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It's chock full of clichés and is a bit stagy at times, but Devil girl from Mars still manages to entertain. The story concerns a group of guests at a remote Scottish inn who witness the landing of a strange unearthly craft and are subsequently held captive by its occupant, the comely Nyah, who is here to take back eligible men to repopulate Mars. Yikes! Needless to say the eligible men want nothing to do with this and plot to prevent her from carrying out her mission. Devil girl from Mars suffers from a number of problems, prime among them the absolutely inept acting of Hugh Mcdermott, who plays the newspaper reporter. He has a key role in the film, which really weakens it dramatically. The other actors can't quite make up for this, although Patricia Laffin is really quite menacing as Nyah. The film has a stagy feel to it, not surprising since it was based, believe it or not on a play. I can just imagine a local theater group trying to mount this! The movie's special effects are the real stars. The spacecraft is really pretty cool, and the robot Chani is a typical 50s conception of an automaton, even if he does resemble a refrigerator. This film belies its bargain basement budget much of the time and can be quite atmospheric with the sound of the wind and the shots of the studio bound Scottish moors. The scene of Nyah entering the drawing room of the inn for the first time still makes me jump.

Nyah(Patricia Laffan), a Martian woman, is forced to land her ship in the Scottish highlands instead of her intended target London but decides to continue her mission to select healthy male subjects, to be used for breeding purposes, to return with her to Mars.

There's things I like about this movie. I like the hulking robot, even if it is a little clunky and clumsy-looking. I like the spaceship with its unique spinning top design. I like the ideas at work in the film including an organic spaceship, a self-perpetuating fuel source and the whole inward atomic fission bit. I like the look of the outdoors settings. And I like Patricia Laffan's portrayal of Nyah as a sort of Martian dominatrix clad in black leather. She certainly makes a lasting memorable impression on the viewer.

Then there's a number of things for which I do not care. I don't like that the film is so set-bound and talky, with far too many grand opening the curtain entrances by Nyah. A large part of the problem with this film is they seemed to be, most inadequately I must say, trying to add a comedic element to the proceedings when our performers were far more capable at playing it straight. Hugh McDermott is particularly bad at delivering his often over-the-top lines.

This could have been better but I have to admit I enjoy it more than most others I know. I suspect Patricia Laffan's leather clad dominatrix has something to do with that along with the luscious miss Hazel Court.

There's no other movie quite like Devil Girl from Mars. It's cheesy and low-budget, unfolding like a stage-play ineptly filmed, with a script dulled by timid ideas and old-school misogyny. Yet in Patricia Laffan, the British actress who plays Nyah the Devil Girl, this picture presents a space-queen unrivaled in the annals of B-movie campiness. Her dominatrix boots and patent-leather cape, not to mention her highbrow imperious accent, easily outclass the features on display from those Venusian babes in Queen of Outer Space (1958) or the Martianettes in Flight to Mars (1951). And check out that Devil Girl headgear, a cross between medieval helmet and Egyptian sphinx! In silhouette, Nyah is the image of Darth Vader, striding about with cape swirling to do something unspeakably naughty. But before you conclude that Ms. Laffan's over-the-top performance is an instance of bad acting, consider this: there's no way to play a character like Nyah with psychological depth. The Devil Girl is a comic-book villainess, an icon, somebody who has to be bigger than big. Patricia Laffan is the perfect drama queen to meet the challenge. If you like her in this movie, be sure to see her in Quo Vadis? (1951), a glorious sword and sandal epic that also features the burning of Rome and the martyrdom of the Christians. In that film Laffan plays Poppaea, wicked Empress of Rome, opposite Peter Ustinov's even more formidable Emperor Nero. From bride of the Roman Antichrist to warrior-woman of Mars is just a small step -- or should I say, it's a small step for Patricia Laffan, but a giant leap for anyone else.

A couple things upon which we can all agree: At the time of this production, Patricia Laffan had an absolutely wonderful set of gams, and those gams were very nicely displayed by her Martian costume. Another thing we can all agree upon is that within the parameters of this very genteel English 'Invasion Literature' flick, there is a window into some of the kinky thoughts lurking within the very genteel English writer who penned this yarn.

Certainly, this is the one of the quietest and perhaps dullest of the Alien Invader films of the 1950's...the opening credits telegraph this when they tell the audience that this film was based upon the PLAY of the same name. That fact alone, that somewhere upon the British Stage in the early 1950's, someone produced a play titled 'Devil Girl From Mars', is a thing very amusing to contemplate.

So yes, this film is quite talkative, and filled with recognizable stage play types as our cast of characters, and containing a prominent subplot involving a romantic and perhaps redeemable escaped murderer...these are the elements that keep this extra-terrestrial tale unduly Earth-bound. Worse, there appears to be a kind of gentlemen's agreement in effect between the eponymous Devil Girl and her earthly opponents to avoid any serious attempts to overcome the other, until the last moments of the film. And after about the first 20 minutes of the story, it is impossible to stop one's mind from repeating the question: Why doesn't the Devil Girl simply liquidate these annoying people since they are of no use to her?

But weaknesses aside, it is impossible to hate a 1954 British B-movie about an outer-space dominatrix with fabulous gams wearing shiny black leather and visiting Earth in search of male breeding stock. And besides giving her credit for great gams, I should also credit Ms. Laffan for giving what is actually a very good performance, radiating intelligence and menace, and seeming to be both simultaneously prim and lusty.

Also of interest to scifi fans would be the flying saucer design, which is interesting, and the robot, which is not bad. Additionally, Gerry Anderson worked on this pic, as a sound editor, thus beginning his long career in British celluloid scifi.

As I said previously, this opus began it's life as a stage play. The same thing is true of the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show,' which also featured a black clad quasi-dominatrix from outer space, stuck in the English countryside. I have to think that the Devil Girl helped pave the way for Dr. Frankenfurter.

Having read many comments written by various sorts of movie buffs and having checked some original posters and adverts of the movie, one can watch this film with some prefabricated expectations. On the one hand, one may look for an innovative gift from England that includes some aspects of early science fiction genre; on the other hand, being curious of a sexy Martian woman wearing black leather and rousing challenging lusts in men. Yet, DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS roused my interest in a slightly different way though science fiction isn't my cup of tea whatsoever.

DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS is, first of all, the movie that beautifully combines the virtues of old cinema with the elements of early science fiction. What we get here is an excellent, psychological insight into the contrast between "Earthmen" and "Martians", between the ability to use the senses and the ability to use the machines; between the ability to love sacrificially and the ability to gather selfishly; finally the contrast between obeying orders blindly and following own's will freely. The accurate representation of this contra-worlds is revealed in the character of the Martian girl Nyah (Patricia Laffan) and the Professor. While she parrots the slogans about the invisible war of the sexes, he experiences the innate war of the senses. These factors are memorably entailed in the old cinema style and charming scenes that portray human feelings like affection, curiosity and fear. That makes DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS convincing for various movie buffs.

Of course this highlighted aspect cannot be treated too seriously, as one of the commentators stated, it's no psychological movie nor any thought provoking story but only a fiction that deals with many shallow effects and odd "space talk" about a super technology of another planet. Nevertheless, this aspect of "earthmen" vs "martians" should not be neglected. Why? Because of a dangerous condensation...

Indeed, the character that is most memorable in this movie is Nyah (Patricia Laffan), not only due to her "Martian origin" nor sexually challenging looks nor even due to her good acting. She remains memorable because of her cold eyes, strict voice, so to say: her strength appeal. That was something extremely important about this new cinematic heroine and must have been very difficult for the actress to portray an alien in this way; yet she crafted the role perfectly. Yet, where does the danger lie? Many modern viewers tend to condense her role to sex appeal only. The earthmen around her are creatures of free will, they are not sex machines that would dream to make love to her. Therefore, it is significant to state here that you cannot watch this movie from today's perspective. Nyah and her robot that some science fiction buffs find ridiculous represent dominance through fear, through intolerance and cold cruelty. Mars vs Earth indicates unbelievable technology of weapons vs old fashioned toys but at the same time tyranny vs freedom. In this respect, we could as well say that this role of Ms Laffan highly refers to the one 3 years earlier in a sword and sandal colossal epic where she could, as well, constitute an object of lust only though there was something different about her role, too. But that's a different story...

The supporting cast include good British talents from beautiful Hazel Court as longing for love Ms Prestwick to Hugh McDermott as strong personality Michael Carter. The aforementioned Professor also does a good job as one who thinks what his brain tells him to think. Together with the performances come other artistic features of the film including cinematography, mood, pace. Although some aspects may irritate you as seriously dated, the mood is impressive. Since the movie is not long and the content is primarily built upon the dialogs and reactions in the particularly scary situations, much of the communication with viewers builds upon image. Consider, for instance, the memorable arrival of the Martians and Nyah's coming out of her spaceship. Therefore, lots of movie buffs will perhaps not find this movie scary; yet they will still find it thrilling.

Just in a nutshell, DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS is one the movies of the genre that I see with interest and recommend to the viewers for whom science fiction isn't their cup of tea. Not primarily because of its content, nor sexy/scary Nyah, but a cinematic surprise from England made more than 50 years ago but still impressive in a way.

No one drawn by the title will be disappointed with tall, amazonian Patricia Laffan in the title role of this nonsense in which Oscar-winning wartime documentarist David MacDonald shows the same respect for matriarchal aspirations he later did in 'Petticoat Pirates'. The title is misleading, though, since dressed in leather by Ronald Cobb to resemble a particularly ferocious principal boy, Martian warrior Nyah is plainly all woman.

The Danzigers seem to have read about 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' rather than actually seen it since Nyah is plainly Klaatu and Gort rolled into one; and her pet robot merely an afterthought.

Enlivened by a dramatic percussive score by Edwin Astley and a cast of familiar faces (too bad Nyah was seeking men, since Hazel Court & Adrienne Corri are by far the most impressive specimens). It also marks an interesting overlap of careers on the set of veteran cameraman Jack Cox - who shot 'The Lady Vanishes' - and child actor Anthony Richmond, who later shot 'Don't Look Now'.

By giving this film 10/10 I'm not comparing it to Citizen Kane. But if you like cheesy 50s science fiction films, this has got everything you want. The setting is in a remote Scottish hotel in the winter, an escaped convict who hides out, an Alien in a dominatrix outfit, a funky robot and a flying saucer. What more can you want? The story itself is thing but well told with the subplot of the escaped prisoner. The film ist relatively short and well paced so it's really entertaining to watch. There are some great actors in this film and the special effects are funny from today's point of view but reasonably well executed for the time.

A Martian flying saucer inadvertently lands in the Scottish moors wherein the arrogant female occupant & her merciless robot harass the people at a remote Inn. It turns out, she needs male breeding stock!

"Devil Girl from Mars" (1954) is a serious (not campy) B&W British sci-fi that borrows from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and "The War of the Worlds" (1953). It lacked the budget of those premier science-fictions and so the story is way less ambitious, but it still works in its one-note quaint way. The haughty Nyah (Patricia Laffan), the titular "devil girl," is pretty babelicious on the female front, augmented by the presence of Hazel Court (Ellen) and Adrienne Corri (Doris).

There are some interesting sci-fi ideas, like the regenerative space ship and the Mars needs men angle. Speaking of the latter, all Nyah had to do for a successful mission was kindly announce her need to Earthlings and quality men from all over the planet would sign-up without hesitation. Her problem is that she's arrogant, which means she has a chronic case of superiority complex. She felt it was beneath her to good-naturedly work WITH humans, even though it would've made her mission successful.

Needless to say, the denouncement of the folly of hubris is a great moral.

The film runs 1 hour, 17 minutes, and was shot at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England.

GRADE: B

It is so seldom that a movie title tries to create three genres with one sentence, but this film succeeds in that effort. Devil (which might lead us to believe it could be a cult movie). She-Devil (which has a distinct lascivious overtone) and Mars (which one might believe it is connected to science or science-fiction. This low-budget British film has a Brit female Martian in the lead. The plot is fairly hilarious. A remote Scottish Inn gets not 2, nor 3 or even four customers one late night, but 5, yes, count'em FIVE customers, all within an hour. Some motels on 95 or 195 dont get that many customers in one hour. The Devil Girl is looking for men to take back to her planet. May I volunteer? Must be seen to be appreciated.

At first you may think this is another fifties low budget sci-fi saga, the type Hollywood churned out by the truckloads(and still do.) The big difference here is the fact that its actually a brit production and that makes it rather rare. The English take their movie making seriously(sometimes to seriously) so the production values, writing, lighting, etc. are a notch above that of the typical Hollywood production.

The wildest thing about the movie is the alien babe who is pretty darn sexy in that freaky outfit she wears. The biggest negative is probably the robot who must have been made out of an old refrigerator. However, to the robots credit he has a cool disintegration ray. First his head lights up , a beam of light shoots out and anything it hits glows then disappears leaving only a bit of smoke. This is by far the best special effect and this technique showed up later on many American sci-fi shows including THE INVADERS and STAR TREK. As i recall from my childhood, the aliens glowing and disappearing after being killed was the coolest thing about THE INVADERS. The robot appears to be really huge also and that alone might have scared the bejesus out of its audience back in the day.

I can imagine that back in the fifties most people who put down their change to see THE DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS left feeling they got their money's worth and then some. Its still pretty entertaining. Better than most from that era no doubt!!!

Not as bad as I was told, but its stage origins show: the characters do not stopt talking for 75 minutes! It is the story of a fugitive that choses a bad day to escape from jail, for on that same day Martian officer Nyah comes to collect men for breeding and she does not have a method, manners or talent for casting a good bunch of guys. Both have the bad luck of going to a pub where most male characters do not stop drinking alcohol during the whole running time. And they have to endure Hugh McDermott's horrible performance as a shouting reporter. Hazel Court, Adrienne Corri and the impressive Patricia Laffan as Nyah are all wasted, especially Court as a romantic model who falls for the shouting reporter. But the film is good evidence of how stupid we human beings can be. And Martian females, too.

When it comes to old sci-fi, there are only 3 possible categories.

A) Good (example: "The Day the Earth Stood Still")

B) Bad (example: "Devil Girl from Mars")

C) So bad it's good (example: "Plan 9 from Outer Space")

The problem with this film is that it had all the makings of a category C, but it didn't quite get that low. So instead of being "Awesomely fantasmagorically bad!" it's just "meh... bad".

With a title like "Devil Girl from Mars", how could you go wrong? With a plot like "Mars women need Earthling men to repopulate the species", how could you go wrong? With an old frigidaire of a robot playing the part of Gort from "The Day the Earth Stood Still", how could you go wrong? With all these classic cheezy clichés, how??

I'll tell you how. The dialogue was just good enough to be intellectual but not good enough to be engaging. The Mars girl was hot, but she never showed any skin. And the special effects were not good enough to impress but not bad enough to laugh at. Everything was just right down the middle. It's like a WWF wrestling match where everyone plays by the rules. No fun.

I still have hopes that they'll remake this flick and give it all the cheeze it should've had the first time around. What a golden opportunity. Paris Hilton should be in it.

Sigh, until then I'll just have to watch my old tapes of "Barbarella" over & over.

Not anywhere near the same league as other British science fiction of the era such as the Quatermass movies and television series, and not even on par with other low-budget affairs such as X the Unknown. Its chief deficiency is an amateurish, even childish, script, with an unnecessary escaped criminal subplot, and not one but two one-dimensional romance subplots, and an oddly dated villain who literally looks like something out of a 1930s Flash Gordon serial, skullcap, cape, and throwback laser gun included.

Strengths include some nifty if low budget special effects, an isolated, misty Scottish Highlands setting, and, well that's about it. Fans of classic British science fiction should give this one a viewing. Especially given how comparatively few sci-fi movies the Brits produced in that era, or at least how few are easily accessible, any you haven't already seen are worth seeking out.

A lonely inn in the Scottish highland is visited by what appears to be a meteor. This film also has the usual collection of personalities. After we get all the introductions and drinks in the house, an unexpected visitor appears from the sky.

Yep, looks like a neighboring planet is deficient in a certain commodity (males). The visitor is Nyah (Patricia Laffan) an aloof min-skirted manless female alien. To satisfy the sci-fi in all of us they mention "antimatter" (in so many words) and the next dimension. Does the space vehicle look like a prototype of the familiar Spielberg vehicles?

Will Ellen Prestwick (Hazel Court) suddenly switch from tomato juice to whiskey?

Will Robert Justin (Peter Reynolds) kill or make time?

Will Nyah get what she came for or more than she bargained for?

See Patricia Laffan in a more dangerous role as Miss Alice MacDonald in "23 Paces to Baker Street" (1956) adapted from the book "Warrant for X" by Philip MacDonald.

I love old 50s sci-fi films--both the really good ones and the really bad ones. The good ones make you think and are very entertaining and also sport decent budgets (such as WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL or THIS ISLAND EARTH). The bad ones are so silly, so inept and so stupid that they make me laugh and are great for parties (such as PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE or TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE). The problem here is that while this film isn't good, it's good enough and slow enough that it isn't good for a laugh and isn't really entertaining enough to make it worth a look either. It's a real shame, though, as the film did have some good special effects--with a silly looking space ship by today's standards, but looking awfully good for 1954. Plus, I really liked the Devil Girl--her outfit and style was, in a strange way, kind of sexy. But, unfortunately, the acting was the pits and many of the actors' strong Scottish accents and lack of subtitles made watching this a bit of a chore for this American. With a healthy injection of energy and perhaps if it had taken a less serious tone it could have been worthwhile. As it is, it's a very talky film you'd probably like to pass on and find something better or a lot worse!

In a Scotish inn, the owners, employees and guests are reunited in the bar. Our of the blue, a flying saucer lands nearby and a woman dressed in black leather like a dominatrix with cape arrives in the bar armed with a ray-gun. She explains that she is Nyah (Patricia Laffan), from Mars, and she was heading to London. However her spacecraft collided with an airplane and was damaged; therefore she had to land to repair the saucer. She also explains that she is looking for men to breed her female race since the male population is dying after warfare between males and females and they need offspring. Nyah has the robot Chani to help her to capture men, but she wants that one of the men volunteers to go with her to Mars. Who might be the volunteer?

"Devil Girl from Mars" is an awful campy film, but also a cult-movie. The main reason is the character Nyah, the alien from Mars, who dresses like a dominatrix. The storyline is funny since the Martians have high technology but are unable to develop artificial insemination. The romantic subplots are boring and the sacrifice of Robert Justin, alias Albert Simpson, is simply forgotten by the ungrateful survivors. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Mulher Diabólica de Marte" (Diabolic Woman from Mars")

Note: On 26 February 2024, I saw this film again.

Without a doubt "Devil Girl from Mars" is the single worst science fiction movie I have ever seen. It isn't the low budget or small cast. "The Man from Earth" was made with a smaller cast, fewer sets and with no special effects, yet I'd rank it as sublime.

This movie lacked something critical, and that was a decent script. It didn't have even a decent premise. It was just a chop suey of bad movie clichés with dialogue that made you cringe.

It had no compensating virtues. The acting was poor, like the cast had been held hostage. The special effects were ludicrous, even for that time period. The robot was a joke. It looked like a guy wearing a cardboard box suit, which it probably was. The space ship was quite passable, but when that's the only virtue for the movie it has little indeed. The costume for the title character was absolutely cliché, black evil and short tights.