The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) User Reviews

The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 9 January 2005]

This rates up there as one of the better "giant monsters wreak havoc on mankind" movies that came out of the 1950s. The predators this time are overgrown snails/mollusks/caterpillar-like creatures that awaken from the pits of the Salton Sea after an earthquake shakes things up and charges them full of radiation. These monsters may appear of the dime store variety to those who aren't used to these "big bug" pictures, but actually they're pretty believable for a movie like this. Some of the assets setting this feature apart from its relatives would be the serious treatment of the story, some good acting and characters (it's fun watching Hans Conried as the knowledgeable scientist), and a few impressive pre-JAWS ocean scenes (one of the female victims meets a fateful watery demise, for example). Also adding to the effectiveness are some creepy ravaged corpses, the likes of which weren't usually this prominent back in the day. *** out of ****

A monster with delusions of grandeur

[graduatedan · 7/10 · 3 August 2005]

This tidy little "B" thriller features all the usual elements common to genre films of the fifties; a lantern jawed hero determined to get to the bottom of all the trouble, the stern scientist who provides the rationale for the beastliness and the comely love interest who provides the distaff side of the equation. That "The monster that challenged the world" succeeds in delivering an at times genuinely frightening experience is due, I think,to a great script and film makers who treat the material with respect. To do any less is a betrayal of the audience,in my view. The film is peopled with understated performances, especially those of Hans Conreid in a rare dramatic role and Tim Holt,a stalwart of "B" westerns, as the no nonsense Commander Twillinger. The monster of the title may not be as menacing as, say, Alien, but it provides enough creepy moments to satisfy all but the most jaded film goers. Nice photography and crisp editing add to the overall effect. "The monster that challenged the world" made almost fifty years ago, remains a fresh and satisfying example of the genre. Recommended.

Scary looking monster

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 21 April 2004]

The studios were scratching their heads during those years trying to come up with which creature should be enlarged and terrorize everyone and you have to give them credit for thinking of mollusks and then making them scary looking. Kudos for their effort! Story takes place at the Salton Sea where an earthquake has released the eggs of prehistoric mollusks and with the radioactive testing that the Government has been doing this causes the creatures to be bigger than horses. After some navy personnel disappear Lt. Cmdr. John Twillinger (Tim Holt) from the Navy base is asked to investigate and he finds an empty boat with two dead seamen. He finds some goop on the boat and brings it to be analyzed by Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried) but he also meets his new secretary Gail MacKenzie (Audrey Dalton). They venture out the next day and scuba divers discover a giant egg that they haul on board but the creature emerges and kills one of the divers before they can repel it.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Dr. Rogers puts the egg in a temperature controlled tank so that it cannot hatch but later other divers go out and set up underwater explosives to destroy all the eggs and creatures but they discover that the Salton Sea has an underwater river that is connected to canals and if all the creatures are not destroyed they could make their way to other parts of the country. Meanwhile, Gail's daughter Sandy (Mimi Gibson) thinks it's to cold in the lab and changes the temperature which makes the giant egg hatch!

This film was directed by Arnold Laven who does a pretty admirable job but the one criticism is that the film drags during certain stages. The special effects are not bad considering the budget and the creature's itself are downright authentic looking. They look like giant caterpillars with pinchers but we keep getting told that they are mollusks. Holt would only appear in two more films after this before retiring to a life in business and he's best known for appearing in countless westerns. Dalton was a real dark haired beauty and with her beautiful eyes she reminded me of Ava Gardner and Mara Corday. As beautiful as Dalton is I dropped my jaw when young Barbara Darrow popped up on screen as the ill fated Jody. Why didn't some studio executive grab her and make her sign a contract so that we could see more of her? Some well known character actors also have roles in this film such as Max Showalter (aka Casey Adams) and Ralph Moody. Pretty well made 50's sci-fi big bug film does slow down after a bit but the creature effects are above par and the cast is good. If you love the big bug flicks of the 50's than you definitely need to check this out.

Giant molluscs threaten the world

[chris_gaskin123 · 30 June 2004]

After giant ants, spiders, dinosaurs and various aliens, it was the turn of giant molluscs to threaten the world in this enjoyable movie.

An underwater earthquake in the Salton Sea releases prehistoric and radioactive giant molluscs. They then start to kill people by feeding on their bones. Navy officers and scientists from the nearby remote naval base investigate and try and stop them, but they escape into the nearby canal and start to threaten the world. Meanwhile, an unhatched egg is brought to the naval base for examination, but this hatches after a little girl raises the temperature of the water tank its kept in by accident, releasing another monster and threatens her and her mum before it is killed. The other unhatched eggs in the sea are destroyed by divers, and the other monsters are eventually killed.

The monsters in this movie don't look too bad, despite the low budget and the movie is quite eeire in parts.

The movie stars western actor Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton as his love interest, Mimi Gibson as her daughter and Hans Conried.

I taped this movie when it came on channel 4 during the early hours and have seen it several times. A treat.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

A quality little film

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 28 October 2002]

Fairly standard atomic monster fare bolstered considerably by a cool looking monster and a pretty good cast. Also, the script is a bit funnier than usual, without in any way being a parody or farce. It includes more characterization and human interest (in a genuine sort of way) than most such films. In this case, the military must hunt giant mollusks that supposedly can walk on land or swim in water, but we only see it in the water and sticking its head out of the water. Amusing, but dry, fun. Holt holds up well in the lead role, although the years were not kind to his midsection.

Enjoyable old sci-fi film

[psychoren2002 · 7/10 · 10 June 2006]

First of all, the title suggest one single monster, but there's several of them in the film, pretty good looking monsters for a low budget indeed, and they did not challenge the world, just a few people in the Salton Sea area actually, but that's OK, it's part of the 50's charm. In fact, "The Monster..." is far better than others "big bugs" films of the era, maybe slow paced, but with a clear plot, tension and good performances by the cast. Believe me when I tell you: this movie deserves a remake! Is not difficult to imagine a version today, with best production and far advanced special effects... even more if you consider that the other feature in this "Midnite Movies" DVD is "It!", a direct source of inspiration for "Alien". Good old sci-fi stuff!

A Swan Song for Tim Holt

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 17 April 2006]

The Monster That Challenged the World is about some prehistoric molluscs who were in some dormant eggs that got themselves hatched. They are spreading death and destruction through their abilities to come out on land and feed, usually on unsuspecting humans.

The special effects are a might better than some of the science fiction cult classics from the Fifties. The story does bog down a bit in the personal part. Tim Holt's character is introduced to us as a by the book navy commander who softens with no real reason why.

When he did this film Tim Holt had been off the screen for five years after the B picture western disappeared from the big screen and on to television. Why Holt didn't go the way of television in his career is a mystery.

Tim Holt had one of the strangest careers in Hollywood history. He was a very good actor, gave good performances in both western and non-western films like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Stella Dallas, Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and The Magnificent Ambersons. Yet he consistently went back to doing B westerns for RKO. His westerns were above average in the B film market, but they did nothing to advance his career. Another guy who replaced Holt in B westerns at RKO went on to a mega career, that being Robert Mitchum.

So in 1957 while Mitchum is doing critically acclaimed stuff like Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, Tim's doing The Monster That Challenged the World. Insisting on being a B picture cowboy finished him for anything else. So sad.

Holt did do two subsequent films that I've not seen, but the description makes them sound worse than this one.

You can watch The Monster That Challenged the World and still enjoy it. But if you liked Tim Holt and his screen performances and persona you will have a twinge of regret.

Fun-filled creature feature! Slightly underrated

[capkronos · 6/10 · 7 January 2006]

After an earthquake, people (including a diver, a diner owner's hot-blooded teen daughter, her biker boyfriend and others) start disappearing near the waters of a military research lab. Victims are completely drained of all liquids, have leathery skin and ping pong ball eyes and are usually surrounded by a strange white slime that, when analyzed, shows radioactive properties. Commander Tim Holt leads a search-and-destroy mission that utilizes members of the air national guard, navy and local police. The beasts responsible turns out to be "prehistoric sea snails" exposed to atomic waste that have grown to huge proportions (they look like giant caterpillars with shells), have scissor-like teeth and feed on both sea and land. Our heroes must keep them from getting into the All-American Canal, escaping into the ocean and multiplying; each monster having the potential to produce one-thousand offspring per lifetime. And everyone's partially thwarted by a bratty twerp named Sandy, who disobeys mommy's orders, messes around with a thermostat and unleashes even more creatures. After this showing, one hopes little Sandy ended up crossing paths with Rhoda from THE BAD SEED.

Anyway, this is a fun mixed-bag of a creature feature that mixes the monster mayhem with typical 50s melodrama (including a romantic subplot between Holt and widowed single mom and lab secretary Audrey Dalton). Don't listen to the reviews that knock the creature; the special effects are great. One highlight is when someone uses a pole to poke a monster's eyeball out. The print has a couple or rough spots, but is in pretty good shape.

'Science fact & science fiction are not the same.' Reasonable 50's monster film about slimy sea Snail's.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 3 March 2012]

The Monster That Challenged the World is set in California i a small inland named Salton Sea where a naval base have been conducting radioactive experiments, a large Earth tremor has recently stuck the area & during a routine pick-up of a parachutist contact is lost with the pick-up boat. Lt. Commander John Twillinger (Tim Holt) leads the search party & finds the boat with a dead man aboard & another dead, shrivelled up man in the water who seems to have had all his bodily fluid sucked out. The investigation to the cause of the death's is underway as naval scientist Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried) leads the enquiry. When a local girl & a soldier from the base mysterious disappear near a lake divers are sent in to have a look at the bottom & are horrified to discover a huge sea mollusk with a taste for human blood, even worse is that it has laid eggs & there's a very real prospect of these giant monsters breeding in their thousands across the world & wiping out humanity...

Directed by Arnold Laven this 50's monster film is quite good for it's type & while it has dated it's still a pretty good time waster in a nostalgic sort of way, there are better giant monster films out there but there are far worse too. While it does take itself quite seriously at times the script isn't that bad, a few of the minor character's have slightly more depth than one might expect with a strange store clerk getting a fair bit of dialogue & screen time. As you would expect the science on show here in The Monster that Challenged the World is dubious at best & ludicrous at worst with a lecture on mollusk's complete with footage of Snail's that basically contradicts everything I know about them! Since when were Snail's meat eater's & since when did they live mainly in water? The script also throw's in the standard 50's theme about the danger's of radiation & atomic testing just like all good 50's giant monster films do although after raising the issue it completely drops it by the end. One thing that surprised me a bit was the length of The Monster that Challenged the World, most of these monster films from the 50's only last for about 70 odd minutes but this lasts almost 90 & while the pace isn't great just about enough happens to sustain one's interest. Unfolding in fairly predictable fashion The Monster that Challenged the World has enough going for it to be worth watching if your a fan of these types of films & I can't recall another monster film that features giant sea Snail's either so at least the makers tried something a little different.

The Monster that Challenged the World could have been a minor classic had a bit more time & care been put into it's set-pieces which are alright but a little lacklustre. The initial dive to the underwater & the discovery of the monsters could have been milked for more suspense, the divers destroy the remaining creatures & egg's far too easily at the end & even the climax in the lab seems a little half hearted with the monster just sort of rooted to the spot & not trying to do anything other than make it as easy for Twillinger to kill it as possible. The giant sea Snail's look pretty good actually, it's a shame there's not a little bit more movement but at least it's not just some guy in a rubber suit & it's pincers & stubby arms move to try & give it some semblance of life even if it is a little stiff at times. A couple of dead bodies are seen including one all shrivelled up.

With a supposed budget of about $254,000 the production values are decent if unremarkable, the special effects are good for the time it was made. The acting isn't anything special, I can't say that I recognised anyone from the cast.

The Monster that Challenged the World is a fun 50's black and white giant monster film with a good & fairly original monster but it lacks a certain something, it's definitely worth watching especially if your a giant monster film fan & I enjoyed it for what it is but I can't say much more than that.

Keep kids out of the lab

[Chase_Witherspoon · 7/10 · 2 May 2011]

When an earthquake awakens century-old giant mollusks with tusk-like mandibles and an appetite to match the long-hibernation, naval Captain Twill (former cowboy star of the forties Tim Holt) applies his no-nonsense, practical man skills to solve the problem. But not before some of his friends, subordinates and bystanders are inhaled. Single mother (Dalton) woos the affections of the married-to-the-uniform Twill, while her child (prolific child actress Gibson) causes untold grief while unattended in the laboratory. Oops! Did I bump the humidicrib regulator and accidentally breed a parasitic behemoth that could destroy the base? Evidence of why children should never be taken to the workplace, even if for the purpose of procuring cheap labour.

What distinguishes this picture, however, from the litany of inferiority that contaminate most of the fifties monster sub-genre is its acting. Holt is uber-professional in his timing, expression, delivery and especially interplay with the less experienced cast around him. Dalton, a former theatre actress, is also robust and there's excellent support in veterans Conried and Jones. The monster mollusks, which look like super-magnified maggots make horrendous shrieking yowls and are mostly concealed from view (the 'what lies beneath' imaginings do the job for the most part). Their inspired creation are among the more memorable movie monsters, not entirely absurd nor without some shock value considering the production scale.

Reasonably fast-paced, although the time taken to discover the presence of the monsters is longer that most audiences might expect. The narrative build-up is consistent with the mystery theme most often used in these types of movies, and serves the purpose reasonably well; the early conjecture about the aquatic assailant being a large shark was not an original alibi in terms of plot development, but nevertheless maintains engagement until the true monster is revealed. Certainly one of the key creature-features of its halcyon era and recommended viewing for even the casual admirer.

When things get sticky, it's time for a nice, long dinner.

[Ted-101 · 3/10 · 1 September 1999]

In this dreadfully tedious and incredibly over-rated film, a handful of giant mollusks somehow manage to emerge from the Salton Sea to terrorize a naval base and the meager civilian population living nearby.

Pudgy Tim Holt, as Cdr. Twillinger, waddles around scowling at everyone if there not doing things "by the book", then spends five minutes crawling on the floor looking for a little girl's ladybug. The little girl's mommy is gorgeous Gail Mackenzie, so we'll let this minor lapse in character consistency go.

What we can't excuse is a film that is terribly paced, by being constantly plagued by lengthy and dull sequences involving meetings and leisurely dinners at a time when the action and suspense should be picking up and driving the film toward a powerful conclusion. There are some fairly good attack sequences involving the mollusks (which really look like giant caterpillars) "absorbing" a few swimmers and divers, but these scenes are always followed by interminable interludes in which Han Conreid, as the chief scientist, explains at GREAT length why they're all in extreme danger.

Then there's that sticky stuff that's always found on or near the bodies. Sometimes it's pasty white, sometimes it looks like bubble-bath, and sometimes it looks like something else again. Whatever. Aside from being a bore, there's never any real sense that the Mollusks are going to amount to a serious threat, AND THEY DON'T!

"It Conquered The World", made a year earlier, and with a similar title, is a far superior film in terms of plot, script, character development and pacing! I suggest you compare for yourself.

On the A-list of B pictures

[Strnad · 8/10 · 13 November 2001]

Of course The Monster That Challenged the World is slowly paced. With a budget of about twenty dollars there's a lot of filler. But what little budget there is, is well used in creating a great animatronic monster.

The story is basic but well-structured and it works. I can watch this one over and over without wanting to throw things at the screen or yell at the characters for doing stupid things. My intelligence is more seriously insulted by modern horror films and their idiot protagonists than it ever is by The Monster That Challenged the World.

Among low-budget sci-fi flicks of the 1950s, The Monster That Challenged the World ranks near the top!

Jan Strnad (aka J. Knight)

Another Mutant Monster From the Deep!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 14 January 2002]

"The Monster That Challenged the World", in spite of its long winded title, is not a bad movie of its kind. The film was one of a series of "giant creature" movies popular in the fifties.

The monster of the title is a giant mollusk/snail type creature (that actually looks more like a caterpillar) that is awakened by an earthquake. It then sets about attacking people and laying eggs. Commander Tim Holt of the U.S. Naval Intelligence Service then sets about to destroy it. Assisting him are scientists Hans Conried (playing it straight for a change) and Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter) and sheriff Gordon Jones. Audrey Dalton is Holt's love interest. Veteran character actor Ralph Moody (a true what's his name?) plays one of the monster's victims.

Director Arthur Laven gives us a believable monster(s) for the 50s and builds the suspense by not showing it until well into the film. Some of the victims look like papier mache but all in all it makes for a pretty good monsters film with high production values on a modest budget.

Holt, who had left films when his excellent "B" western series ended in 1952, came out of retirement for this film, apparently as a favor to director Laven. After this, he made only one more film before forsaking Hollywood for good.

Good old sci fi flick

[tamstrat · 5/10 · 24 February 2005]

I love the old 50's scifi movies where every creature on earth has been exposed to radiation and threatens humanity. Such is "The Monster that challenged the world." The basic story is that a naval base in California starts losing military personnel in the ocean and then locals start disappearing as well. Tim Holt plays the deadpan, serious naval officer trying to find out what is causing the deaths. Audrey Dalton is a naval widow/secretary to the scientist on the base ably portrayed by Hans Conreid. The widow and the officer fall in love while fighting off the giant sea creature that looks like a caterpillar on steroids. It is actually above average in the storyline, effects and acting, one of the better movies of it's genre made in the 1950's. Fun to watch.

Above par monster on the loose programmer.

[youroldpaljim · 17 February 2001]

I found this film about giant snails on the loose in the Salton sea area slightly better than most programmer monster films of the late 1950's. The giant snails are a believable menace in that they are presented as no more dangerous than any other large aquatic predator such a shark or crocodile. They put a fight but can be killed with several well aimed shots from a pistol or a heavy axe. The real danger as pointed in the film, is that snails are extremely fecund, and if they were to enter the ocean , they could reproduce in enormous numbers thus creating ecological havoc. Anyone who has ever had a fish tank knows once you introduce one tiny snail, in a matter of couple of weeks you have hundreds. One odd aspect everyone seems to comment on is that snails look like caterpillars in snail shells. There is a type of aquatic insect larva that uses a discarded snail shell as armour, much like a hermit crab does. Perhaps someone involved with the film had seen these insect larvae and mistook them for snails.

Very very well made monster film

[Stooovie · 6/10 · 4 September 2002]

A classic of its genre, this well-paced and tightly-scripted movie actually gave me a few shocks, which is not common with 50s monster cinema when viewed nowadays. It has good production values and above-average acting. Recommended for any fan of the genre. 7/10

Instant TERROR......just add water!

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 1 May 2008]

An earthquake out in the Salton Sea awakens the creeping dread, gigantic vampire water snails are on the loose and they are hungry for human fluid!.

Just about the right side of good, The Monster Who Challenge The World holds up well because of it's well constructed creatures and a bit of care and attention to the boffin discussions. Far too many 50s creature features just used a basic premise of creatures obliterating mankind because they were in an odd mood, but much like The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, this picture at least takes time to give us a bit of a nature heartbeat to help us understand the methods of a mollusc, and that alone should be applauded, learn while we have fun so to speak. The cast ooze B-movie standards, and that is in no way a bad thing here, whilst the Catalina Island locale sequences are pretty nifty to help salt the beef as it were!

Good honest fun that isn't short on creepiness, and top marks to the makers for introducing a very ingenious creature to a truly wonderful genre. 6/10

Cowboy Tim Holt meets the Killer Katerpillars!

[Bruce_Cook · 5/10 · 26 February 2004]

Even though this is a low-budget programmer, it does offer some interesting non-animated monsters. As in "Them", the monsters are full-sized, mobile mock-ups. The story describes them as prehistoric sea slugs, but they look more like caterpillars, complete with huge insect eyes, pincher-mandibles, and a double row of caterpillar-like legs.

Navy frogmen encounter the creatures on the floor of California's Salton Sea after an earthquake releases several trapped eggs which hatch in the warm water. The monsters migrate inland via waterways and underground springs, and the Navy must stop them before they overrun the planet.

Tim Holt is the stalwart Naval officer who spearheads the investigation into th mysterious deaths of several fluid-drained victims. Mr. Holt was well-known in the 1940s as the star of a series of low-budget but highly enjoyable Westerns. Typically his character was intelligent and good-natured, working undercover to solve a crime that had been committed.

Audrey Dalton is the pretty widow he romances. Hans Conried ("The Twonky") is the scientist who studies a batch of unhatched eggs in a temperature-controlled tank of water. A laboratory mishap causes one of the eggs to hatch, and the creature corners Dalton and her daughter in the lab.

The main problem with "The Monster that Challenged the World" is that the plot moves like the creatures -- at a snail's pace. Director Arnold Laven created a bland monster movie, sadly lacking in traditional elements such as theremin music, skeptical sheriffs, and Morris Ankrum as an army general.

"From the instant they're born, they're hungry"

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

One of those monster movies where there's supposed to be several creatures but you only ever see the one. Can it be just coincidence that less than five years after Hans Conreid played the diabolical Dr Terwilliger in 'The 5,000 Fingers of Dr' his boss Tim Holt is called 'Twillinger'? Whatever. Conreid's the actor you're always watching whenever he's on the screen.

Another bad movie with a title that doesn't make sense.

[13Funbags · 2/10 · 24 April 2017]

For some reason,scientists,military guys and police standing around a room making up lies about a monster is a science fiction staple.I will never understand or accept that. This movie does just that and sprinkles in all the other clichés and tops it off with terrible acting. And of course the title isn't even close to accurate.There's several monsters and they barely challenge one town. At one point the authorities decide the monsters will move from the ocean into the canal,based on absolutely nothing.The police complain,saying "There's 700 miles of canal bank in this county". Really?700 miles in one county? At least they provided some chuckles by constantly having the military and police end radio talk with things like "I'll call you later" and "OK,Bye". You'd have a tough time finding a worse movie.

We'll check every pool in the valley for a sign of their secretion

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 30 July 2006]

**SPOILERS** With a strong earthquake erupting under the Salton Sea in Southern California it opened up a hole where there were some prehistoric giant sleeping Mollusks. The Mollusks not only came back to life but started killing and eating a number of people and cattle in and around the sea. They then start laying eggs to bring and replenish their extinct species back to the point that they'll overflow the inland Salton Sea and work their way into all the waterways and oceans of the earth. Eating everything, man animal fish plant insect, on the planet into extinction.

The US Navy having a top secret base on the southern tip of the Salton Sea and experimenting with atomic energy has a lot of explaining to do to the American people in the fact that the Mollusks are now a danger to the nation, as well as the very earth itself. The Navy had been fooling around with nuclear fission in and around the sea that caused, together with the earthquake, the mollusks to grow to such enormous sizes and breed like a bunch of sex starved rabbits.

After losing a number of Navy men and some civilians along the sea the Navy goes out on a hunting trip to find these killer Mollusks. It soon confronts a number of them ending up capturing an unhatched egg of the creatures. With the commander of the naval base John "Twill" Twillinger, Tim Holt, in charge together with the head scientist Dr. Jess Rogers, Hans Conried, they place the egg in a temperature controlled tank at 38 degrees to keep the egg from hatching. The up-tight and by-the-books commander Twillinger get very friendly with one of the young women at the base secretary Gail MacKenzie, Andrey Dalton. Thats after finding here cute but somewhat bratty little daughter Sandy, Mimi Gibson, lost lady bug which leads to Twillinger finding an opening to Gail's heart. It turns that Gale lost her husband in a tragic naval accident two years ago. Twillinger takes Gale out to dinner where he spends more time looking at her then eating his meal.

Meanwhile the deadly and giant Mollusks begin to fan out of the Salton Sea and move into a nearby canal. Killing and eating everything in their path including, in the most jarring scene in the film, an old and cranky canal lock operator, Ralph Moody. Who thought the story about these "Monsters from the deep", that the Salton Sea Naval Station warned him about, was all a joke until he himself got swallowed by one of them.

The Navy tracks down where the Mollusks are and where their laying their eggs and with Twillinger and Dr. Tad Johns, Max Showpher, donning naval scuba outfits they both go underwater and plant explosives in the Mollusks breeding grounds; thus blasting them and their eggs to pieces.

What Twillinger and the Navy forgot was that back at the naval stations laboratory there was still an unhatched giant Mollusk egg and little Sandy, being there with her mom Gail, decided to heat up the place by raising the temperature level of the water. That caused the Mollusk to hatch and go on a wild rampage.

Exciting and nail-biting final with Commander Twillinger, or "Twill" to his friends, coming to the rescue of Gail and Sandy who both locked themselves up in a side room to escape the crazed earthworm-like mutation. Twillinger single-handedly holds off the mad and surging Mollusk with a fire extinguisher and then steam hose until the troops finally arrive blasting the slimy thing right back into the stone age.

They're snails, not caterpillars!

[greggbartley · 3/10 · 9 February 2003]

THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD is one of your typical 1950's Cold War monster movies which involve giant radioactive mutant something-or-others. What THEM did for giant ants, THE BEGINNING OF THE END did for giant grasshoppers, TARANTULA! did for, well, you know..., THE MONSTER THAT etc. etc. does for snails. Yes, you heard correctly. The fearsome monster in this little "chiller" are giant radioactive man eating snails, who come to the surface after an earthquake opens up a fissure in the bottom of the Salten Sea in southern California. Which is best known for its close proximity to Hollywood and easy availability of cheap movie sets. How these snails became radioactive is never explained fully. But, since this is the 1950's, that apparently is not necessary.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "But aren't snails rather.... slow?" Yes, that is very true. However, these are not your ordinary garden-variety snails which tend to eat all your strawberries before they get ripe. These are very *sneaky* snails. They are continually sneaking up behind some poor unsuspecting sap who has been standing in the same place without moving for the better part of fifteen minutes. The snail then would then suck all the life juices out of its victim, who are most likely deaf as a fencepost since they obviously could not hear the very wet and mucus-ie sound of a 12 foot snail racing up behind them at the frightening speed of 20 feet per minute.

The film stars no one you have ever heard of. Well, I am wrong about that. It has Hans Conried as some local biologist who becomes the world's first expert on huge snails, and Max Sowalter, who may be best known for his role as the preacher in "10" and some part which I cannot remember from "Sixteen Candles". He was also in "The Indestructible Man", which starred Lon Chaney, Jr. Which is the subject of another review for another day.

The monsters are finally destroyed by a crack team of about 7 men driving around the southern California canal system and seeing where people who look like dried up twigs are randomly scattered. Divers then go underwater and find all the snails and their eggs. They then blow them up with dynamite (but not without the cliffhanger of "will the fuse light or won't it?"). End of story. Boy gets girl (which I did not go into, as the "hero" of the story is a very unfortunate looking side of beef which would embarrass the begeezuz out of any girl who happened to be seen in his company unless they were terribly hard up to begin with, which our heroine unfortunately is, so I guess it works out in the end). MY first solution would have been, of course, a couple of dumptruck loads of table salt.

Maybe the French would have considered a washtub full of drawn butter. 470 pounds of escargot.... Mmmmm....

Prehistoric Mollusks Are Creepy!

[ClassixFan · 9/10 · 22 April 2004]

Following an earthquake under the Salton Sea, killer mollusks make their way to the surface and make the locals part of their diet. This film is much better than what most fans of 'creature features' might suspect. The mutated mollusks really do have that creepy look to them and the cast seems to take their roles rather serious. Tim Holt, who was better known as a 'cowboy' from the early days of film is Commander John Twillinger and while rather short and stout, he hardly fits the bill of a lead, but does a nice job with this role. Audrey Dalton plays his love interest and Hans Conried is the scientist attempting to help the Navy destroy these beasties. This really is a fun film and trust me, there are far worse things you could watch and this film is really enjoyable.

This film was actually based on a true story!

This is the movie Ed Wood Jr would have made if he'd had the money (SPOILERS AHEAD!)

[trouserpress · 7/10 · 18 August 2003]

What a great movie. The photography is of a much higher standard than the script or the special effects, but that's why I love movies like this. There's a wonderful moment when a naval communications guy momentarily puts the mic to his ear to make a radio call, before quickly putting it to his mouth instead. Just like Ed Wood's wobbly grave stones, there seemed to be no thought of a retake. I also enjoyed the lack of continuity between cuts of a close up and a wide shot of the little girl talking to the rabbits. One second the rabbit is up, next it's asleep. The editor cuts back and forth hoping you wont notice. There are also some great editing moments between shots of the divers swimming the murky weed-free depths of the lake, which cut to close ups of the actors in diving helmets placed behind a tank with drifting seaweed. No matter where the divers swim, it always cuts back to the same tank with the same bits of seaweed. Priceless.

My favourite moment in the film is the final showdown between Twill and the monster ( a giant crustacean). After throwing some glass beakers at it he looks desperately around for another weapon. "Take the axe on the wall!" the entire audience cries, but instead he grabs a fire extinguisher and gently sprays it with powder. Obviously they didn't want to hack it to bits as they still had to shoot other scenes with it in.

All in all, it's a very entertaining movie. Some of the special effects are quite good, like the dead bodies drained of all their fluids. However, the first glimpse of the monster in its underwater cave will have you laughing so hard you'll choke on your popcorn.

The movie doesn't live up to the title.

[ChuckStraub · 5/10 · 26 March 2004]

The Monster That Challenged the World. Well, maybe not the world, but a couple dozen people were pretty well shaken up. The movie doesn't live up to the title and the monster isn't big or fierce enough to be a real threat to mankind. The movie does have some weak spots and it isn't near the top of the list for 1950s monster movies. It is however still entertaining and has some scenes that will perk up the monster movie fan. I don't think it can be called a bad movie. Considering it is a 1957 movie of the Sci-Fi, horror genre, I would say it is about average, or perhaps very slightly below average. It still has enough going for it to be interesting but there are plenty of other movies in this genre that I would choose before I got to this one. Don't expect it to match it's title, or expect too much horror and excitement. For me it was still an enjoyable movie although it will not be very memorable one.