The Strange World of Planet X (1957) is a British 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...

 horror

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 novel. Written by former actress Rene Ray

René Ray

René Ray, Countess of Midleton was a British film and stage actress of the 1930s and 1940s who appeared in over forty films....

, it is a cautionary tale

Cautionary tale

A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, location, or thing is said to be dangerous. Then, the...

 about science.

Plot

A monomaniacal scientist has invented ultra-sensitive magnetic fields, which begin to attract objects from space. Strange things begin happening, including a freak storm, and insects and spiders begin to mutate into giant monsters. An alien spaceship has appeared over London and begins to warn mankind against the dangers of this scientific experiment.

Adaptations

• The author adapted the novel as a British television serial in 1956.
• The novel was adapted to film by Paul Ryder in 1957 under the same title
  The Strange World of Planet X (film)
  The Strange World of Planet X is a British science fiction horror film, and a cautionary tale about science. It was also known as Cosmic Monsters, The Crawling Terror, The Cosmic Monster, and The Crawling Horror....
  
  ; it was also known as Cosmic Monsters, The Crawling Terror, The Cosmic Monster, and The Crawling Horror.