The Monolith Monsters [Blu-ray]

Director: John Sherwood John Sherwood

Overview

While studying meteor showers in the American Southwest, geologist Dave Miller (Grant Williams) finds some rather queer crystals. The crystals grow huge after a rainstorm, and begin absorbing silicone from humans, turning them into monsters. Miller tries to save the small town, whose residents include a schoolteacher (Lola Albright) and her children.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/18/2019
UPC:	0826663199130
Original Release:	1957
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:17:00
Sales rank:	19,200

Special Features

New Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Author Tom Weaver and film music historian David Schecter; New Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Author Mark Jancovich (Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950's); Theatrical Trailer; Still Gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Grant Williams	Dave Miller
Lola Albright	Cathy Barrett
Les Tremayne	Martin Cochrane
Trevor Bardette	Prof. Arthur Flanders
Phil Harvey	Ben Gilbert
William Flaherty	Police Chief Dan Corey
Harry Jackson	Dr. Steve Hendricks
Richard Cutting	Dr. E.J. Reynolds,Dr. E.J. Reynolds
Linda Scheley	Ginny Simpson
Dean Cromer	Highway Patrolman
Steve Darrell	Joe Higgins
Paul Frees	Narrator,Narrator
William Schallert	Weatherman
Troy Donahue	Hank Jackson
Carol Morris	Nurse 1
Ezelle Poule	Ethel - Telephone Operator
Irving Gertz	Composer
Henry Mancini	Composer
Herman Stein	Composer
Joseph Gershenson	Composer

Technical Credits

Norman Jolley

Robert M. Fresco

Howard Christie	Producer
John Sherwood	Director
Clifford Stine	Special Effects
Norman Jolley	Screenwriter
Robert M. Fresco	Screenwriter
Leslie I. Carey	Sound Effects
Robert L. Bratton	Sound Effects
William Lambert	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

While it doesn't belong in the ranks of classic 1950s sci-fi flicks, The Monolith Monsters is actually a very respectable and quite enjoyable "B" picture. True, it starts off with the kind of cheesily pompous narration that makes modern viewers roll their eyes, but after that the "cheesy" quotient is pretty much kept in check. And while it's true that the story follows a very predictable sci-fi structure, it uses that structure as a framework rather than as a crutch. Monolith also has much more solid "science" than most films of the genre, especially those from this period; it's not 100% successful in that area (e.g., the petrification effect should not continue once a person is removed from the monsters' silicon-sucking range), but it's for the most part on the plausible side. Monolith also deserves points for the monsters themselves. There's no malice in their actions; they're not even alive. They are simply rocks reacting to their new environment in the manner which is expected of them. Clifford Stine does quite well with the special effects (although CGI-addicted viewers will of course find them a bit too fake), and John Sherwood's direction is modest but fine. And Monolith has some of the better "B" actors on hand. All this adds up to a very enjoyable film; never a classic, but a lot of fun.