Grab your tinfoil hat and prepare for an alien invasion during this month's Virtual Cinema a Go-Go! Join us on Feb. 11, at 7 p.m., for a night of When Aliens Attack, featuring Devil Girl from Mars (1954) and Night of the Blood Beast (1959). Register here for your virtual ticket.
In Devil Girl from Mars (1954), a flying saucer crashes in the remote Scottish moors and out pops the very uptight, leather-clad Nyah (Patricia Laffan), a Martian commander who's here looking for men to repopulate the declining male population of the Red Planet. Nyah's armed with a ray gun and a menacing robot named Chani who looks like an ambulatory refrigerator.
The story is that Devil Girl from Mars came about when production on the British TV series Calling Scotland Yard wrapped early, leaving several days of available studio time. A script was quickly thrown together and the film rushed into production.
A favorite among bad movie buffs, Devil Girl from Mars actually got some semi-positive reviews upon its release and gained a cult following when it was released to home video.
Our second feature is Night of the Blood Beast (1958), produced by Roger and Gene Corman, shot in seven days and originally released as part of a double bill with She Gods of Shark Reef.
This little gem was originally called Creature from Galaxy 27, written by 21-year-old Martin Varno, who was only paid a couple of hundred dollars for the job. There are undeniable echoes from The Thing (1951), with a small group of scientists battling an alien menace in a remote location. It's also the first film by director Bernard Kowalski, who went on to direct hundreds of TV shows, including The Rifleman, M-Squad, Columbo and Diagnosis Murder.
As always, this event is free to attend, but you must sign up to receive access credentials. To join our virtual watch party, visit the link here!