The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960)

When a couple are killed in an auto accident their bodies are immediately inhabited by extraterrestrial beings. Taking refuge in an underground cave, the aliens attempt to sabotage the U.S.... See full summary »

Director:

Phil Tucker

Writers:

Phil Tucker (original story), Phil Tucker (screenplay)

Stars:

Scott Peters, Linda Connell, Jason Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Peters	...	Tom Wright
Linda Connell	...	Sally Markham
Jason Johnson	...	Hauron
Katherine Victor	...	Nadja
Harriet Dichter	...	Woman Scientist
Chuck Howard	...	Major General Hollister
Bill Vess	...	Captain Martin
Joe Chester	...	Dr. Meister
Gary Travis	...	Bob Hardin
Billy M. Greene	...	Dr. Von Hoften (as Billy Greene)
Tom Allen	...	Corporal Wilson
Tony Soler	...	Newsboy
Thelaine Williams	...	Shirley Carter
Brain F. Wood	...	Elmer Wesson (as Brian F. Wood)
Flori Jo Johnson	...	Switchboard Operator

Storyline

When a couple are killed in an auto accident their bodies are immediately inhabited by extraterrestrial beings. Taking refuge in an underground cave, the aliens attempt to sabotage the U.S. space program.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | alien abduction | psychotronic film | sabotage | improvisation | 

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

A lot of stock footage is used of the missile launches. Early Atlas launches and even a Nike launch is shown.

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Goofs

When Hauron shoots down the rocket, he supposedly has only one arm. But while shooting, and shortly afterward, it can be clearly seen that his left arm is held against his side, tucked in under his clothes.

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Connections

Referenced in I Hate Everything: the Search for the Worst: Robot Monster (2015)

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Soundtracks

Think of Me
Written by Morey Bernstein
Performed by Jerry Savoy

User Reviews

Unfortunately, it's not among Phil Tucker's worst!

The man who made this film, Phil Tucker, was one of the worst film directors in history. He was responsible for such travesties as "Dance Hall Racket" and "Robot Monster"--the latter of which was among the films in Harry Medved's book "The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time". Incompetence, bad acting and crappy budgets--all hallmarks of this film legend. So, when I saw that "The Cape Canaveral Monsters" was also made by Tucker, I had to watch it, as I occasionally like a terrible movie. After all, with over 12000 reviews to my credit, I need a few truly horrible films now and again after watching artsy, foreign or silent films. Unfortunately, while "The Cape Canaveral Monsters" is very bad, it never comes close to being as bad as "Robot Monster".

The film is supposedly set around Cape Canaveral, Florida. But, being a Floridian, I was amazed to see LOTS of very, very high hills with caves and not a trace of a palm tree or alligator. Frankly, if there WERE caves around Canaveral, they'd be filled up with water, as the land is swampy and very wet. The location was about as un-Canaveral like as you can get--short of filming it in Alaska!

The plot involves two bad actors who have stolen human bodies killed in a car accident. Following their assumption of the bodies as their own, the pair destroy rocket test after rocket test, as their planet does not want the humans venturing into space. They also want to collect a few human specimens to take back to their home planet. Two young folks who work for a professor in charge of the rocket program stumble upon these two undead aliens. Can they stop them or is the Earth royally screwed? The story idea is pretty typical of the genre--and isn't that different from Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space". And, like "Plan 9", the film has a lot of bad acting, crappy props and the like. Bad movie buffs will love watching the Professor deliver his lines as if he's suffering from a traumatic brain injury. They will also love the one-armed guy who clearly has his arm tucked inside his jumpsuit! But the overall level of badness isn't uniform. The male lead isn't a terrible actor and the editing and direction occasionally don't look horrible. Not exactly glowing endorsements, I know, but things that make the film less attractive to those who seek out the very worst! Bad but not quite bad enough is how I see this one.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1960 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

CCM Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1