Killers from Space (1954)

An atomic scientist claims he was abducted by aliens after being injured in a plane crash.

Director:

W. Lee Wilder

Writers:

William Raynor (screenplay) (as Bill Raynor), Myles Wilder (story)

Stars:

Peter Graves, James Seay, Steve Pendleton

Cast

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

Storyline

Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test. Miraculously appearing unhurt at the base later, he is given sodium amethol, but authorities are skeptical of his story that he was captured by aliens determined to conquer the Earth with giant monsters and insects. Martin vows to use existing technology to destroy them.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | truth serum | power plant | airplane crash | giant spider | 

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Taglines:

It's a nuclear nightmare!

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asesinos del espacio

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Planet Filmplays

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Contrary to the usual practice in the 1950s, the credits appear at the end rather than at the beginning of the movie.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Deneb Tala: You are a clever man, Doctor. Perhaps too clever.

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Crazy Credits

Opening title rises up from the mushroom cloud towards the camera.

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Alternate Versions

The print of the film used on the Triton Multimedia/Slingshot Video DVD release includes several green tinted inserts and effects shots, most notably when our hero is first zapped by the aliens and later during the underground scenes.

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Connections

Referenced in Burying the Ex (2014)

User Reviews

Well, did you expect the Astron Delta people to show up at the U.N. with their petty list of complaints?

And, when William Raynor takes a screenplay credit as Bill Raynor, that is an instant tip-off one is about to visit the Land of the Gobblers. First rattle out of the box Peter Graves, as a nuclear scientist, is inspecting his handiwork flying over a bomb test area and crashes, and the next thing he knows he awakens in a California cavern. His host, John Merrick, bulb-eyed and dressed in pea-green, introduces himself as an Astronian scientist from Astrol Delta, and is on a mission to destroy the human race. He explains that the sun if falling on his home planet and the billion or so Astronians must take over another planet---Earth. Astro Delta and Earth evidently do not share the same sun or else their master plan would just be a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

So old Daneb-Tala shows Miles, or Doug, some gigantic reptiles and insects of the hair-lice variety---these are really, really big mothers---and the main and only item produced on Astro Delta must be these monsters because they have a bunch of them. A really, really big bunch of these really, really big monsters. But they need a bunch as their master plan to take over Earth is to have these monsters traveling around and about and killing off all the earthmen. Daneb-Tala does not mention women, so one can only shudder at the thought of what the Astronians have in mind for them. And Daneb-Tala seems to be unaware of the danger that an American housewife with a can of Flit and a flyswatter---albeit a really, really big flyswatter--- could pose for his master plan.

And Daveb-Tala informs Doug that oh-by-the-way you were killed in the plane crash but us Astrolians, with skill, knowledge and instruments beyond the current knowledge of man---and he doesn't even capitalize man, just to show we ain't much in the bulb-eyes of the Astrolians. But they are going to use Doug as their unwilling-but-helpless slave in supplying the Astrolians with top-secret atomic-energy information. Gee, they can bring a dead guy back to life but can't split an atom?

Doug can't tell what he has seen, heard and been through, for fear of being locked up in a Nervous Place, but the Army slams him with a needle full of truth serum and hears his story. They of course don't believe it---we must of overdosed him---and proceed to prepare Nervous Place papers on him, but government red tape being what government red tape is allows Doug to get away. And Doug has a plan of his own. He has learned that the Astrolians are all holed up in caves scattered all over California, and their diet is an all-electric one and if they don't have electricity they will blow up. They are stealing it naturally because even Astronians couldn't afford to pay California electricity bills. And, as soon as Cable TV came available, they intended to steal it also. So Doug plans to pull the one switch that supplies all of California with electricity.

Not wishing to write a "spoiler", even for a movie that a spoiler would be a surprise for any viewer with an I.Q. of anything over 29, the ending will not be given away here.

But since California has gone to rolling-blackouts, has anyone seen any Astrolians anywhere in the state...Carmel, O.J. Simpson houseguests and the Golden Globe Awards show excepted.