came back again and have been a die hard fan ever since. Recently, I came across a review of the Blu-ray release of 'The Monster That Challenged the World', that sparked my interest in seeing it again. Since I no longer have a film projector, it was a new way I could enjoy a classic from my past. Last night, I finally was able to see this one again and man, did it take me back.
The film, has a fairly simple premise. One that used to be so common among the b-grade sci-fi and horror films of the 50's. Some kind of radioactivity resurrects some monster from the prehistoric times and it comes back, only to cause havoc and destruction on the unsuspecting people of earth. 'The Monster That Challenged the World' was no different. It begins in an Ed Wood type fashion, with old stock footage and a voice over. We get the basic premise for how we'd learn the monster came to be, as things slowly lead into the story to come. We begin with two Navy guys on a boat, who are randomly attacked by some unseen creature. Soon, the entire base is on the hunt for the monster, as we begin to build up the characters around the base. They soon find the nest of the creature and one of it's eggs. Realizing what it truly is and that there could be dozens more, they close down the beaches and waterways, in an attempt to trap the monsters, before they can destroy the city and eventually.... the world. A love develops and some cheesy dialog happens, before the climactic final fight between the leading man and the last monster. Who will win? You'll have to witness it with your own eyes, to know for sure!
Starring Hans Conried and Tim Hold, with a story by David Duncan, turned into a screenplay by Pat Fielder and adequately directed by Arnold Laven, 'The Monster That Challenged the World' is a prime example of the higher quality second tier b-movies of the time. The creature is iconic and the pacing is fairly brisk. Considering when it was made, 1957, even the deaths are rather gruesome. As the monster drains its victims of their blood and water, leaving them as shriveled up husks of their former selves. They even show the bodies in full black and white shock and awe! There's so much to love about this film, that I could see why my father owned it and why it was such a staple in my viewing roster as a child. It's not too scary and not too gory. (For 1950's audience standards). If you've never seen one of the radioactive monster films of the time, then this is a good place to start. It has all the earmarks of the classics that were released back then and still holds up pretty well today. This one also shows what can be accomplished, even on a smaller scale. Some of the special effects leave something to be desired, but what do you really expect from something made that long ago? I can honestly say that the monster itself, is far superior to some of the CGI creations of recent cinematic releases. So much so, that this one has remained a bit of a cult classic, for the true believers.
I don't know why this one slowly sank from the depths of my memory over the years. One can only assume that time and tide, washed it back into the recess of my mind, only to be uncovered through sheer luck and some hoarding tendencies of my mother. Thank god for that. Someday, I hope to get to the Goodwill store and pick up an old 16 mm film projector and a screen, so that I can watch it as it was originally intended. Until then, the Blu-ray release has brought this gem back from the dead and put it in it's rightful place in the annuals of sci-fi horror history. Perhaps, everyone won't appreciate it in the same way that I do. I can only hope that they can see it as the Saturday afternoon matinee popcorn double feature that it was intended to be. Clearly a 4 out of 5 star effort, by those that put their blood, sweat and foamy goo into it. They created a monster in more ways than one and also gave birth to a horror film buff that still lives on today. Writing about all of the magnificent monsters that have graced the silver screen for the past 100+ years. Here's to another 100 more and my dream that these kind of films will live on forever.
If you enjoy this film, check out some of the other sci-fi monster movies of the day: 'Them!', 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms' and 'The Giant Behemoth'
No comments:
Post a Comment