Monday, May 23, 2011

THE CRAWLING EYE / Tempean Films - 1958

Gut eefning everbloody, and, welcome to Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. Tonite, we gots a reprise of a 5 pic post we did way back on March 1, 2008!

I always thought the poster art was weak, because, imagining what they could have come up with seems much scarier than what they used! Sometimes they do this to confuse the viewer, so, that when you do finally see the things, you get a hit squarely between the eyes with brass knuckles!

In case you forgot, or, don't know, the story's about a remote mountain resort in Switzerland invaded by horrible alien creatures that like to decapitate humans! They inhabit a mysterious, radioactive cloud that clings to the Trollenberg mountain.

My favorite screenwriter is Jimmy Sangster. There's a part in X- THE UNKNOWN that shows clearly how shrewd and sadistic he can be. Watch the scene in the hospital where the kid who had encountered the radioactive mud pie dies. It starts with the doctor pulling the sheet over the boy's face, his mom and dad are there in the room. Okay, notice what happens in the next 5 minutes!!!.. Now, that's good writing. Also, killing a kid with a monster in 1956 was absolutely taboo! As a reminder, here are a few other classics penned by Jimmy!.. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE, JACK THE RIPPER, THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, THE MUMMY, THE BRIDES OF DRACULA and THE NANNY.

Eegah!! inadverntently chose my title with Saturday's post, because, the music composer was also... Stanley Black!! Go figure. Luckily, I had this one waiting in the Pod, for just such an occassion! Stanley, though, probably didn't have much to do with the stuff we showcase in our soundclip.

So, lettuce bring in our littlest Dungeon helper and palsy-walsy... yessir... it's... yes... Rufus The Gnat!! HOO-RAY for Rufus! Okay, now that the informalites are over with, it's time to start the show! Push the 'GO' button Rufus, here's our psychotronicsoundclip for!.. THE CRAWLING EYE!

The Dungeon Dudes love Forrest Tucker, and are always glad when he makes an appearance!

Holy crap, this is weird!! I just noticed this on IMDb... I had a part in his last movie, TIMESTALKERS!! I got to play a drunk cowboy! Also, I was on the set with Klaus Kinski, and, he was actually nuts, but, a master horseman!

Anyway, Forrest plays American scientist, Alan Brooks. He's been asked to come and visit his buddy, Prof. Crevett, about a strange radioactive cloud on Trollenberg mountain.

Beautiful Janet Munro plays psychic medium, Anne Pilgrim. In the middle of a show she's giving for the people at the inn, she gets a deadly vision!..

The fat one is in danger!!

By the time Alan, Philip and the Mayor climb to the camp, it's too late, and, the fat one's already lost a few pounds!

The creepiest things keep happening! Again, confusing the viewer...

Andrew Faulds plays Brett, who's dead and possessed by the creatures. He's now a murdering zombie that prefers the freezing temperatures outside.

As a scientist, Alan's seen this disoriented characteristic before, in a similar case a few years earlier.

This is about the last thing a cute girl would want to find in her bedroom late at night!!

After Brett's shot and killed, he starts to quickly decompose!

This miniature set gives me vertigo the same way some of the sets do in THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.

Finally, we're introduced to a true nightmare from Hell!! One of the very best things about the monsters is when their eyeballs look around!

It's a very tense moment when everyone's trying to make it to safety on the tram as the freezing cloud almost causes the equipment to fail before they can reach the laboratory.

Another zombie dude gets through to Anne, she's the target because of her psychic abilities, the crawlers perceive her as a danger to their plans.

This thing was playing on local TV by 1960 and that's when I caught it for the first time.

This is how we watch movies, here at The Dungeon!

Looks like Alan and Philip are just having a ton o' fun!!

....HELP, MR. WIZARD!!

Here's our hero, the B-57 B Canberra attack bomber, ready to drop those firebombs on the icy eyeballs below! I built the original Revell plastic model probably this same year.

For all you model buffs out there.

Ghoulnight Everbloody!!.. Hot, cha cha cha cha!!

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