Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

THE COSMIC MONSTERS

THE COSMIC MONSTERS (1958/aka The Strange World of Planet X and The Cosmic Monster.) Director: Gilbert Gunn. 

"Insects! Oh mon dieu -- No!" 

 Gil Graham (Forrest Tucker) and sexy French computer expert Michele Dupont (Gaby Andre) suspect that something is going wrong with an experiment by a colleague who is altering the molecular stability of metals with a field that is expanding far beyond the confines of the laboratory. Boy, are they right! -- which is confirmed by a visitor from outer space (Martin Benson) who warns them of their potential destruction. The field not only drives men mad, but has mutated all manner of yucky insects into slavering, hungry giants! The best scene has Ms. Dupont caught in a giant spider web even as pretty new teacher Miss Forsythe (Patricia Sinclair) is trapped in the school house by crunching, aggressive creepy-crawlies. The Cosmic Monsters is talky at times and very low-budget, but it has a certain unsavory zest in its insect scenes and is generally well-acted. Based on a novel by Rene Ray. 

Verdict: You can't beat those bugs! ***.

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