The Strange World of Planet X (1958)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Gilbert Gunn

Writers:

René Ray (novel)
Paul Ryder (writer)

Release Date:

31 December 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

Shock by incredible shock this ravaging death overruns the earth...menacing mankind with overwhelming chaos!

Plot:

At a small, rural British lab, monomaniac Dr. Laird and his staff create ultra-intense magnetic fields...

Plot Keywords:

Hobo | Spaceship | Close Encounter Of The Third Kind | Cosmic Ray | Giant Centipede

Cast

Forrest Tucker	...	Gil Graham
Gaby André	...	Michele Dupont
Martin Benson	...	Smith
Alec Mango	...	Dr. Laird
Wyndham Goldie	...	Brig. General Cartwright
Hugh Latimer	...	Jimmy Murray
Dandy Nichols	...	Mrs. Tucker
Richard Warner	...	Insp. Burns
Patricia Sinclair	...	Helen Forsyth
Geoffrey Chater	...	Gerard Wilson
Hilda Fenemore	...	Mrs. Hale (as Hilda Fennemore)
Susan Redway	...	Jane Hale

Also Known As:

Cosmic Monsters (USA) (poster title)
The Cosmic Monster (USA)
The Crawling Horror
The Crawling Terror

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005)

Filming Locations:

National Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Artistes Alliance Ltd.

Quotes:

Brig. General Cartwright: There's no one else available to operate this computer of yours.
Dr. Laird: But a... woman? This is preposterous. This is highly skilled work!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Cosmic Monsters" (1998)

Why I enjoyed the film; points of interest.

"The Strange World of Planet X" (British, 1957; usually shown as "The Cosmic Monsters" on American TV) has been one of my favorites for many years. It's been said that films of this type don't appeal to anyone except the public, since they're usually despised by critics, but I found this film great scary fun to watch (throughout many repeated viewings) as well as a good example of how a low budget can be stretched. The performances are sincere; Forrest Tucker is his reliable self as the hero, and I particularly admired the performance of Martin Benson as "Mr. Smith", a benevolent visitor from afar probably inspired by Michael Rennie's "Klaatu" character in 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The film builds suspense quite well, and there are suitably harrowing scenes involving giant insects. This originally played American theatres as a double feature with another nifty British chiller, "The Trollenberg Terror" aka "The Crawling Eye", which also starred Forrest Tucker.