For a low budget horror film aimed at kids & teens in the 1950's, produced by an unknown studio, this film comes across pretty well. I think Peggy Cummings is an under rated actress. I liked it alot more than Them or Tarantula, which I believe were from the major studios.
shareThis film was so "low budget", that the grasshoppers, climbing on "buldings, were obviously just walking on photographs! This was evident because when they were supposed to be walking around the corners, they were still still seen flat on, moving across the 2-D photo! If there was an Oscar category for lousy, low-budget sci-fi films, this would have been the hands down winner of all time!
shareI would not say it was better than Them or Tarantula, but i would say it was a pretty damn good sci/fi flick.
I noticed the "photo" bldg effects when I saw this in 1966 & was 5 years old but other than that, there was not a lot wrong with this flick.
The Army getting its ass kicked was a rare site for any movies of this period & I thought they did a better job fighting the "monsters" than they did in Them. Oops almost forgot War of the Worlds, the army & air force was mowed down in that one too.
The one guy was on the radio with Morris Ankrum & he & his men were over run & DEAD! This was pretty serious in those days & the only other movie I can recall with this much death & destruction was "The Black Scorpion" a flick I did not see till a few months ago on TCM. (and war of the worlds)
BTW any notice Cpl. Mathias played by Richard Benedict was also Bob Finelli the guy whose brother Gino was the second fatality on the ship in "IT: The Terror from Beyond Space!! Bob was taken by IT soon afterward.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070807/
Oh yea don't forget Clint Eastwood was the F-84 pilot (with a oxy. mask on) who napalmed the Tarantula.
alot is not a word...
sharePeggy Cummings
Peggy Castle.
I always loved this one as a kid and Peter Graves was a convincing scientist. The special effects are just fine for the times. The footage of normal sized locusts (when they swarm) is scary enough. Locusts are fascinating and yet another way for nature to show mankind how ridiculous we are to sometimes think of ourselves as being in control.
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