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Sci Fi Movies of the Cheesy but Good Variety

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Comment Diversions | Comments (67)

attack_of_the_killer_tomato.jpg

I don’t know how we’re going to beat last night’s incredibly revealing comment diversion (oh, Kayanne — we know too much now), but Snuggiepants the Deathbringer is going to at least focus our attention back on movies tonight. She writes:

I’d like to suggest an evening comment diversion on the best old sci-fi movies (1950s and ’60s, specifically), the cheesier the better. The old man and I LOVE that particular genre, but it’s honestly hard to tell from the crappy quality of the DVD covers if the movie is going to be GOOD-bad or BAD-bad. We don’t want bad-bad, so we end up stuck sometimes and it’s hard to find good reviews of sci-fi flicks from that era.

—-

I’m afraid that’s not a genre I’m particularly familiar with beyond Phillip’s “10 Sci-Fi Movies You Should See (But Probably Haven’t)” Guide, so I leave it to you to make some suggestions.









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Comments

Start with:

Forbidden Planet, baby.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at May 12, 2009 8:35 PM

Them!
The original Godzilla
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Posted by: The Wanderer at May 12, 2009 8:43 PM

Gotta go with Flash Gordon. Based on a comic book, full of great one-liners, and music by Queen. Check and mate.

Posted by: Cat at May 12, 2009 8:44 PM

Krull

Posted by: theotherkafka at May 12, 2009 8:46 PM

My experience with these films comes mostly, almost entirely, from MST3K...which isn't a bad thing, because you're pretty much guaranteed to get right to the good-bad ones. That being said, my personal favorite is The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

Posted by: puregonzo at May 12, 2009 8:46 PM

The Angry Red Planet
Rocketship XM
THEM!
Barbarella ...giggity
The Blob (Steve McQueen version)

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at May 12, 2009 8:46 PM

puregonzo, oh man, thing that wouldn't die is easily my favorite mst3k as well. man, that was awesome.

Posted by: theotherkafka at May 12, 2009 8:52 PM

Oh yeah, I'm down with Barbarella.

Posted by: Cindy at May 12, 2009 8:55 PM

Plan 9 From Outer Space. Nobody did craptastic like Ed Wood.

Posted by: slower lower at May 12, 2009 9:02 PM

I got so excited about the Killer Tomatoes picture up there, and rightly so! This is an awesome diversion. Sadly, my old holey brain forgets so many of these, but here's some for now and I'll comment more as I think of them:

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Them!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (this one is actually best in a double feature with the '78 version.)
The Fly (Oh, how I miss you, Vincent Price!)
The Haunting
The House on Haunted Hill (I guess these last two are really more horror than sci-fi, huh... )

My parents loved all those movies, so I saw tons of them when I was a kid. Ugh! I wish I could think of more!

Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at May 12, 2009 9:11 PM

OH YEAH! Barbarella, how could I forget that one?! And The Blob! And Godzilla, though I prefer the really original version to the Americanized one with Raymond Burr tossed in. Even better was catching a Saturday afternoon marathon of the Godzillas (vs. Mothra, vs. Mechagodzilla, vs. Ghidrah, and all the rest). oh, what glorious afternoons those were!

Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at May 12, 2009 9:21 PM

Metropolis (not cheesy but good)
It! The Terror From Beyond Space
Planet of the Vampires
20 Million Miles to Earth
Village of the Damned
Creature From The Black Lagoon

Posted by: John W at May 12, 2009 9:22 PM

Start with:

Forbidden Planet, baby.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at May 12, 2009 8:35 PM
---
Bingo. Not bad SFX for its day.

I mean Anne Francis' tits, of course. The monster is pretty cool too.

One caveat: I have a copy of this and I thought it was BOOOOOOOOOOOORing, but I read an analysis that made sense, said this was a true science fiction movie in that they tried to wedge a lot of (pseudo)science talk into it.

I'll buy that.

Still BOOOOOOOOOOOOOORing.

Oh man, I watched so many of these movies as a kid. Like this one, a proto-"Alien" from 1958:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051786/

Wiki says it even inspired a lawsuit.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 9:23 PM

Well, lookie there, John W is one minute ahead of me with it.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 9:24 PM

Ah, Anna, I don't care if it is horror, I am so happy you mentioned "The House on Haunted Hill". It is one of my favorite movies ever ever ever. Vincent Price is at his most creepy/sleezy/suspicious, and the skeleton at the end? Priceless. And now I'm sad because I'd really like to watch it right now but alas, I only have it on VHS. Gotta upgrade ASAP.

Posted by: puregonzo at May 12, 2009 9:25 PM

Oh how I love The Brain That Wouldn't Die!

Another favorite is Attack of the Giant Leeches (also shown on MST3K). It featured actors dressed in trashbags with big, donut-shaped, styrofoam mouths. They killed people by walking up to them and hugging them.

Posted by: ShinyKate at May 12, 2009 9:29 PM

Oh! Also, Killer Clowns from Outer Space. In this good-bad romp from the '80s, the clowns cocoon folks in cotton candy and drink their blood through fun straws.

Posted by: ShinyKate at May 12, 2009 9:32 PM

Is The Birds considered science fiction? I think it could be.

Posted by: Cindy at May 12, 2009 9:35 PM

hulu actually has a great collection of free cheesy old movies - I usually go for the horrors, but Robot Holocaust was pretty awesome. Carnival of Souls was good too, though it's a horror, not scifi. Also, the original Little Shop of Horrors is worth seeing at least once.

Posted by: s. pisaster at May 12, 2009 9:39 PM

The original "Thing (From Another World)"

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 9:43 PM

"Beast From 20,000 Fathoms," 1953. Ray Harryhausen on the SFX.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 9:47 PM

What? No love for Charlton Heston? Planet of the Apes - the first (original) one, and Soylent Green. It's cheese, but it's great cheese!

-Ralphie

Posted by: ralphie at May 12, 2009 9:56 PM

Logan`s Run. Even though I think that was from the seventies.

Posted by: neurotica at May 12, 2009 9:56 PM

oh, Kayanne — we know too much now

You called me out!?!? Whatthefuck!? How was I supposed to know someone would find the video. Godtopus I hate you all. Especially you, Rowles, you commie. I beat you're in league with Rhyme that bandwagon bastard.

I know expect that payment in Dark Chocolate I requested. Or was that rationed out to all the people on one of my off days, as per the Pajibist Manifesto?

Posted by: Kayanne at May 12, 2009 10:00 PM

I recall seeing a movie called "13 Ghosts" and holding up cardboard glasses for some "woo-woo" 3D ghosty parts.
I recall also that it was not so much good.

Posted by: dirt monkey at May 12, 2009 10:06 PM

STARCRASH.

Marvel in the power of Hasselhoff.

Posted by: figgy at May 12, 2009 10:08 PM

Teenagers from Outer Space
It's 1950s fantastic with aliens who look just like humans, but have giant crustacean pets and death rays.

Posted by: kelsy at May 12, 2009 10:16 PM

Limiting the choices to the 50s and 60s, I would say:

Five Million Years to Earth (its original UK title is Quatermass and the Pit)
Day of the Triffids
The Tingler (mmmm, William Castle and Vincent Price)
The Time Machine
And whatever you do, don't miss Ray Milland in The Man With X-Ray Eyes.

Posted by: Jerce at May 12, 2009 10:24 PM

OH! I just thought of The Last Starfighter, which sadly is another 80s entry. And Logan's Run is in fact from 1976, but is so awesome it should definitely be included.

@ Ralphie (p.s. are you my Uncle Ralph and/or my cousin Ralphie?), Charlton Heston is my hero. Omega Man is one of my all time faves.

@ s. pis, I LOVE Carnival of Souls. It's so very creepy.

@ puregonzo, I know, right?! I loved him so much as a kid, and that movie was one of my mom's favorites, so we watched it every time it was on cable.

Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at May 12, 2009 10:43 PM

even me, kayanne? you hate me too?
what have i ever done to you, except try to steal every last guy who thought you were a cool chick and pretty do-able?


oh lars. return to me.

Posted by: gp at May 12, 2009 10:50 PM

Cheesy movies?
This Island Earth
Viking Women and the Sea Serpent
The Mole People (the only movie I know of where a white blonde woman is killed to prevent people from thinking a movie promotes interracial marriage between a white man and a white woman raised by mole people)

Well, looks like I have turned Kayanne's life into a nightmare. Do I get a prize or something?

Posted by: Jim Doggie at May 12, 2009 10:53 PM

One of my favorite cheesy monster/horror movies is Tremors. For the love of the eight armed overlord stay away from the sequals, but the original is gold. I'd also recommend Fright Night, which is scary and funny, often at the same time.

Posted by: Mrcreosote at May 12, 2009 10:53 PM

Bruins 4, Canes 2

Nighty-night, Kayanne.

Oh, and "X! The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" is way fucked up.

SORTASPOILER ********************************

There's a legend that they cut the actual ending because it was too horrifying for audiences. Supposedly Ray Milland rips his eyes out of their sockets and then says:

"I can still see!"

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 11:03 PM

Jerce already mentioned The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, although I want to mention that you might also find it as just X. At least that's the name I remember from watching it as a kid, and it's what I found it listed as on IMDB. I love that movie and the ending totally freaked me out as a kid.

On a bitter note, I also just noticed on IMDB that it apparently is being remade/rebooted. Now that just sucks.

Posted by: elsie at May 12, 2009 11:07 PM

bucdaddy... No, that's the ending I remember - entirely too clearly, in fact. And I saw on broadcast TV, back before cable. I'm pretty sure I watched it after school with my dad.

Posted by: elsie at May 12, 2009 11:10 PM

Egad. That's an awful thing for a kid to see.

I'd also like to say that per the parameters of the diversion, the Quatermass movies weren't cheesy at all, they were pretty damn good. The one released in the States as "The Creeping Unknown" lives up to its title -- creepy.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 12, 2009 11:22 PM

Hey Che, can you respond to my last comment from the previous comment diversion when you get the chance? I just thought you'd like to know the truth.

As for so bad it's good Sci Fi, I tend to focus on the good stuff, but that movie Armageddon counts as Sci Fi, and so does Transformers, so they got my vote.

Posted by: George at May 12, 2009 11:45 PM

despite being a severely gay man, i was BLOWN AWAY by the title credits alone of BARBARELLA. naked jane fonda in "zero gravity?"

wow.

Posted by: djfox at May 13, 2009 12:14 AM

I'd definitely go with The Triffids. Although I don't know if that's horror or SciFi. I just know that I still don't trust the look of asparagus....
But seriously people... What about Rollerball? And the first Phantasm?
There was a movie that I saw at a drive in when I was a wee bairn called, I believe, The Heart. Fucked me up beyond belief.

And Heston. Gotta have Heston in there.

Posted by: Odnon at May 13, 2009 12:17 AM

Oh, and the original Fly.
Good for any young uns.

Posted by: Odnon at May 13, 2009 12:19 AM

Bandwagon? Is that a crack at the Wings, Kayanne? It's not bandwagon, it's blood, homes. I only root for them since my family does. It's a root root root for the home team thing. And don't think I forgot that you accused me of being a Yankees fan.
You've called me a lot of things but that is uncalled for.
I challenge you to a duel *glove slap*
Pick your weapon.

(Oh, is this about movies? Jeez I dunno. The original Thing was pretty good but not so much cheesy.)

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at May 13, 2009 12:33 AM

The Forbidden Zone! Danny Elfman RULZ!

Posted by: Withnail at May 13, 2009 12:51 AM

Them!
Tremors (first one is best but all are entertaining)
It came from beneath the Sea
The Giant Claw
The Deadly Mantis
Phase VI
Andromeda Strain
Any Quatermass
Any Hammer film

Posted by: Adam C at May 13, 2009 1:03 AM

Really? Kayanne's not taking the bait this time? Well jeez. What am I supposed to do now? Sleep? It's my vacation! I think I'm allowed to miss a few hours of sleep, even if it's for something so pathetic as a Pajiba thread. These things are usually movin and shakin by now.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at May 13, 2009 1:29 AM

Rhyme, I'm being pissy and pouty. Leave me alone.

Posted by: Kayanne at May 13, 2009 1:32 AM

You've got finals now, right? Man, mine were tough. I think it'll all end up alright but I had a couple days straight where I didn't get more than 3 hours of sleep.
Despite our mutual hatred, I'm not entirely against feeling bad for you after a post like that.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at May 13, 2009 1:41 AM

It's Alive!
Basket Case
Laserblast
Doppelgänger AKA Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
Marooned
Critters
Hawk the Slayer
The Poseidon Adventure
Night of the Creeps
Night of the Comet
C.H.U.D.
Dagon
Anything from Troma Pictures
Anything from Roger Corman
Anything from SciFi Pictures

Posted by: CptCrckpot at May 13, 2009 2:28 AM

Panic In Year Zero
Colossus: The Forbin Project
These Are the Damned
Wild in the Streets

Posted by: Peter L. Winkler at May 13, 2009 2:48 AM

The Atomic Cafe

Wages of Fear

They Live!

Bad Taste

I really only enjoyed the camera on Wages. But Carpenter's They Live and PJackson's Bad Taste are right up your and Senor Deathbringer's alley.

Posted by: Jackseppelin at May 13, 2009 3:21 AM

Meet tall sexy girls in the great web
***---S e e K B I. c o m---***. I’m sure your lover is there.

Posted by: linda shake at May 13, 2009 5:04 AM

bucdaddy, It wasn't terribly gory, just very creepy. IIRC, the x-ray vision kept getting progressively worse for the Ray Miland character. It started out mild (seeing through bags, behind stuff) so that it was amusing and he could play tricks on people. Then it got to where he could see through clothes, then finally through flesh so that all he was seeing was bloody skeletons around him, which drove him mad. The last scene is of him stumbling into a tent revival seeking help or redemption or something. The crowd was chanting the Bible verse over and over... "If thine right eye offend thee, pluck it out." So, RM walks to the front of the crowd, muttering to himself the same verse, and eventually claws his eyes out. Of course, he takes his hands away from his face and moans the line about still being able to see. Really, it was the context of the scene that was so awful rather than the gore. Even as a kid, I recognized it was more about being a tortured character. I felt so bad for him.

Posted by: elsie at May 13, 2009 8:26 AM

No Roger Corman films have been mentioned?

The Raven with Jack frickin' Nicholson?

the original Little Shop of Horrors

not Corman, but awesome....

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte
Berserk!
I Saw What You Did (all starring Joan Crawford)

also, some really horrible B-horrors, mostly from the 70's & 80's...

I Dismember Mama
Ray Milland & Rosie Grier in The Thing with 2 Heads
Food of the Gods
Dementia 13
The Driller Killer
The Attic


Posted by: dammitjanet at May 13, 2009 8:34 AM

@ Ralphie (p.s. are you my Uncle Ralph and/or my cousin Ralphie?),
Posted by: Anna von Beaverplatz at May

Anna, I don't recall any Beaverplatz's in the family, but you never know!

Since we've kind of drifted into other genres here instead of strictly science fiction, what about all those American International Poe adaptations? The Raven, Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial? Premature Burial freaked me out big time!

Also, if you move into a new house that doesn't have a yard yet, and you don't get around to planting grass, you will totally grow triffids in it!

-Ralphie

Posted by: Ralphie at May 13, 2009 8:47 AM

They Live! can't be mentioned enough.
The Last Starfighter
Slither
Critters
Toxic Avenger
Something Wicked This Way Comes

And Journey to the Center of the Earth (new edition). If you drink every time something happens that defies logic, physics, geology, or general scientific principles, you'll be shitfaced in 38 minutes. Note that the first 20 minutes take place in the real world.

Posted by: Kballs at May 13, 2009 8:51 AM

I like pouty. I can work with pouty.

Pissy, not so much.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 13, 2009 9:52 AM

Anything with effects by Harryhausen or Willis O'Brien should be on the list. They are worth it purely for the technical skill that went into creating the effects.

You all should read this article about the physics of B-movie monsters. Very interesting. http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701757/


Posted by: Some Guy at May 13, 2009 10:22 AM

Attack of the Crawling Eye
Attack of the 50 ft Woman
The Amazing Collosal Man
Attack of the Mushroom People
Teenagers from Outer Space
Angry Red Planet

Ah, the good old cheesiness of the 50's and 60's. There are plenty more, but I just can't remember their proper names.

Posted by: Uncle JR at May 13, 2009 10:29 AM

Roger Corman = cheesy sci-fi = "Battle Beyond the Stars". A perfect example of the cheesy sci-fi movie.

Posted by: Tranjo at May 13, 2009 11:01 AM

I'm being pissy and pouty. Leave me alone.

Posted by: Kayanne at May 13, 2009 1:32 AM
---
Woolly, young girls they do get woolly ...

What? Costner thread? Oh ...

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 13, 2009 11:45 AM

Anything that bills "white trash," "hillbillies," or "rednecks" is bound to be a hoot:

The Galaxy Invader

The afore mentioned Attack of the Giant Leeches

Moon of the Wolf--another that's technically a horror movie, but chock full of redneck hilarity

Posted by: frumpiefox at May 13, 2009 1:12 PM

Doppelgänger AKA Journey to the Far Side of the Sun - CptCrckpot, is that the one where the guy is in a wheelchair at the end of the movie and drives himself right into a mirror so he can kill/get to his Doppelgänger? Cool movie, if it's the one I am thinking of. Drove me a little nuts too. Like trying to see the back of your own head in a mirror.

Posted by: Odnon at May 13, 2009 1:50 PM

When Worlds Collide: brilliant, George Pal at his best
Robinson Crusoe on Mars: took forever for this one to become available on DVD, and the disc includes some hysterical extras including the bromance classic single of the same name
Invasion Earth: The women in these films are such great role models...

Posted by: funtime42 at May 13, 2009 3:27 PM

Easy, Kayanne. My Nucks folded up and went home early, just like your Canes will. Add to that your self-humiliation and I can understand being pissy. But why take it out on Optimus?

Seriously, I found your clip in 2 minutes on google. Nothing really embarrassing there at all - so what's got your panties in a wad? It's not like you were writhing half-naked in a vat of jello, panting and all sweaty after a marathon wrestling match with a similarly-garbed Julie that degenerated into sweet and tender caresses...

Although if such a clip exists, please put it up post-haste, as my XO and Head of Reconnaissance appears to have gone AWOL and I've been without suitable footage for months now.

Posted by: lordhelmet at May 13, 2009 5:08 PM

Yes, Odnon, I believe it is. It has been ages since I've seen the movie, but I think that may be how it ends.

Two more movies that I should have included:
The Legend of Boggy Creek
Matango AKA Attack of the Mushroom People AKA Curse of the Mushroom People

Posted by: CptCrckpot at May 14, 2009 7:32 AM

Another great one from the 80's is the movie Lifeforce, in which a hot and sexy space vampire vixen spends the entire movie walking around naked.


Posted by: some Guy at May 14, 2009 3:28 PM

It's 80s, but definitely good-bad sci-fi:

Runaway

w/ Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, and Gene Simmons

Posted by: Stoli at May 14, 2009 3:31 PM

THANK YOU! I actually missed my own gotdamned comment diversion, dammit! But I caught it just in time, I hope people see that I saw it.

In fact, I copied and pasted all the titles we don't have (even outside of the 50s and 60s) and sent it to the husband to check out (he's the movie buyer person in this house).

As a side note, we LOVE Logan's Run and all its cheesy glory. We've watched it a billion times. Parts of it are filmed in nearby Fort Worth!

Thanks again guys!

Posted by: Snuggiepants the Deathbringer at May 14, 2009 10:40 PM