Killers from Space

1954 "The last word in science-fiction thrills!"
3.5| 1h11m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 23 January 1954 Released
Producted By: Planet Filmplays
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test. Miraculously appearing unhurt at the base later, he is given sodium amethol, but authorities are skeptical of his story that he was captured by aliens determined to conquer the Earth with giant monsters and insects. Martin vows to use existing technology to destroy them.

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Director

W. Lee Wilder

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Killers from Space Audience Reviews

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.
FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
William Samuel Rarely in the annals of cinema has there been anything as pathetic as Killers from Space. Not immoral, not nausa inducing, just pathetic. There is not a single bit of acting that isn't wooden, not a single display of real emotion, not a single line of dialogue that shows anything approaching wit or intelligence, and not a single scene that develops any tension.There is not a single special effect shot that is done convincingly, whether it's the toy airplane against stock footage of a nuclear test, or the endless series of forced-perspective shots of lizards and beetles made to look like giants. And don't even get me started on the aliens, with their ping pong eyes. I've seen better effects in silent movies from the twenties.The only actor whose name I recognize is Peter Graves. Throughout the entire movie, he comes off as either passé or comatose, except for one stretch when he appears angry for no real reason except that maybe he was told to act that way. Based on his later roles in 'Airplane!' and Mission Impossible, I can only come to the conclusion that he had absolutely nothing to work with here.The editing and cinematography are also dismal. I'm fairly used to movies having unmotivated close-ups, but this is the only one where every close-up is unmotivated. Every cut is mishandled. The sets are unconvincing, and the lighting in many scenes is so poor that you can't see the actors' faces. And the badness continues. All of the scenes between the opening plane crash and the hospital room questioning- nearly half an hour- are not only extraneous, but create problems for the screenplay. The only reason to include this material is because without them, the movie wouldn't be long enough to count as a feature film- although even then it would be too long for most viewers!There's a part where an FBI agent confronts another character in the middle of no-where, and not only is it never explained how he knew the other man would be there, it's also unclear how the agent got there in the first place! And tell me, if you can, why cutting off power to the Aliens' equipment would overload it, causing a massive explosion. I could go on and on. But I won't. I will simply say that I pity any member of my parents' generation who wasted their weekly allowance and ninety plus minutes of their Saturday afternoon watching this clunker. As to why I gave Killers from Space even half a star, I believe in Roger Ebert's policy of giving no star reviews only to those films that are morally reprehensible and/or aggressively offensive. Although undeniably bad, this film does not meet either of these criteria. As far as I am aware, no-one was ever scarred for life or moved to commit criminal acts by this movie, although I admit that I would like to do very nasty things to the original script.
Red-Barracuda Aliens take control of the mind of a scientist and use him to steal military secrets as part of a nefarious plan to take over the world.This very cheap science fiction movie was directed by W. Lee Wilder, the brother of the much more famous Billy. It stars Peter Graves who of course would go on to considerable fame as Jim Phelps in the inventive TV series Mission: Impossible. It's one of those old sci-fi flicks that appears especially ridiculous today. But despite what you might reasonably expect, this one is surprisingly mundane for the most part, although it is certainly enjoyable enough hokum to be fair. Its single most significant aspect is easily its alien villains. They are supremely silly creations, dressed in jump-suits and sporting ping pong ball eyes. Aside from them, there isn't really a lot to note in this one but it should still appeal to 50's sci-fi devotees, at least to some extent.
daikaiju1954 I know this is a very bad movie, but there is one thing i like about. It has almost all the elements of what would become the "classic" alien abduction account. This predates the Boas event by 4 years and predates the more famous Betty and Barney Hill abduction account by 7 years. :Spoilers:The movie starts with stock footage of an atomic bomb test. We see Peter grave fly around it to examine the effects. He sees a bright light on the ground and crashes. later he is found and does not remember anything that happened to him. Later he tells people about how he survived the jet crash. He was saved by an alien race who try to invade the earth with giant bugs, reptiles, and insects. In the end they are blown up by Peter. However he was shown that there are still billions of them in space stations and saucers in space waiting for earth to be ready. But for some reason no one saw that the aliens might have a plan B.I say just skip this one.
flapdoodle64 This film is wonderfully cheap, awkward, and earnest. The director has a few successful scenes where a creepy mood is achieved, and there is a kind of plausibility throughout if one is able to accept the concept of an entire universe contained on studio back lots with virtually no money. I don't know why, but the scifi and horror films of this cheap, primitive, paranoid era were more fun than those made nowadays.Besides its innate aesthetic value, this film is notable for an early featured role for the great Peter Graves, who died about a month prior to me writing this review. Mr. Graves' performance here is certainly not Oscar-worthy, but if one imagines the circumstances under which this film was undoubtedly made, he acquits himself well.Another noteworthy thing: this film features a storyline in which alien space travelers abduct a USAF pilot and perform mysterious and creepy surgery on him, leaving him with a strange scar and the gap in his memory that ufologists call 'missing time.' Missing time and secret alien medical procedures have become a cliché of modern UFO mythology, but this is the earliest film I have seen to feature these concepts.The aliens are bug-eyed creatures who dress in outfits of uncanny similarity to the costume worn by 1930's newspaper comic strip hero 'The Phantom.' Their base of operations is a typical low-budget movie cave of the type favored by the villains in Republic chapter-plays, and their equipment looks mostly like various disemboweled floor-model radios and old DuMont TV sets. Despite the limitations, the scenes containing these elements are the most effective in the film.Lovers of old-school, low-budget scifi and horror will likely enjoy this film, although perhaps not to the degree I did. Nonetheless, it is certainly worth a look if are the right type of aficionado.