The Strange World of Planet X (film)

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The Strange World of Planet X
Image:Cosmic Monsters VHS.jpg
The Strange World of Planet X VHS cover
Directed by Gilbert Gunn
Written by Paul Ryder
Starring Forrest Tucker, Gaby Andre, Alec Mango
Music by Robert Sharples
Cinematography Josef Ambor
Editing by Francis Bieber
Release date(s) December 31, 1957
Running time 75 minutes
Language English
IMDb profile

The Strange World of Planet X (1957) is a British science fiction horror film, and a cautionary tale about science. It was also known as Cosmic Monsters, The Crawling Terror, The Cosmic Monster, and The Crawling Horror.

The film was adapted by Paul Ryder from the 1957 Rene Ray novel of the same name; a TV serial adapted by Ray aired in Britain in 1956.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A monomaniacal scientist, Dr. Laird (played by Alec Mongo), has invented ultra-sensitive magnetic fields, which begin to attract objects from space. Strange things begin happening, including a freak storm, and insects and spiders begin to mutate into giant monsters. An alien spaceship has appeared over London and begins to warn mankind against the dangers of this scientific experiment.

The plot of this low-budget film appears to have been inspired by The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). On its original release it was not notably successful, but subsequently became something of a cult favorite due to television reruns.

Unusually, a theremin is used in the musical soundtrack.

The film supposedly inspired what is very possibly the worst film ever made, Invasion from Inner Earth (1974).

[edit] External links