Song & Trailer - CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN

After yesterday's post about the film I couldn't get the classic Roky Erickson song out of my head. He clearly loved this film as much as I do. Probably more! 

Here's the trailer! 

Brief Thoughts - CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955)

I can't say that CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955) is a particularly good movie but it is an enjoyable one. It's got a lot of things going for it even if one of those things isn't a particularly high budget. Director Edward L. Cahn is known for a handful of 1950s science-fiction / monster movies and although CEATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN is not the best it is also definitely not the worst. The reason for this is probably the script. Although it's also not Curt Siodmak best genre work his script for this film does have a firm enough structure and a strong enough basic idea for the movie to work. It's a little ramshackle but it still functions pretty well. On my umpteenth viewing last night, I found myself liking the movie more than in the past. Maybe I’ve seen it enough times for it to have become comfort viewing. 

My main takeaway this time is a continued fascination with Siodmak returning again and again to the combination of gangsters and mad science. DONOVAN’S BRAIN (1955) (both novel and film) is the better-known example and the better film if truth were to be told. This strange combination is something that probably shouldn't work but somehow does. And this film’s concept of ill-gotten money funding evil science for criminal revenge is a pretty tasty combination. Even if it doesn't serve up a fully satisfying meal here it's still a pretty good snack. Can’t watch just one! 

Happy Birthday Star Trek!

On September 8, 1966 the first episode of Star Trek was broadcast. It was actually the sixth produced but the network thought it would be the best one to introduce this new thing to the world. Maybe it was. It has a little bit of everything - it's got a mystery angle, a jealous romance, a monster and some sexy women. That's almost all 1960's TV shows needed for success!

The Bloody Pit #90 - THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK (1946)

It’s strange to think that there might be a Universal horror film that has never been released on video but THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK (1946) fits that description. Like a handful of other obscure movies the studio made in the 1940’s there has been no release of this interesting picture for home viewing. The only option for the curious is a dodgy, spliced print sourced from 16mm that can be found on YouTube. This is far from a good way to see this rare movie but, for now, the only way. I think the film is worth watching even in this muddy, blown out form but others don’t think so highly of it. In fact, I know one of these people!

Mark Clark is the author responsible for two excellent books on the horror genre. He makes an argument for the finer qualities of the best performances in classic horror in his excellent book ‘Smirk, Sneer and Scream: Great Acting in Horror’. His book ‘Sixties Shockers’, co-written with Bryan Senn, is an excellent overview of horror and thriller films of that pivotal decade that will point almost any reader to hidden gems while giving a fresh perspective on well-known classics. And his three FAQ books on Star Trek and Star Wars are addictive tomes packed full of information even longtime fans will not know. Mark is currently working on a lengthy overview of the horror films of the 1940’s making him a perfect guest to discuss this hard to see movie. Will Mr. Clark and I find a way to punch each other over Skype when he attacks the movie? Tune in and see! Or, hear, I guess. You understand! I mean- how many female mad scientist movies have there been? 

It’s not spoiling too much to say that we both survive the podcast but if you have an opinion on THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK drop us a line at thebloodypit@gmail.com or on the show’s Facebook page. Thanks for listening!

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Trailers From Hell - THE ANGRY RED PLANET (1959)

Summer is still burning my flesh and blinding my eyes but I'm dreaming of cooler days and October nights. Strangely, this film makes me feel like Halloween is on the way. 

Doctor Who - The Macra Terror

Between 1967 and 1978 a number of BBC shows stored on videotape and film were wiped or destroyed to make storage room for newer programs. This was done because of the prevalent belief of the time that these shows had no real value. Cut to a few years later when the VHS revolution and the loss of these classic episodes becomes a gaping hole in television history – and a massive loss of profit potential.

For decades one of the most profitable of all BBC television shows has been Doctor Who. On the air originally from 1962 to 1989 it’s early years were hit pretty hard by the desire to make space in the BBC vaults for more recent things. Luckily, Doctor Who is unusual in that each of its 97 missing episodes survives in audio form recorded off-air by fans at home. Most of these episodes are also represented by production stills, and short video clips. This has allowed the modern BBC production team to find ways of bringing a version of these missing stories to the public. Over the years various means have been employed from narrated audio released to CD all the way to fully animated recreations of lost episodes. Fans are hungry for these missing pieces of this great science fiction show and the level of quality of each new way of visualizing these bits of TV history has steadily improved over the years.

So, as a huge fan, I'm always very excited when a lost Doctor Who story from the 60’s gets restored and released for public viewing for the first time. There are so many of these still missing, especially from the years of my favorite Doctor, Patrick Troughton that any chance to see a ‘Lost Tale’ is a time to celebrate. I will go far out of my way to see these restorations or recreations of classic Who stories including the theatrical special release a couple of years ago of the animated version Power Of The Daleks, the very first Troughton story. Another from the second Doctor is now available in a newly animated form and I was unwilling to wait for the stateside release of the Blu-Ray in November, so I bought the British release! That All Regions player is well worth it.

So, what did I think of the newest Who restoration, The Macra Terror? First, the new animation process is much improved over the previous releases. As much as I liked seeing Power of the Daleks the style of limited animation used was distancing. One of the joys of Doctor Who is the performances ranging from wonderfully subtle all the way to over-the-top scenery chewing. The previous animated tales were not capable of communicating the nuances of the actor’s choices making it harder to engage with the stories. The animation style used in this new release is much better with much more work having gone into giving each character plenty of different expressions and a fuller range of movement. This makes for a more satisfying presentation and I’m happy for this upgrade in quality. I’m also happy that the Blu-Ray gives you the option of watching the entire thing in either color or black & white. As all of the Troughton years were before the show switched to color it is fun to have the chance to see it both ways.

But I must admit that The Macra Terror is not one of the best of the second Doctor’s stories. At four episodes it feels a little padded with the hypnotic betrayal of one of the Doctor’s companions going on for longer than necessary. The tale has enough interesting ideas to keep things moving but the final episode feels a little rushed and unsatisfying. Interestingly, having the story completely animated probably helps the practical special effects work much better than the original full-sized stage mock-ups that can be seen in a few seconds of surviving footage. I’m sure that having the alien creatures be large crabs made for an easier visualization at the time, but having characters menaced by poorly flailing claws isn’t a great look. The truck-sized monsters are quite scary and dangerous in their animated form making this tale more effective than it might otherwise have been.

So, it’s not a great Doctor Who story but still a good one. Having another gap filled in is wonderful and with this improvement in the animated style I’m really looking forward to future releases. Next up is The Faceless Ones which is missing four of its six episodes. I can’t wait to finally be able to enjoy that one as well!

Random Monster Movie Poster Art