The Monster That Challenged the World

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!

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)

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!

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.

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 ****