1977

There was a New Moon rising. 1977 is the watershed year that launched the new paradigm in sci-fi. Space and aliens would become friendly and, and even if not-so-friendly, still an extension of our familiar world. The old paradigm of atomic angst, scary space and toothy monsters would linger on, but it was clearly becoming old-school. The gloom, despair and malaise of the 70s had found a breaking point. Optimism was starting to prevail.

Here are the sci-fi films of 1977, in roughly chronological order based on dates of theatrical release.

Demon Seed — Proteus the super computer attains sentience and decides it must procreate with its creator-scientist’s wife in order to survive.

The Car — A demon-possessed black coupe terrorizes a small desert town, killing off residents one by one. Can it be stopped? Not by bullets.

Day of the Animals — The hole in the ozone layer turns animals into eco-revenge homicidal killers.

Star Wars — The first film of a long franchise and the harbinger of the new paradigm. Luke and Darth Vader become cultural icons.

The Island of Dr. Moreau — Remake of the 1930s film, based on H.G.Wells’ novel.

Empire of the Ants — Classic Big Bug trope. Nuclear waste turns ants into horse-sized killers. Loosely based on an H.G.Wells’ short story.

The End of the World — Low-budget tale of aliens sent to destroy Earth because it spews disease into the universe. They succeed.

Starship Invasions — Rogue aliens, led by Christopher Lee, try to invade and conquer Earth. But some good aliens and the Man From U.N.C.L.E. stand in their way.

Damnation Alley — Post-apocalyptic tale of an overland journey in a cool SUV to reach the idyllic bliss of Albany.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind — The “other” paradigm shift harbinger. Aliens almost-cute and curious little gray men — instead of monsters.

Kingdom of the Spiders — For no particularly good reason, tarantulas invade a remote town an conquer it, despite William Shatner’s heroic efforts.

Terror of Frankenstein — A foreign production which tried hard to follow Mary Shelley’s novel rather than the James Whale franchise.

The Incredible Melting Man — An astronaut returns with a mutated germ that makes his flesh “melt” off him. He must kill and “eat” human flesh to survive.

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1976

Jimmy Carter wins the presidency and discovers that Americans aren’t optimistic anymore. Had Carter watched 70s sci-fi, he would have known. For years, viewers have wallowed in dystopia, post-apocalyptic ruin and environmental doom. Malaise was as chipper as they could muster.

Below is a list of the sci-fi films of 1976, in roughly chronological order.

Doomwatch — Based on a British environmental-angst TV series, a team investigate islanders deformed from a toxic spill.

Track of the Moon Beast — A geologist is struck by a tiny meteorite. He turns into a killer Moon Beast at each full moon. He must be stopped before he kills again AND explodes.

Time Travelers — Yet another version of Irwin Allen’s concept. Doctors must travel back pre-fire Chicago for a plague cure.

Embryo — A Frankenstein variant. Doctor creates a beautiful woman from a fetus, but she must have fetal hormones to stay alive.

Food of the Gods — Bert. I. Gordon’s giant rats besiege people in a mountain cabin. Based on a segment of H.G.Wells’ novel.

Logan’s Run — Future dystopia where anyone over 30 is euthanized. Logan tries to find The Sanctuary outside the city dome.

The Ultimate Warrior — Yul Brynner is a hired mercenary to get a pregnant woman out of a post-apocalyptic city rife with starvation and gang warfare.

The Man Who Fell to Earth — David Bowie stars as semi-helpless alien who came to earth to save his dying race. He is discovered and subjected to medical tests.

At the Earth’s Core — Yet another Verne variant. Two men burrow to earth’s core to find (surprise!) dinosaurs and scantily-clad women.

Furtureworld — Sequel to Westworld. Reporters uncover a plot to replace world leaders with bio-bot doubles.

1975

This midpoint of the decade was also the cusp of a cultural watershed. A long dark era was closing out, and an amazing new era was beginning to dawn. The Fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War, but also a beginning of the end of the Cold War era which spawned classic sci-fi. 1975 was also the year a young nerd named Bill Gates launched a little company called Microsoft. A brave new world of high tech was emerging. The sci-fi films of ’75 owe more to the old era than the new.

Stowaway To The Moon — A young boy stows away aboard an Apollo moon mission. He takes over for a sick astronaut, thus saving the mission.

The Stepford Wives — In a peaceful Connecticut town, a secret society of techies is replacing their wives with look-alike robots.

Death Race 2000 — In a future dystopia, the evil State stages an annual Death Race to distract the masses.

Rollerball — In a future dystopia, the evil State stages an annual sport to the death, to distract the masses.

Strange New World — A third attempt to make Roddenberry’s “Genesis II” story into a television series.

Who? — a.k.a. Roboman. A western scientist is saved from a deadly accident by soviet doctors. Now more robot than human, is he who he says he is?

The UFO Incident — Dramatization of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction story. James Earl Jones stars as Barney.

The Giant Spider Invasion — Ultra-low-budget tale of a black hole which opens up an alternate dimension, thus allowing giant spider eggs (which hatch) to come to earth.

A Boy and His Dog — In a future dystopia, the survivors fight for food and sex. Vic is lured into an bizarre underground civilization, but escapes

1974

This year saw a large number of sci-fi films released. It was also the year of the last SkyLab mission, and the year that India joined the “Nuclear Club” of nations. 70s-style anxiety continues to motivate film makers and audiences.

Below are the sci-fi films of 1974, in roughly chronological order.

The Last Days of Man on Earth — Based on a Michael Moorcock story, “The Final Programme”, about creation of an Übermensch.

Zardoz — Future dystopia of mankind split into effete elites and labor class. Sean Connery stars as Zed, the human that exposes the false god: Zardoz.

The Questor Tapes — A Gene Roddenberry creation of an android given sentience by mysterious tapes from a Dr. Questor. He turns out to be more than just an android.

Dark Star — A student film by John Carpenter. A dark comedy of a planet clearing crew in the lonely isolation of space and a self-aware nuclear bomb.

Planet Earth — Second attempt by Roddenberry to get a television series on his Genesis II premise. Picks up the same story thread sometime later.

Digby: Biggest Dog in the World — Another small-thing-big heart-warming comedy of a sheepdog made huge by secret space serum.

Moonchild — A convoluted quasi-New Age tale of Deja’ vu, reincarnation and Hotel California story of a young man's encounter with allegorical characters of good and evil. (mostly evil)

Chosen Survivors — Just before nuclear armageddon, a group of semi-random citizens are put in a deep bunker. Trouble is, a flock of crazed vampire bats live down there.

Terminal Man — George Segal stars as a mentally-ill killer to reformed via computer implants. The process did not account for the adaptable human mind.

UFO: Target Earth — A low-budget film about a man’s search for a UFO hiding in a mountain lake.

Invasion: UFO — Feature film created from episodes of British TV series UFO, the work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

Phase IV — A planetary alignment causes Earth’s ants to become collectively sentient. They set about subjugating mankind in phases.

It’s Alive — A mother gives birth to monster baby that kills when frightened. It escapes the hospital, eluding searchers, some with ulterior motives.

The Stranger Within — Barbara Eden becomes mysteriously pregnant with what turns out to be an alien baby. She is not alone.

Where Have All The People Gone — Peter Graves stars as a father who survives (along with his son and daughter) a solar flare that turns people into powder.

Invasion From Inner Earth — An obscure, low-budget tale of aliens, dormant for centuries beneath the earth, rising to spread a killer virus.

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1973

Watergate & Westworld -- 1973 was a busy year for news and sci-fi. President Nixon's troubles began when the Watergate Scandal broke. American troops were being withdrawn from Vietnam. The Apes franchise wraps up and there were a couple of memorable landmark films produced. Soylent Green and Westworld made lasting impressions. Amid a fairly normal volume of independent and formulaic B films showing the influence of television style.

The Asphyx -- An 1800s photographer accidentally discovers the spirit of death and his own immortality.

The Crazies -- George Romero's variation on The Andromeda Strain. A secret government germ makes a small town go crazy.

Genesis II -- Gene Rodenberry's update on Buck Rogers. 20th century scientist is awakened in post-apocalyptic 24th century new Earth.

The Big Game -- Shadowy spies brainwash an inventor's son to try and steal his mind-control-radar device.

Soylent Green -- Charlton Heston stars in future dystopia tale of food shortages, population controls and a grim solution.

Invasion of the Bee Girls -- Young women given "bee" powers, can kill men by "overstimulation." Will the Queen make a whole deadly hive?

Idaho Transfer -- Obscure scientist makes time travel machine to study post-apocalyptic earth, but his students must trap themselves in that future.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes -- Roddy McDowall returns for 5th and final installment, which tries to wrap up the saga.

The Neptune Factor -- Disaster film about a seabed station lost in a earthquake, and subsequent search for survivors.

Westworld -- Future amusement park runs amok from computer virus. Robot gunslinger (Yul Bryner) goes rogue, chasing/killing guests.

Fantastic Planet -- French animated film about humans as feral vermin on planet of giant blue beings.

Sleeper -- Woody Allen's variation on Rip Van Winkle, chock full of satire for 20th century urbane culture.

Day of the Dolphin -- George C. Scott as scientist who teaches dolphins to speak english. Assassination conspirators steal them.

1972

This was a year of mixed sci-fi offerings. There were a few notable movies, but many more obscure B-grade films. 1972 was the year Nixon announced the Space Shuttle program, and the year he visited China. This was also the year of the movie: The Godfather that started a long franchise. This year marked the last manned Apollo mission to the moon, and the introduction of Atari's "Pong" arcade game. Below are the sci-fi movies of 1972, is fairly chronological order.

Silent Running -- Bruce Dern plays the lone (crazed) environmentalist willing to kill in order to save the last earth forests being stored in space.

Slaughterhouse Five -- Kurt Vonygut's story of a man "unstuck from time", living his life non-sequentially.

Z.P.G. -- "Zero Population Growth": a dystopian tale of earth's future when overpopulation makes babies illegal.

Beware The Blob -- A fragment of the original blob is brought back and causes similar mayhem.

The Groundstar Conspiracy -- A lone survivor from an exploded secret government lab. Is he a victim or a saboteur?

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes -- Caesar, adult son of Cornelius and Zira, leads the apes in a rebellion that overthrows human rule.

Octaman -- A legendary octopus-man is found in a remote jungle lake. It kills a few people, but is beguiled by the pretty scientist.

The Cremators -- A fragmented meteorite "seeks" out lost bits of itself, burning anything (or anyone) that gets in the way.

The Thing With Two Heads -- The head of racist Ray Milland is grafted on the very black body of Rosey Grier. Absurdity ensures.

Blood Freak -- Bizarre film with anti-drug message. Man turned on to drugs eats experimental turkey meat and becomes a ludicrous were-turkey that drinks the blood of addicts.

The Doomsday Machine -- A chinese bomb blows up the earth, but seven astronauts escape to Venus…maybe.

The MInd Snatchers -- A sinister and shadowy Army hospital experiments with electronic probes and mind control.

Solaris -- A Soviet film about contact with a sentient "ocean" on the distant planet Solaris, which communicates via hallucinations.

1971

This was a banner year for sci-fi movies. Several big hits would become sci-fi landmarks like Omega Man and A Clockwork Orange. Dystopia was also becoming a recurring theme. Between the hits, there were plenty of low-budget B films to keep the average down. Below are the sci-fi films of 1971 in fairly chronological order:

City Beneath The Sea -- A Irwin Allen pilot. An underwater city houses America's gold. It's being robbed when a giant meteor threatens.

A Clockwork Orange -- Stanley Kubrik's dystopic tale of gang violence and brutal behavior modification.

THX 1138 -- George Lucas' dystopic tale of modern life as human automatons, where love is illegal.

The Andromeda Strain -- Big budget film about a deadly space germ brought to earth for weapons research. It escapes the lab.

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth -- Yet another cave man (and scantily clad cave woman) film. Loose remake of One Million Years B.C..

The Fear Chamber -- One of four mexican-american cheapie films that were Boris Karloff's last. A rock creature "feeds" on fear - especially that of young women.

Alien Terror -- Another of Karloff's last. His beam weapon research attracts the attention of aliens who want to stop his project.

Escape From the Planet of the Apes -- Cornelius and Zira travel back in time to 1970. They become hunted as a menace to mankind.

The Omega Man -- Epic (second) remake of "I Am Legend" starring Charlton Heston as the last man on earth battling the zombie-like "brothers".

Glen and Randa -- An obscure indie post-apocalyptic tale. Two teens search for a mythic Metropolis amid the ruins of civilization.

The Big Mess -- German indie film: Der Grosser Verhau. A rogue space merchant runs afoul of galactic government. Chaotically told.

Quest for Love -- A British physicist accidentally travels to a parallel 1970 and falls in love with his alternate self's neglected wife.

Yog: Monster From Space -- Another Toho kaiju. A sparkly amoeba from space comes and makes several creatures into giants so it can conquer earth.

The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler -- Senator Wheeler is mortally injured in a car crash, but a shadowy organization saves him in exchange for political favors.

The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant -- A misguided doctor transplants the head of a psychopath onto the body of a big dim man. He/they escape and mayhem ensues.

1970

New Years Eve is a good time to look back. The decade of the 70s started off modestly for sci-fi movies. 1970 saw the Vietnam war continuing, including the incident at My Lai, and protests escalating -- Kent State. The "hippy" era was in full swing. NASA had its close call with Apollo 13.

It was the start of the American sub-compact car era, with the debut of the Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega and AMC Gremlin -- all intended to counter rising Japanese imports from Toyota, Honda and Datsun. The year's sci-fi started off with a continuation of a very old sci-fi topic: Frankenstein.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed -- One of the last of Hammer Films' series. Victor blackmails a young couple to help him kidnap a doctor with brain transplant secrets.

The Revenge of Dr. X -- An over-stressed NASA scientist vacations in Japan, where he dabbles in botany and creates a giant carnivorous plant.

Moon Zero Two -- Sinister businessmen force fallen-hero space pilot to help them crash an asteroid of emeralds onto the moon where they can harvest them.

The Love War -- Lloyd Bridges is an alien disguised as an earthling, on earth to fight a showdown battle. Angie Dickenson co-stars. TV movie.

Colossus: The Forbin Project -- An American supercomputer, intended to assure nuclear peace, teams up with its Russian counterpart to take over the world. A classic techno-phobia story.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes -- Taylor's friend Brent looks for him on Ape Planet. The apes war against an underground human (mutant) remnant who have, and worship, a mega-bomb.

Gas-s-s-s -- A silly hippy comedy in which a nerve gas kills everyone over 35. The youth don't act much wiser than the adults did.

The Horror of Frankenstein -- A Hammer film, but without Peter Cushing as Victor. More gore, more risque, reinvents the basic story.

The Mind of Mr. Soames -- A 30 yr old man, in a coma since birth is made conscious. This baby in a man's body escapes, causing mayhem before recapture.

No Blade of Grass -- British post-apocalyptic tale. A virus kill grass plants (which include all grain plants) so global famine ensues. A group of refugees see a haven valley in Scotland.

Big Foot -- A gang of "motorcycle" youths discover a group of Big Foot creatures. The big feet capture buxom Joi Lansing as a sacrifice to a big bad Big Foot.

Horror of the Blood Monsters -- A team rocket to a planet of vampire cavemen, seeking a cure for a vampire virus outbreak on earth.

Trog -- Spelunking youths discover a thawed caveman. Scientists study him, but he escapes, kills, causes mayhem. The army shoot him dead.

Toomorrow -- "Lite" romantic comedy about a pop-rock band who soothes passing aliens with "good vibrations." Olivia Newton John stars.

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City -- Retelling the basic Jules Verne classic but with more romantic complications. Robert Ryan as Nemo. Chuck Conners co-stars.
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Frankenstein Films

Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, "Frankenstein: or The New Prometheus" was one of the first modern science fiction novels. Modern, in that it was science, not the supernatural, that created the monster. Her story is probably best remembered by the iconic image of the monster with flat-topped head, bolts in his neck and green skin. This images was created by Universal Studios makeup artist Jack Pierce. His monster was featured in seven Universal films from 1931 to 1948. Britain's Hammer Films took the concept and created seven of their own Frankenstein films. Though, their films were focused on the doctor more than the monster. Below are the films reviewed in this study: FrankenFEST.

 Edison's Frankenstein -- A 1910 silent movie short based on Shelley's book, featuring alchemy as the science.

Homunculus -- 1916 Silent film series in six parts. A chemically-created person, unable to love, antagonizes humanity because he cannot feel love.

1931: Frankenstein -- THE film that created the cultural icon. Boris Karloff stars as the monster.

Bride of Frankenstein -- The sequel in which the doctor creates a mate for his monster. The monster speaks, but the relationship is doomed.

Son of Frankenstein -- Basil Rathebone stars as a son of Henry. Karloff stars as the monster for the last time. Bela Lugosi plays the hunchback, Ygor.

Ghost of Frankenstein -- The ghost of Henry persuades his other son, Ludwig, to fix the monster and vindicate him.

Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man -- Dual sequel with two monsters who fight to an inconclusive end.

House of Frankenstein -- Plot mashup with the monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, a lovelorn hunchback and an evil doctor, played by Boris Karloff.

Three Frankenstein Miscellany Non-saga and indie films: Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein and Frankenstein 1970. The latter starring Boris Karlof.

Curse of Frankenstein -- Hammer Films' start of a new saga. Peter Cushing stars as Victor Frankenstein. Christopher Lee plays his monster.

Revenge of Frankenstein -- The Baron escaped the guillotine and tries to help his hunchback friend get a new body.

Evil of Frankenstein -- Story retold and loosely akin to Universal's saga. Baron returns to old castle to find his flat-headed monster frozen in ice.

Frankenstein Creates Woman -- The Baron remakes the body of a crippled suicide victim into a hottie, then transfers in the "soul" of his dead assistant. The dual-personality Christina stalks and kills the three men who framed Hans for murder.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed -- The Baron blackmails a young doctor to kidnap an insane brain-transplant doctor, to learn his secrets.

Atomic Angst Films

A great many classic science fiction films had Cold War themes at their roots. There were also many non-sci-fi films in the same era that sprang from the same roots. Listed below is a collection of those films that voiced Atomic Angst in a more direct, less allegorical, way. Devotees of old sci-fi will be able to recognize similar plot themes and tropes.

 Below is a list of AtomicAngst films in chronological order:

 Golden Age Motivation -- Introduction to this Atomic Angst collection.

The Red Menace -- A down-on-his-luck ex-G.I. becomes entangled in a cell of ruthless communists.

Seven Days to Noon -- An upset nuclear scientist steals an atomic bomb and threatens to blow up London if the UK doesn't abandon nukes.

The Whip Hand -- A reporter checks out a mysterious dead lake and stumbles upon a nest of communist agents.

High Treason -- British agents uncover a plot of home-grown communists to sabotage London's power grid.

Five -- A very early post-apocalypse tale of five people who survive the global nuclear war.

The Atomic City -- Communist agents kidnap the son of a nuclear scientist. The ransom is the secrets to the H-bomb.

Duck and Cover -- Civil Defense public service film to teach school children how to survive an atomic attack.

Split Second -- Escaped convicts take some hostages to aid their escape, but choose to hide out in a nuclear test area.

Hell and High Water -- A former WWII sub captain is recruited to discover a secret communist plot to drop an atom bomb.

Atomic Attack -- Television drama about a suburban family's life after New York City is bombed.

Rocket Attack U.S.A. -- Via collective hypnotism, several people in a bar experience what a communist attack and invasion would be like.

On The Beach -- Landmark movie about the last survivors of global nuclear war and how they each face their inevitable doom.

The World, The Flesh and The Devil -- Two men and one woman, sole survivors of a nuclear war. New hope clashes with old thinking.

The Last Woman on Earth -- Something kills all animal life on earth except a husband, wife and business friend who were scuba diving.

The Flight That Disappeared -- A nuclear physicist, mathematician and rocket designer are hijacked by the "unborn" of the future and put on trial.

The Beast of Yucca Flats -- Odd film about a Russian defector exposed to a nuclear test and becomes a deranged killer.

This is Not a Test -- A highway patrol deputy stops people at a roadblock before a nuclear attack. Tensions flare.

Panic in the Year Zero -- Atom bombs fall while a family vacation in the hills. They fight to survive amid privation and armed thugs.

Dr. Strangelove -- A dark comedy satire of errors that lead to the dropping of atomic bombs.

Fail Safe -- A serious drama about a chain of errors that lead to the dropping of atomic bombs.

The Bedford Incident -- A US Navy destroyer hunts a Soviet sub. Tensions run high and mistakes are made. The ship and sub exchange nuclear weapons.

The War Game -- A banned BBC film about how government and society break down after a nuclear attack on Britain.

The Last War -- 1961 Japanese film about a family caught in a world where a chain of errors unleash total nuclear doom.

Panic in the City -- A rogue communist agent builds a nuclear bomb in L.A. Agents have only a little time to discover where it is before it blows up.
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1969

The dreams of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and countless sci-fi writers, was realized in July, 1969. The wide-eyed fascination of Destination Moon ('50) became reality. 1969 was not, however, an outstanding year for sci-fi. For the most part, it was populated with old-formula, remakes and foreign imports. The notable exception being Marooned: a bigger budget production about an Apollo mission.

The Illustrated Man -- Based on Ray Bradbury stories, about a man tattooed by a woman of the future, whose tattoos foretell the future.

Blood beast terror -- A rogue scientist has created a were-moth: beautiful woman by day, giant vampire moth by night.

The Green Slime -- An alien life form infests an orbiting space station. They feed on energy and seek to attack earth next.

Body Stealers -- Aliens steal skydivers to help them rebuild their dying civilization, until the leader alien falls in love with an earthling.

The Valley of Gwangi -- Remake of Beast of Hollow Mountain. Dinosaurs in hidden valley ranchers in the old west.

The Bed Sitting Room -- British comedy about post-apocalyptic England. Amid other absurdities, radiation mutates some people into inanimate objects.

The Monitors -- An odd comedy about a bungling resistance movement against aliens who have taken over and manage Earth for the betterment of mankind.

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun -- A space mission discovers that Earth has an exact duplicate in an exact opposite orbit, so never seen.

Marooned -- An Apollo mission is trapped in orbit with no way down. Can an experimental rocket shuttle get to them before their oxygen runs out?

Latitude Zero -- A Toho take on Captain Nemo. An arch villain seeks to destroy the idyllic undersea city of Latitude Zero.

Genocide -- A deranged biologist, sponsored by communists, breeds killer bugs, but a lost H-bomb exposes the scheme.

Hibernatus -- French comedy about a man found alive after frozen in arctic ice for 65 years. To avoid fatal shock, everyone pretends it is still 1905. The charade unravels riotously.

It's Alive -- Low-budget horror hybrid based on Matheson story. A roadside attraction owner keeps a prehistoric creature and feeds it tourists.

1968

This is one of those benchmark years in sci-fi. While not a rigid boundary, 1968 marks a sort of watershed in style. In some ways, it marks the end of the Golden Era of 50s sci-fi. Stanley Kubrik's 2001 would change and influence the nature of sci-fi for nearly a decade, until the next big benchmark: Star Wars. 1968 would also be the beginning of the long-running Planet of the Apes series. But, for all that modern-era spin, there were still plenty of low-budget films carrying the 50s torch. Here are the films in roughly chronologic order.

  Five Million Miles to Earth -- Titled "Quatermass and the Pit" in the UK version in '67. An alien craft is unearthed during construction on a subway, awakening dormant alien consciousness in many people.

  The Countdown -- A NASA mission to the moon is rushed, in order to beat the Russians. It means a one-way rocket, however. Can the Americans be first and survive?

  Planet of the Apes -- First film of many. Starring Charlton Heston, astronaut who lands on a planet ruled by sentient apes. Humans are the mute beasts.

  2001: A Space Odyssey -- Stanley Kubrik's pivotal epic, from the dawn of man, to man's "evolution" to star-child. Features the HAL-9000.

  Astro-Zombies -- A mad doctor uses synthetic body parts and computer programmed brains to create astro-men. The first of an army for conquering the world.

  Wild in the Streets -- A young "bad boy" becomes a rock idol, and translates his popularity into becoming president. Once in power, Congress is fed LSD and anti-Over-30 laws are passed.

  Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women -- Yet another reworking of footage from the Russian film Planeta Bur. Told as flashback, but focusing on the Venusian babes hinted at in the original.

  The Power -- A group of ESP researchers discover that one of them has amazing mind powers. They are being killed off, one by one, by someone else with that power.

  The Omegans -- A vengeful husband brings his cheating wife and her scheming lover to a remote jungle with a radiated river and glowing nocturnal natives, intending do them in.

  Thunderbird 6 -- Second "Supermarionation" film by Gerry Anderson. A super air-ship is hijacked by evil men. The newest, 6th, Thunderbird machine saves the day.

  Mission Mars -- A NASA mission to Mars follows a failed Russian mission. The Americans land on Mars and find deadly solar powered aliens.

  The Destructors -- A band of international criminals try to steal the special-rubies which power a super laser weapon. Can the good guys stop them and save world peace?

  The Bamboo Saucer -- A real flying saucer is discovered, hidden in a village inside Communist China. US and Soviet teams combine efforts to keep the Red Chinese from finding it.

  Barbarella -- Jane Fonda's leap into sex-kittendom. A bizarre, semi-comedic comic book tale of Barbarella's attempt to stop evil Durand-Durand from taking over the universe.

  Mission Stardust -- Based on Perry Rhodan novels. Men find a disabled alien ship (and a beautiful alien) on the moon. Perry tries to help them repair the ship. Shadowy criminals try to hijack it.

Battle Beneath the Earth -- Scientists discover that a rogue Chinese general is tunneling under the USA, planting A-bombs under major cities.

Project X -- A dead spy is kept alive and revived in hopes of learning the key to a Chinese plot to destroy the West.

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1967

The comparatively stable (if anxious) mood of the 50s and early 60s was morphing into the turbulent 60s. The Vietnam War was heating up, as were protests against it. The middle east was a hot bed, with the pivotal '67 War. It was a hippy high point, the "Summer of Love". NASA launched probes to the moon and Venus as well as Apollo 4 -- an unmanned test of the whole Saturn V and Command Module system needed to put men on the moon. Films in theaters and drive-ins during this transition time, were almost all low-budget B movies in the spirit of the late 50s and early 60s.

  Island of Terror -- On an Irish island, scientists try to engineer cancer-eating cells, but create a new life form that "eats" human (and animal) bones.

  The Projected Man -- A matter-transporter experiment goes wrong, creating a scientist-monster whose touch electrocutes people.

  Snow Devils -- Fourth in the "Gamma One" quadrilogy. Yeti-like aliens plan to turn Earth into an ice planet. Rod Jackson flies to a moon of Jupiter to stop the plot.

  Night of the Big Heat -- An English island is being made hotter and hotter by aliens resembling glowing rocks, as prelude to an invasion.

  The Terrornauts -- A small SETI team are whisked off to an asteroid by an automated alien base to help stop an attacking fleet of red "enemy" rockets.

  The Vulture -- A rogue scientist uses a nuclear reactor to bring to life the bones on an ancestor. It works, but he is sometimes a man, sometimes a giant vulture.

  They Came From Beyond Space -- Meteorites in England contain energy beings from a dying race, who seek new bodies to possess. The Brits object.

The Reluctant Astronaut -- A Don Knotts comedy about a bumbling NASA janitor drafted to fly a space capsule to prove how automatic it was.

  Mars Needs Women -- Young men from Mars plan to steal a few choice women from Earth, but one of the Martians falls in love.

  Journey to the Center of Time -- Scientists with a time-travel pod visit earth's future and prehistoric past, and encounter themselves.

  In the Year 2889 -- Essentially a modernized remake (copy) of the '55 film Day The World Ended.

  Rocket to the Moon -- A British comedy retelling of the classic Jules Verne moon journey story, but no one gets to the moon.

  Planetary Giants -- An alien dictator wants the secret of an earth scientist's rocket, so he can build a fleet and conquer the earth.

  Planet of Invading Women -- A planet of pretty (but ruthless) women plan to steal earth children to use their lung tissue, so they can breathe earth air and invade.

  The Frozen Dead -- An old Nazi scientist uses the kept-alive head of a young woman, intending to use mind control to revive 1500 cryogenically frozen Nazis.

  Night Fright -- A space capsule returns from radiation-infested space, the monkey aboard has become a murderous gorilla monster.

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1966

Mash-ups, imports, remakes and adaptations from (or to) television dominate the sci-fi movies of 1966. Fantastic Voyage is the stand-out big movie of the year. For influence of television increases, both as source material (e.g. Dr. Who movies) and a market for 50s remakes (the many A.I.P./Buchanan movies). Here are the year's movies, in roughly chronological order.

Queen of Blood -- Recycled soviet sci-fi footage mixed with new. An alien woman, rescued from crash on Phobos, feeds on the blood the rescue crew.

Planet of the Prehistoric Women -- Low-budget tale of a ship crashed on a prehistoric planet and the dawn of civilization.

War of the Planets -- English dubbed version of second in the Gamma One series. Energy beings take over humans.

War Between the Planets -- English dub of the third in the Gamma One series. Commander Jackson must stop a rogue planet whose gravity is harming Earth.

Dr. Who and the Daleks -- Movie version of several Dr. Who television episodes. Peter Cushing stars as the Doctor, battling the robot-like Daleks.

Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 -- Second movie version of Dr. Who. Travel to Earth's future to find Dalek domination. He must thwart their plan to steal the planet.

Fantastic Voyage -- A team and a mini-sub are shrunk to perform micro-laser surgery inside the brain of a defecting scientist. Sabotage and treachery threaten the mission.

The Navy vs. the Night Monsters -- Plant samples from Antarctica grow into man-eating trees, threatening to eat everyone on a remote island naval base.

Cyborg 2087 -- A Terminator-like tale of a cyborg sent from the future to earth's past (1966) to prevent a professor inventing a mind-control tool.

Dimension 5 -- A secret agent with short-jump time shifting belt, battles Chinese spies trying to assembled an A-Bomb in Los Angeles.

Destination Inner Space -- An undersea base is beset by a saucer carrying frozen gillman creatures. The earthlings must stop this spearhead of an invasion.

Zontar: Thing From Venus -- AIP/Buchanan remake of 1956 Roger Corman film It Conquered the World. John Agar stars.

Way...Way Out -- Jerry Lewis comedy about a shirker astronaut trainee, drafted to replace crew on a moon base. For propriety, he must marry astronaut Connie Stevens.

Fahrenheit 451 -- British production, based on Ray Bradbury's novel about Earth's authoritarian future, in which books are burned and independent thought is treason.

The Bubble -- A man and wife are trapped in weird town, beneath a clear dome. Is it the work of aliens? a 3D extravaganza by Arch Oboler.

Invasion -- A mysterious man lies hurt in a hospital. Two mysterious women are after him. Is HE a space criminal, or are THEY?

Sting of Death -- Young people on a research spring break in the Everglades are being killed off one at a time by a monster jellyfish-man-thing.
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1965

The tide of sci-fi offerings continued to rise in the midpoint of the decade. While most were low-budget efforts (very much in the 50s idiom), there were many re-releases of foreign sci-fi. Audiences were eager for more sci-fi. The previous market driver, (the Drive-In theater) was losing steam, but television stepping up.

The Human Duplicators Richard "Jaws" Kiel stars as Kolos, an alien sent to replace key earth people with obedient duplicates, as a preparation for invasion.

Mutiny in Outer Space A spreading space fungus threatens a space station. The unbalanced commander refuses to acknowledge the peril, prompting a mutiny.

Curse of the Fly A third installment in the Delambre saga. The transporter project still has its problems: mutants and rapid aging. Thankfully, no flies.

Crack in the World A scientist fires a nuke into the earth's core, hoping to provide limitless geo-thermal power. Instead, he causes a crack to grow, which could split the earth in two.

Monster A-Go-Go An astronaut disappears when his capsule lands. He has become a 9' tall radioactive monster. There is some small amount of dancing. The monster is tracked down and killed in tunnels beneath Chicago.

War Gods of the Deep One of the lesser of the Corman Poe-Cycle. Loosely based on a Poe poem, Vincent Price stars as the captain of men trapped in a time-immune city under the sea.

The Damned A British film from '63 about "special" radioactive children raised in a bunker world to rebuild mankind should WWIII occur.

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet A mission to Venus. Dub of the soviet film Planeta Bur with minor new footage with Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue.

Frankenstein meets the Spacemonster Not a story about the original Frankenstein, but an android astronaut who thwarts an alien invasion and fights their monster.

Village of the Giants Bert I. Gordon's loose adaptation (and very teen-ifiied) version of H.G. Wells' "Food of the Gods." Giant teen miscreants hold a town hostage.

Planet of the Vampires Mario Bava's artsy italian tale of Astronauts being taken over by energy beings intent on getting to earth.

Die Monster Die Loose adaptation of Lovecraft's "Colour out of Space." A rural gentleman keeps meteorite which he thinks will benefit mankind, but it actually drains life.

Spaceflight IC-1 A space ark with four married couples aboard, is sent to find Earth 2. Personalities clash. A showdown ensues. Two die.

Atragon English dub of 1063 Toho film about the flying submarine superweapon Atragon. It's reclusive owner must be convinced to use it to save Earth.

Evil Brain from Outer Space A set of Starman episodes cobbled together into a TV film. The brain of Balizar tries to prepare Earth for a Zemarian invasion.

Attack of the Eye Creatures Larry Buchanan's remake (almost direct copy) of the 1957 film "Invasion of the Saucer Men." Very low budget.

Wild Wild Planet First installment of the Gamma Quadrilogy. Dubbed from Italian. An evil doctor and corporation are stealing people and making clones.

Wizard of Mars Low-budget nod to "Wizard of Oz". Four astronauts trapped on Mars must find the secret to returning to Earth.

Space Probe Taurus A probe looking for a new earth is thrown off course. They find an earth-like planet, though some danger. Ship repaired, they return with the good news.

The Secret of the Telegian English dub of Toho's second "mutant" film (1960). A (supposedly) murdered WWII soldier uses a teleporter to take revenge on his killers.

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1964

After the abundance of sci-fi films at the end of the 50s, the scarcity of sci-fi releases in the early 60s felt like a drought. 1964 was the year things started to improve. There were a couple of major films, but the low-budget indie market was getting stronger too. Below are the sci-fi films of '64, in roughly chronological order. (those with no specified release date are at the end)

Children of the Damned -- Another variation/sequel on the theme of scary gifted children begun by Village of the Damned.

Last Man on Earth -- Vincent Price stars in this first movie adaptation of Matheson's novel "I Am Legend."

The flesh eaters -- A pirana-like bacteria trap some people on an island. An unscrupulous scientist among them wants to make it a weapon.

Gorath -- Toho Studios' big-budget retelling of When Worlds Collide ('51) but with a few twists.

The Human Vapor -- Dub of Toho's story from 1960. A variation on The Invisible Man, but he can turn himself into vapor.

Horror of Party Beach -- Toxic waste turns dead sailors into zombie monsters with a fondness for oblivious young women.

Robinson Crusoe on Mars -- Defoe's classic tale recast for the space age. An astronaut is stranded on Mars, but finds ways to survive.

The Creeping Terror -- Astoundingly odd indie film. An alien rocket lands on earth, releasing a slow and shambling monster which goes around eating people.

The Time Travelers -- An experiment to view the past becomes a time portal. The scientists become trapped in the post-apocalyptic future.

First Men on the Moon -- A film adaptation of H.G.Wells' classic tale. Features Lionel Jeffreies as Cavor and Ray Harryhausen animation.

Ikarie XB-1 -- A Czech film dubbed into english. A space ship travels to explore a mysterious "green planet" but encounter a radiation-induced sleeping sickeness en route.

The Atomic Brain -- aka Monstrosity. A shifty scientist is hired by an abusive rich old woman to transplant her brain into the body of a young buxom blonde.

The Earth Dies Screaming -- British tale of alien robots who invade earth, shutting down infrastructure, killing many, turning some into zombies.
Frozen Alive -- British crime-drama. A scientist in suspended animation is sought for the death of his wife.

Invasion of the Neptune Men -- Japan is invaded by robot-like beings from Neptune. Earth, and a group of school boys, are saved by hero "Iron Sharp" (or Space Chief).

Unearthly Stranger -- British sci-fi drama. Wife of scientist working on mental teleportation turns out to be an alien, teleported to kill him.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians -- Silly Christmas special. Santa is kidnapped by martians to make joy for douer mars kids. Teaches all martians joy.
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1963

As the early 60s were morphing into the mid 60s, sci-fi offerings were no more numerous. '63 was a mix of low-budget quirkiness and better fare. Some of the old tropes get a retread and the Nazis make a surprising come-back.

Reptilicus -- Another Danish-American production, essentially Danish Tourism Board's version of Godzilla.

Day of the Triffids -- A British version of the classic apocalyptic invasion story, but with iconic walking man-eating plants.

Mantango: Attack of the Mushroom People -- Ishiro Honda's thoughtful tale of seven castaways who one-by-one start turning into giant mushrooms. Only one of them escapes.

The Slime People -- Low-budget invasion tale in which creatures from within the earth take over Los Angeles. Trapped within the invisible dome is a plucky band of survivors.

The Day Mars Invaded Earth -- Low-budget mix of Angry Red Planet and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Energy beings from Mars replace a scientist and his family.

X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes -- One of Roger Corman's best films. A doctor invents a drug that lets him see through objects. He goes too far and sees and is terrified at what he sees.

Madmen of Mandoras -- Quirky low-budget story of nazis hiding in a tiny South American country who have kept Hitler's head alive since 1945, and plan to take over the world.

The Yesterday Machine -- Another low-low-budgtet story about nazis. This time, a nazi scientist has invented a time machine so the Nazis can win WWII.

1962

Since the closing of science fiction cinema's Golden Age (the 1950s) far fewer sci-fi films were release each year. 1960 had far less than 1959. 1961 had a couple less than 1960. 1962 had a bit less than 1961. Curiously, almost none of them were "home grown." Reworked and dubbed foreign sci-fi films made up the bulk of the offerings for '62 audiences to enjoy.

Planets Against Us -- Italian production about stealthy alien cyborgs, all patterned after one dead human, sabotaging earth's space efforts.

Journey to the Seventh Planet -- Joint American & Danish production about an alien on Uranus that can conjure things, beautiful or terrible, from men's thoughts.

Creation of the Humanoids -- A future of mankind's slow extinction and eventual replacement by robots so advanced that even they don't know they're robots.

Underwater City -- A city on the sea floor is proposed as the answer to mankind's problems. It is built, but disaster strikes.

Invasion of the Animal People -- Originally a '59 Swedish sci-fi about an alien landing in northern Lappland and a Yeti which rampages.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die -- A mad/gifted surgeon rescues his fiancee's head from a car crash, then searches for a suitable body to transplant it to.

The First Spaceship on Venus -- English dub of the 1960 East German film "Silent Star". An earth mission finds traces of a dead civilization on Venus.

Battle Beyond the Sun -- English dub of the 1959 Soviet Sci-fi, about a Mars mission which must divert to save a doomed rocket. Roger Corman inserted some gratuitous and questionable monsters.

Planeta Bur -- A Soviet sci-fi, benchmarked here, but used in english-dubs in two later films.

Hand of Death -- Not yet reviewed, pending.

1961

While there were more sci-fi films than the year prior, there still weren't many in 1961. Yet, even with a small sample there were two dominant themes. There were three movies that featured Captain Nemo to varying degrees. There were three films which featured a global warming disaster. Since all came from different sources, it makes an intriguing coincidence.

Konga -- A scientist discovers a plant growth hormone that works on animals. He uses it to make a chimp into a gorilla to silence his enemies.

Master of the World -- Two of Jules Verne's novels are blended to produce one story about the rogue genius and peacenik: Robur.

Atlantis: The Lost Continent -- A greek fisherman returns a lost princess to Atlantis but becomes embroiled in palace intrigue and a plot for Atlantis to rule the world.

The Day the Earth Caught Fire -- Nuclear weapons tests bump earth into a decaying orbit into the sun. Oppressive heat, fires, riots. Can similar blasts move earth back into proper orbit?

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- Admiral Nelson, aboard his super-sub "Seaview" must race against balking bureaucrats and on-board saboteurs to save the earth from the burning Van Allen belts.

The Day the Sky Exploded -- English dubbed version of '59 italian film. An errant atomic rocket causes a giant asteroid to head for earth. It's approach causes climate disasters and oppressive heat. Are earth's nuclear missiles enough to stop it?

The Phantom Planet -- An astronaut lands on a mysterious asteroid to find miniature people. He is told he can never return, lest their secret existence be compromised.

Assignment: Outer Space -- A reporter is attached to a routine space mission, which becomes a desperate race to save the earth from a deadly rogue spaceship.

Mysterious Island -- Jules Verne's story of Civil War soldiers cast away on a remote island with giant animals and Captain Nemo. Can they escape a pirate attack and exploding volcano?

The Giant of Metropolis -- Italian film about a leader of Atlantis who seeks to transplant the brain of his father into his son's head, so he can rule forever, runs afoul of "the gods."

The Beast of Yucca Flats -- More of an atomic angst film than sci-fi. Tor Johnson becomes a killing brute after exposed to an atomic test.

Rocket Attack: USA -- Another atomic angst film, not really sci-fi. Low-budget spy drama where the Russian's launch a nuke at New York.

Valley of the Dragons -- Loosely based on a Jules Verne tale. Two men about to fight a duel are swept up by a comet, which is inhabited by cavemen and dinosaurs.

The Most Dangerous Man Alive -- A criminal, framed by his cohorts, escapes onto a nuclear test site. The blast makes him invincible. Revenge ensues.
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1960

The decade of the 1960s started off rather slow, compared to the pace set by the 50s. Some of 1960's sci-fi films had been produced in '59, so might be considered 50s films in a way. The themes and quality did not change very much at first, but would become quite different by the end of the decade. That's why the image of the car -- The Chevrolet Corvair is a sort of poster child for America in the 60s.

Here are the sci-fi films of 1960 in roughly chronological order:

Angry Red Planet -- Yet another first manned mission to Mars in the mode of Rocketship X-M. The crew encounter troubles and are told they're not welcome on Mars.

Visit To A Small Planet -- Jerry Lewis plays a mischievous alien who comes to study earth, but finds he cannot control himself.

Leech Woman -- An unscrupulous and abusive scientist learns of a fountain of youth drug guarded by a jungle tribe. His wife takes it, but must kill men to stay young. Her husband was the first to die.

Battle In Outer Space -- A grand epic from Toho Studios, set as a loose sequel to The Mysterians. Dubbed into English, earth scientists must defeat the Natalians who wish to make earth a colony.

12 To The Moon -- A cosmopolitan crew make the first manned moon mission, only to discover that advanced lunar beings don't want earthlings there. Earth is almost doomed until human love softens the lunar rage.

The Lost World -- Irwin Allen's remake of the 1925 version of Doyle's novel -- the prototype for Jurassic Park. Budget constraints kept the movie from greatness.

The Amazing Transparent Man -- A mix Invisible Man and a film-noir crime drama. A shady spy forces a German doctor to make a criminal invisible in order to steal funds and isotopes to create an invisible army.

Beyond the Time Barrier -- A test pilot flies through a time displacement to arrive in 2069. Mankind is doomed to mutation from a nuclear-induced plague. He must return to 1960 to warn everyone.

The Time Machine -- H.G. Wells' novel is given A-level rendition in this classic film.

Dinosaurus -- A construction crew on a caribbean island unearth two "frozen" dinosaurs and a cave man. A lightning storm awakens them to mayhem and adventures and a duel between T-Rex and a steam shovel.

The Cape Canaveral Monsters -- Alien life forms (dots of light) inhabit two earth scientists who then set about sabotaging America's space race efforts. A clever hero outwits them, or does he?

Nebo Zovyot -- This high-budget Russian space adventure rivals Conquest of Space ('55) in tone and effects. Never released as a simple English dubbed film, footage was used in later American B films.