There is also a flick called THE INVISIBLE MAN from 1954 but it's actually a drama with clowns, so, I did not included that one.
Monday, December 4, 2017
The TOHO FIFTIES HORROR And SCI-FI MOVIES
Welp, heute wir haben eine look at the Toho fifties horror and sci-fi movies, as the title suggests. Man, what a pile of terror we have here, tons of fun for us kids. I never saw any of these at the theater, but, they were shown on TV starting in the late fifties... All the posters are the original Japanese releases.
We start with GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS from 1954! This movie is brutal, no comedy here. The part that really got me was the doctor and his oxygen destroyer and how he became a victim of his own device!!
There is also a flick called THE INVISIBLE MAN from 1954 but it's actually a drama with clowns, so, I did not included that one.
Then, we have GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN from 1955. In this one Godzilla awakes from his slumber after being packed in ice on an island and has to fight another giant monster, the mighty Ankylosaur that appears again in other Godzilla movies.
Also in 1955, Toho releases HALF HUMAN, a story about abominable snowmen on an island that are targeted for circus attractions! Unfortunately, the son of the monster is killed and things go south for the effing humans!
RODAN, one of my avatars, hit the big screen in 1956, what a wild flick! To me, one of the most shocking parts were those prehistoric insects and the creepy noises they made. Rodan and his egg laying mate were giant mutant Pterosaurs from inside a volcano!
Wow, THE MYSTERIANS form 1957 was amazing, all kinds of awesome futuristic hardware was used on both sides of the battle! Eegah!! and I saw this one on TV for the first time in 1960 when we were vacationing at my relatives house in the Valley Of The Moon in Northern California. Just love that giant robot to death!!
Talk about creepy, well, THE H-MAN from 1958 totally creeped me out the first time I saw it. When those poor sailors board the ghost ship and discover H-Men that dissolve humans into a mass of glowing atomic goo, like, yikes!!
VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE also came out in 1958, back to black and white. Varan had the most spikes of any other giant monster at the time. Damn, I'd hate to have to ride him anywhere!! Stars good old Myron (THE UNEARTHLY) Healey.
Last on the list is BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE from 1959. Here, Japanese spacemen fight off invaders from space and end up on the Moon where they encounter a bunch of mini creatures!! So, there you go, the fifties Toho monster movies, join us agin on Wednesday for another neato installment from, The Dungeon!
There is also a flick called THE INVISIBLE MAN from 1954 but it's actually a drama with clowns, so, I did not included that one.
H Man is one that we have... we thought it was rather "creepy" as a kid...
ReplyDeleteHi Doc - thanks for checking in, we love hearing from you, as always -
ReplyDeleteI love "Battle in Outer Space," but never have figured out whether the producers made a scientific error or whether the translation is bad. The premise that freezing things to absolute zero causes them to have antigravity never has made any sense to me. *shrug* But I love the space battle sequences, and the scenes on the moon. Great movie.
ReplyDeleteI had never seen "The H Men" until TCM ran it a couple of years ago. My God, what a clever little horrifying film. Creepy and sad at the same time.
RODAN remains one of my absolute favorite monster movies of all time.
I haven't seen most of the Toho films in decades, but the one I remember best and liking the most is THE MYSTERIANS. Lots of great music, effects, and color!
ReplyDeleteSome day I'd like to see SECRET OF THE TELEGIAN in color and widescreen, instead of the usual muddy black and white pan and scan prints. Also would enjoy seeing THE HUMAN VAPOR again.
Too many films, and not enough money and time!
The second Godzilla movie was first shown in the US as GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER. IIUC, there was some sort of glitch with the trademarked name "Godzilla." The problem must have been resolved though, because it has been shown on American TV as GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteThe ankylosaur-type creature, Angilas aka Anguras, was also in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. I think he was also in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (US: GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND), and GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA (US: GODZILA VS. THE COSMIC MONSTER, aka GODZILLA VS. THE BIONIC MONSTER).