I Married a Monster from Outer Space

This was such a great time to be a kid. We had a constant ration of these cold war movies. We were taught to duck and cover if we saw a nuclear flash. My sister and I went to see this as part of a double feature with "The Blob" about four times. Like "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers," there were aliens who were up to no good. Since they were the incarnation of the communists, they had no soul. They were there to force their ideology on us all, turn us into zombie like automatons. The danger in this movie came from the authorities who had been absorbed by the space critters. You just couldn't trust the police. The good thing was that if you knew who they were, you could kill them pretty much like other humans. And, when they died, they turned into pudding or applesauce or something that flowed out of their sleeves and pants legs. The hard part was like in "Invasion." You had to get the word out and convince people that what you were saying weren't the rantings of a lunatic. Nevertheless, we can take solace that good will out and the good old American way will turn those suckers into pudding.

Often over-looked gem from the 1950s, in which Gloria Talbott plays a young bride who discovers that her husband is actually an alien impostor, a member of an advance force of alien invaders who are secretly replacing the male populations in Gloria's town.

The female population on the alien's home planet has been wiped out by solar radiation prior to a nova, so their race is dying out. Now the aliens hope to `alter' the bodies of the Earth women so they can produce alien children. The script by Louis Vittes does a good job of dealing with the most unsettling aspect of the plot; alien husbands doing things with their human wives that only HUMAN husbands are supposed to do.

Vittes also manages to weave some very sly humor into the story. When Gloria goes to the local doctor for help in battling the aliens, he quickly realizes that the only men in town who are verifiably human are the ones whose wives are pregnant. So we see him hurrying into the waiting room of the hospital's maternity ward to round up a pose' to battle the aliens! Funny.

The aliens are scary and well designed, and the ray gun effects by ace effects artist John P. Fulton are above average. Don't be fooled by the unfortunate title; this is a fine entry to the list of 1950s sci-fi films.

This has to definitely be one of the better science fiction films of the mid to late 1950's. The only thing that hurts this film is the lousy title. The thing that really impressed me about it is the fact that this film isn't a typical B-movie. In fact, this film gives you a very thought provoking story as well as what another person said, a kind of poignancy that you never would expect from this type of film. In fact, you pretty much feel that towards the end of the film that Marge is actually falling for the alien posing as her beloved Bill. Also, you pretty much feel sorry for the impostor at the end as he is beginning to experience the emotions that he never had, especially love. Unfortunately, the film is undone by its typically lousy 1950's B-movie title. However, once you look past the title and look at how good the story is, you will see that this film is a pretty decent film.

In Norrisville, Bill Farrell (Tom Tryon) leaves his bachelor party on the eve of his marriage with Marge Bradley (Gloria Talbott). He is abducted by an alien that takes his shape and marries Marge on the next day. Marge feels something strange with Bill and one year later she realizes that he is a totally different man. One day, Marge follows Bill and he goes to the woods; she finds that he is an alien and sees his spacecraft. She tries to tell to Washington and to the FBI, but the aliens have dominated key people in town that do not allow any sort of communication with the exterior world. What is the intention of the alien invasion?

"I Married a Monster from Outer Space" is a great sci-fi movie from the 50's. The storyline is a rip-off of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", with aliens switching places with humans in a small town with the purpose of breeding. But the plot is well-constructed and supported by good performances. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "I Married a Monster from Outer Space"

Despite the fact that this film has a ridiculous title, it really is quite a little gem. During the 1950's the spread of Communism was the great fear in America and many films reflected this through the analogy of aliens infiltrating society. This movie is one of them....aliens taking over the population without being noticed....the guy next door may be a Communist (or a monster from outer space). Gloria Talbot,who appeared in a score of 50's movies (whatever happened to her?) does a good job as the suspicious wife but she wears one of the strangest pointed bras you've ever seen and even wears it in bed! Tom Tryon sleepwalks through the part of the husband, which in this film is appropriate for the role. He was a very bland actor and eventually went on to a sucessful career as a novelist. The black and white cinematography is well done and the film evokes a sense of impending doom. The special effects, which are limited, are not too bad...remember this was 1958. This film is a standout in a series of lower budget movies of the time but the awkward title may cause some to pass it by. Recommend it to a friend.