Cult Camp Classics 1 – Sci-Fi Thrillers | DVD Review

Warner Bros.’ DVD box set, Cult Camp Classics 1–Sci-Fi Thrillers contains Attack of the 50 Woman (1958), The Giant Behemoth (1959), and Queen of Outer Space (1958). All three films were quickly and cheaply made, and full of bad acting and limited special effects; but afficionado of cheesy 50’s and 60’s late-night, double bill films will find the set appealing. The films can be painfully bad and sometimes even boring (this is especially the case with The Giant Behemoth); but they can be interesting to those who study old-school special effects long before the aid of computers or even in a historical context. Themes which run throughout the films reflect the times–paranoia involving radiation and nuclear waste, space travel and female liberation.

The Giant Behemoth (Eugene Lourie) is a tale about a brontosaur-type sea creature which has gained destructive radioactive powers as a result of mankind dumping nuclear waste into the ocean. A fisherman’s mysterious death (along with mass amounts of fish) on the South-English coastal town of Cornwall lead scientists and researches to hunt for the creature which attacks by emitting a spiral ray of radioactivity. The film is, for the most part, full of dialogue and speculation, and the behemoth is shown for what seems like 1 percent of the entire film. For the most part this one is an incredible bore and more of a detective film than a monster movie (as is pointed out on the commentary by Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett (Academy Award ® winning visual effects and dinosaur creators for Jurassic Park); but for fans of old stop motion effects, the behemoth has a certain charm as it destroys London. Regarding the commentary, there are a few amusing anecdotes–funnily enough, not related to this particular film; but Murena nd Tippett are largely derisive and bored, and ultimately repetitive.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (Nathan Juran) stars the beautiful Allison Hayes as Nancy Archer, a cuckolded woman on the brink of a nervous breakdown due to her evil and conniving husband (Roy Gordon), who is attempting to cheat her out of an inheritance while sneaking around with his mistress, Honey (Yvette Vickers). She encounters a giant alien who is acquiring diamonds to fuel his ‘satellite’ (this film was made in the era of sputnik). The alien attempts to reach for her diamond necklace and accidentally contaminates her, turning her into a giantess. Nancy uses her new form and power to get revenge on her husband and his mistress, destroying all else in her way. It should be noted that the film’s original poster (much like Behemoth) is deceiving as in both cases there are no scenes like the ones depicted to attract audiences. It is fairly obvious, when viewing the films as a whole that there was never enough money or time for such extravagance. Even so, the absurdity and gender politics of this film make it fun and interesting to watch. It helps that it only clocks in at just over one hour. The commentary by film historian, Tom Weaver and actress Yvette Vickers is insightful and often amusing.

Equally as fun and funny to watch is Queen of Outer Space (Edward Bernds). This is another tale about women in power and the possible threat they may cause to man–absurd these days; but apparently a common sentiment in the fifties–the film is peppered with sexist remarks and laughable sexual references. It involves a crew of astronauts whose task it is to fly a Professor Konrad (Paul Birch) to his space station. They are zapped by a mysterious ray and crash on Venus where they soon discover a colony of gorgeous women who have obliterated all males due to their quarrelling and warmongering nature. The crew is held captive and await their torture and death (orders handed down from a masked queen). One voluptuous woman named Talleah (played by flamboyant socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor) enlists a few other Venusian beauties to conspire against the queen and save the men, who’s presence, they confess, they miss having around–and, of course, they have no way reproduce. This film contains enough dreadfully cheesy effects, set design, dialogue and arbitrary plot (not to mention, very well shaped and scantily clad women) to be good for a laugh and fun viewing. Watch out for the ‘shocker’ when the queen’s true face is revealed. The commentary is also done by Tom Weaver–this time alongside Laurie Mitchell, who played the Queen.


All three films have contain an original theatrical trailer and audio commentaries. ‘Queen of Outer Space’ and ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’ are an interesting listen, with film historian Tom Weaver and actresses from the respective films commentating; though, for reasons mentioned above, the commentary track on ‘Behemoth’ is a waste of time–not pertinent to the film.

At under thirty dollars a set, the first in the ‘Cult Camp Classics’ series is an affordable and reasonable purchase for those interested in 50’s shlock cinema. The films are mostly amusing, often unintentionally funny, and offer social insight into the dreams and nightmares of an era.

Movie rating – 3.5

Disc Rating – 3