I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Husband and Fodder

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

A kooky combination of Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion and Don Siegel's Invaison of the Body Snatchers, this excellent "B" movie still zings. Made during Senator Joseph McCarthy's "Red" scare in which evil Communists were supposed to have quietly infiltrated the lives of innocent Americans, this film tells the story of a race of aliens that secretly takes over a community of men in the hopes of finding a new home.  Only Marge Farrell (Gloria Talbott) suspects that her new husband Bill (Tom Tryon) isn't the man she knew just a few days ago. The trouble is, there's no way to tell who's a monster and who isn't. In one terrifying sequence, she tries to call the FBI, send a telegram and drive out of town, all to no avail. The striking Talbott (from Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows and Edgar G. Ulmer's Daughter of Dr. Jekyll) does a terrific job of capturing the unease and fear of the situation. Directed by Gene Fowler Jr. (a former editor on Fritz Lang and Sam Fuller pictures), I Married a Monster from Outer Space moves at a good clip, clocking in at a tight 77 minutes, and features amazingly good special effects; a mysterious fog devours the helpless men, and a full-sized alien scares a poor woman in the street. In some ways this film is leaner and sprightlier than its immediate predecessor, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It's highly recommended.

DVD Details: Paramount's new DVD presents the film in a clean, letterboxed transfer with optional English subtitles, but sadly, no extras.