Invasion of the Star Creatures
Encyclopedia
Invasion of the Star Creatures is a May 3, 1962
, science fiction
/comedy film
directed by Bruno VeSota and starring Bob Ball and Frankie Ray. It was released theatrically by American International Pictures
. It was released as a double feature with The Brain That Wouldn't Die
.
tribe, the two soldiers race back to their base to launch a defense of the Earth
against the Chalar aliens.
, an actor best known for his starring role in the 1960 Roger Corman
feature The Little Shop of Horrors
. Haze’s screenplay originally had the title Monsters From Nicholson Mesa, which was intended as a jokey reference to James H. Nicholson
, the co-founder of American International Pictures. Haze was originally planned to be a star of the film, but he did not appear in the production.
Director Bruno VeSota was best known for B-level features including Female Jungle
(1955) and The Brain Eaters
(1958).
The cavern and desert scenes for Invasion of the Star Creatures were shot in Bronson Canyon
, a section of Griffith Park
in Los Angeles, California
, that has been widely used for film and television productions.
opined: “What a lot of baloney! Such a waste of time, film and effort. The title was good, but was it a spooky film? Nope! A comedy!! Closed the first night.” Film historian Bill Warren
, in his 1997 book Keep Watching the Skies!, called the film "astonishingly bad...so helplessly bad that it's almost unwatchable."
In 1979, the film was cited by Harry and Michael Medved
in their book The Golden Turkey Awards
, a tribute to bad films. Invasion of the Star Creatures was nominated in the category for “The Worst Vegetable Movie of All Time,” with the authors noting the monsters controlled by the Chalar aliens were played by actors wearing carrot
costumes. The Medveds also faulted an egregious comic line by Bob Ball – when given a backflip by one of the carrot monsters, Ball remarked: “Wow, that’s the first time a salad
ever tossed me!”
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Bruno VeSota and starring Bob Ball and Frankie Ray. It was released theatrically by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
. It was released as a double feature with The Brain That Wouldn't Die
The Brain That Wouldn't Die
The Brain That Wouldn't Die, also known as The Head That Wouldn't Die, is a 1962 science-fiction/horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton. The film was completed in 1959 under the title The Black Door, but was not released until May 3, 1962, when it was renamed...
.
Plot
The film opens with a parody credit of “R.I. Diculous Presents.” Private Philbrick and Private Penn are stuck in monotonous assignments at Fort Nicholson, a U.S. Army base near the Nicholson Mesa. The privates are assigned to a scouting mission that requires the inspection of a newly discovered cavern that was located near the base. Philbrick and Penn are part of an expeditionary squadron, but become separated from their fellow soldiers. The privates are attacked by strange creatures that take them to an alien spacecraft occupied by Amazonian women from the planet Chalar. Two of the aliens, Professor Puna and Dr. Tanga, reveal they arrived on Earth with the goal of conquering the planet. Philbrick and Penn discover their fellow soldiers have been captured by the aliens. The privates accidentally discover that kissing the aliens leaves them temporarily powerless. After a rapid kissing session, Philbrick and Penn escape from the spaceship and its inhabitants. Dodging an encounter with a hostile American IndianIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe, the two soldiers race back to their base to launch a defense of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
against the Chalar aliens.
Production
Invasion of the Star Creatures was written by Jonathan HazeJonathan Haze
Jonathan Haze is an American actor. He is best known for his work in Roger Corman films, and especially for the black comedy cult classic, The Little Shop of Horrors.-Early years:...
, an actor best known for his starring role in the 1960 Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
feature The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate young florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. The film's concept is thought to be based on a 1932...
. Haze’s screenplay originally had the title Monsters From Nicholson Mesa, which was intended as a jokey reference to James H. Nicholson
James H. Nicholson
James Harvey Nicholson was an American film producer. He is best known as the co-founder, with Samuel Z. Arkoff, of American International Pictures.-Biography:...
, the co-founder of American International Pictures. Haze was originally planned to be a star of the film, but he did not appear in the production.
Director Bruno VeSota was best known for B-level features including Female Jungle
Female Jungle
Female Jungle is a 1955 black-and-white B-movie notable for being Jayne Mansfield's first film; one of Lawrence Tierney's last before his comeback and the only American International Pictures entry into film noir.-Plot:...
(1955) and The Brain Eaters
The Brain Eaters
The Brain Eaters is a 1958 science fiction-horror film about alien parasites who invade the small Illinois town of Riverdale and are able to take over any living thing, mind and body, by attaching themselves to their host's back and inserting two mandibles into the base of their spines...
(1958).
The cavern and desert scenes for Invasion of the Star Creatures were shot in Bronson Canyon
Bronson Canyon
Bronson Canyon, or Bronson Caves, is a section of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California that has become famous as a filming location for a very large number of movies and TV shows, especially westerns and science fiction, from the early days of motion pictures to the present...
, a section of Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, that has been widely used for film and television productions.
Release
Invasion of the Star Creatures has never been well reviewed by critics. When it first opened, the film trade magazine Box OfficeBoxoffice (magazine)
Boxoffice is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by Boxoffice Media LP. It started in 1920 as The Reel Journal, taking its current name in 1931 and still publishes today, with an intended audience of theatre owners and film professionals.Boxoffice is the...
opined: “What a lot of baloney! Such a waste of time, film and effort. The title was good, but was it a spooky film? Nope! A comedy!! Closed the first night.” Film historian Bill Warren
Bill Warren
William Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....
, in his 1997 book Keep Watching the Skies!, called the film "astonishingly bad...so helplessly bad that it's almost unwatchable."
In 1979, the film was cited by Harry and Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
in their book The Golden Turkey Awards
The Golden Turkey Awards
The Golden Turkey Awards is a 1980 book by film critic Michael Medved and his brother Harry Medved.The book awards the fictional "Golden Turkey Awards" to films judged by the authors as poor in quality, and to directors and actors judged to have created a chronically inept body of work...
, a tribute to bad films. Invasion of the Star Creatures was nominated in the category for “The Worst Vegetable Movie of All Time,” with the authors noting the monsters controlled by the Chalar aliens were played by actors wearing carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
costumes. The Medveds also faulted an egregious comic line by Bob Ball – when given a backflip by one of the carrot monsters, Ball remarked: “Wow, that’s the first time a salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
ever tossed me!”