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Written By: Ken Hulsey A perfect example of what can be achieved when Science Fiction cinema is approached in a serious and mature manor is the 1951 classic "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Made in the early 50s, before the atomic monster boom and sensationalised alien invasion films became the staples of the genre, "TDTESS" is arguably the best Science Fiction movie ever produced. The films producer, Julian Blaustein, milled over some 200 short stories and novels before he discovered Harry Bates', "Farewell to the Master." He felt the story would make a perfect platform for a film that could address "Cold War" fears and provide a strong social commentary. Edmund H. North was hired one to adapt the story into a screenplay. When director Robert Wise was brought on board, he the producer Blaustein, became wrapped up in a struggle with the executives at 20th Century Fox, who felt the film would be a perfect vehicle for actor Spencer Trac...

10. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is a 1953 science fiction film directed by Eugène Lourié and stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond and Cecil Kellaway with visual effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film is about an atomic bomb test in the Arctic Circle that unfreezes a hibernating fictional dinosaur, a Rhedosaurus, that begins to wreak havoc in New York City. It was one of the first monster movies that helped inspire the following generation of creature features, coining it with the atomic age. - READ MORE 9. King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) Mr. Tako, head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants something to boost his ratings. When a doctor tells Tako about a giant monster he discovered on the small Faro Island, Tako believes that it would be a brilliant idea "...with a punch" to use the monster to gain publicity. Tako immediately sends two men, Sakurai and Kinsaburo, to find and brin...

10. A Christmas Story - I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle! A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, based on his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements derived from Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark. The film has since become a holiday classic in the United States and is shown numerous times on television during the Christmas season, usually on the networks owned by Turner Broadcasting. Since 1997, a A Christmas Story marathon has aired on either TNT or TBS, comprising twelve consecutive airings of the film and beginning at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. READ MORE 9. What Actually Happens At The End Of 'Trading Places'? For years I have wondered how the ending of one of my favorite movies from the eighties actually happened. I'm sure that I'm not the on...

Written By: Ken Hulsey The former Londen Lyccum Theatre manager Bram Stoker is often credited with creating modern vampire lore through his Victorian novel Dracula published on May 18, 1897. Though the inspiration for dozens of films, TV series, books and plays, Dracula was not a successful novel and is not considered an important work in Victorian literature. It is modern folklore that the inspiration for the vampire in his book was the infamous Vlad III Dracula (“Vlad the Impaler”) yet most scholars agree that is not the case. Though Stoker did discover the name “Dracul” (Dragon) while studying Romanian history and used it for the name of his vampire character that is where the connection ends. It is a fact that the author was inspired by earlier vampire stories such as Emily Garads “Transylvania Superstitions (1885), Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” (1871), John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1819) and Lord Byron’s “The Giaour” (1813). The main inspiration however would come from the Hu...

 Written By Ken Hulsey  Directed by Nathan Juran, "Twenty Million Miles to Earth" was written by Charlotte Knight and Christopher Knopf. The film's cast included William Hopper as Col. Robert Calder, Joan Taylor as Marisa Leonardo, Frank Puglia as Dr. Leonardo, John Zaremba as Dr. Judson Uhl, Thomas Browne Henry as Maj. Gen. A.D. McIntosh, Tito Vuolo as Police Commissioner Charra, Jan Arvan as Contino, Arthur Space as Dr. Sharman, and Bart Braverman as Pepe.

Written By: Ken Hulsey "I can't help thinking that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be." - George Taylor In 1966 Franklin J. Schaffner had purchased the rights to what he thought would make excellent movie. Pierre Boulle's novel "La Planete des singes." He peddled the idea to almost every studio in Hollywood, but nobody wanted anything to do with his "Monkey Planet." Studio executives thought the idea of talking apes would be laughed at. A ray of light came when he presented his idea to both Arthur P. Jacobs and Charlton Heston. Both signed on to produce and star in his movie. Now he had what he needed a huge star and some credibility. This got him in the door with Fox and got him his chance. Once again there were hesitations. What if the apes looked too fake? Could it be believable? A test scene was shot to test early ideas for the ape makeup. The test would feature Heston, Edward G. Robinson as Dr....

Written By: Ken Hulsey Way back in 1954 monster movies were going through a renaissance. Over at Universal, they were preparing to unleash the "Creature From The Black Lagoon", the last of their great line of classic monsters, on the world, while over in Japan, Toho was finishing up on their own monster film, "Gojira" (Godzilla), which would launch a 50 year movie series. Meanwhile, at Warner Bros, director Gordon Douglas and producer David Weisbart were working on their own monster film, "Them!", a movie about colonies of giant ants that were unleashed upon the world due to atomic testing in the New Mexico desert. Unbenounced to Dougles and Weibart, the film that they were about to release would change the landscape of American monster movies for the next two decades. For you see, after the success of "Them!", film makers on this side of the Pacific would decide to leave the giant dinosaur movies to the Japanese, and instead, focus their ...