The Strange World of Planet X (1958)

Here we have Forrest Tucker in the middle of a group of British scientists who are doing experiments with magnetism. The experiments seem safe to them, but to the locals, they are reaping havoc on their TV sets and other devices. In the opening scenes a man is injured by a discharge from a console and is replaced by a pretty young French woman. What ultimately happens is that an alien presence appears, a man who comes up with the unimaginative name of "Smith." He is there on a mission of some kind, but we don't know whether to fear him or embrace him. Meanwhile, one of the original scientists becomes overwhelmed with power and start to take over the mission. It seems that what they are doing is causing insects to attain enormous size and attack people in the countryside. While it was a bit stuffy, it's not bad.

Creepy over-sized insects, frogs & spiders. The British military has a few shots at them with bolt action Enfield rifles. Flying Saucers , Ed Wood would have sold his favorite cashmere sweater to have in his films. A mad scientist & genuine suspense as the huge bugs surround a rural schoolhouse with antennae silhouetted on the wall & in windows. I saw this on late nite TV back in 1965. Never knew what the title was until tonight when it was screened on TCM. As a 12 y.o. , it scared the pants off me while delivering a few laughs. Seeing Martin Benson in another role besides his highly recognizable character, "Solo" in "Goldfinger", not to mention one line delivered by Peter Copely whom I knew as "the Jeweler" in Beatles' film "Help", was quite a treat. What stuck with me most of all was the quote by the little girl character(Jill) explaining to Martin Benson's "Smith" .... "all insects are bugs, but not all bugs are insects". It's a quote I have had the opportunity to utilize in many situations over the past 46 years.

Well, it's all a bit strange. Here's an old British low-budget (wheren't they all?) science-fiction thriller, and all the commentators are American.That won't do.I saw this little treasure as a kid at the local flea-pit. It had an A-rating, meaning that a child could see it if accompanied by an adult. I think it perhaps should have been an X-rating. It certainly scared the pants off me.In Britain, it was actually screened as simply 'The Strange World'. The 'Planet X' bit was omitted until it appeared on television some years later.Stray radiation has been up to no good (ain't it always the case). We are warned by some know-it-all that it will have the effect of 'making things smaller. Or very much bigger'. Oh-dear. The worst effects appear to be concentrated around a little corner of England called 'Brierley Wood'. Some things seem to have got bigger big-time. We're talking insects here. There are no giant bunnies or anything else monster-cute. Unpleasant deaths begin happening to solitary people, especially after dark. 'It isn't very good in the deep, dark wood, in the middle of the night, when there isn't any light' - Enid Blyton. This is no time for nocturnal mushroom pickers. We humans are helped by a friendly alien who has turned up to warn us about our meddling - alas, too late. Well, almost.Eventually a company of soldiers are dispatched to sweep the wood and a battle takes place between over-grown bugs and the army, a bit like the earlier movie 'Them'. Humans come out on top, but there are some grisly killings.Evidently made with a budget about equal to today's family shopping-bill, special-effects are almost non-existent. Ordinary insects are filmed in huge Attenborough-like close-up. But the plot is well paced, there is some decent acting, and an adequate script. Skillful lighting and location create suitably spooky ambiance.We made a few nice little black-and-white scarers back in the good old days. Fans should check-out the original and best 'Village Of The Damned', based on John Wyndam's 'Midwich Cuckoos'.

I saw this movie once - over 40 years ago - and I still remember it very well. Even as a kid, very few movie really scared me, but this one did. The resident mad scientist does something that let in lots of bad cosmic rays and the local insects become giants. The school is a one room affair set in the middle of a forest. The giant insects attack the school trapping the teacher & the kids. Most horror movie monsters looked hokey - but the monsters in this were extreme close-ups of real insects. It wasn't until Alien that I saw a movie monster as scary as those giant bugs.