MONSTER ATTACK!

Jim explores the most frightening "Big Bug" film ever made - in his opinion - with a fearful look at Jack Arnold's 1955 classic, "Tarantula!," starring John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Ross Elliot, Nestor Paiva and Clint Eastwood. What can a small desert town to protect themselves from an enormous spider terrorizing the countryside. It's a research experiment gone terribly wrong and it is a...

Jim looks at a 65-year old sci-fi cult classic from William Cameron Menzies, "Invaders From Mars," staring Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Hillary Brooke and Morris Ankrum. Pay close attention to cameo appearances by Frank Wilcox, Robert Shayne and Barbara Billingsley. A young boy sees a flying saucer land near his house and suddenly people in town begin acting mysteriously, including his...

Jim explores the heights and depths of an ancient culture in 1956's cult classic, "The Mole People," starring John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, Cynthia Patrick, Nestor Naiva and Alan Napier. An expedition finds a a lost city located deep within a mountain that could be the basis for the story of "The Great Flood." But when the explorers, first thought to be gods, are found to be mortal the high priest dem...

Jim travels to one of our distant neighbors as he looks at the 1959 cult favorite, "The Angry Red Planet," starring Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Jack Kruschen and Les Tremayne. The first manned mission to Mars leaves officials with several questions as to the reason(s) only two crew members survived - one suffering from a strange, deadly infection and the other suffering from traumatic memory loss. A...

Jim examines another Roger Corman classic with 1957's "Not Of This Earth," starring Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Jonathan Haze, Morgan Jones, Dick Miller and Anna Lee Carroll. An alien from another world is trying to blend in with people on Earth so that he can harvest them for their blood. It is all leading up to a mass invasion from outer space. What will be the fate of mankind? Find out in this...

Jim takes a look at one of the early "dinosaur" films made with 1948's "Unknown Island," starring Virginia Grey, Richard Denning, Phillip Reed, Barton MacLane and Dick Wessel. An engaged couple hire a crusty old sea captain to ferry them to a legendary that reportedly has strange and mystifying creatures from the Earth's past. When they are met with a few dinosaurs and a large sloth man, the group...

It's man against ... Bugs ... Again! As Jim examines this cult classic from Director Bert I. Gordon - 1957's "Beginning of the End," starring Pater Graves, Peggie Castle, Morris Ankrum and a host of familiar actors who have battled, bugs, aliens and threats to humanity. will a plague of giant locusts destroy mankind? Or maybe wipe out Chicago? Find out all about it on this week's episode of "Monst...

Jim examines what was once a lost classic from Director James Whale, 1932's "The Old Dark House," starring Boris Karloff, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, Ernest Theisiger and Lillian Bond. The influence this film had on many horror films to come is seen right out of the blocks with a young couple and their friend stranded at the mansion of a very dysfunctional fami...

Jim examines one of the first films he saw that takes the Dracula legend and places it in a contemporary setting in 1958's "The Return of Dracula," starring Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, Ray Strickland, Gage Clark, John Wengraf and Virginia Vincent. Count Dracula, disguised as a relative of a small-town California native takes up residence on the West Coast and begins a new reign of terror. Fo...

The Universal gang's all here (almost) in 1954's "House of Dracula," starring Lon Chaney Jr., Onslow Stevens, John Carradine, Martha O'Driscoll. Jane Adams, Lionel Atwill, and Glenn Strange. Count Dracula, the Wolfman and the Frankenstein Monster are all back together at the home of Dr. Eidelman seeking help from their various maladies. But, there is trouble afoot as always in this cult classic di...

Jim takes a look at another Roger Corman Classic - 1955's "Day The World Ended," starring Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Paul Birch, Raymond Hatton, Mike Conners, Adele Jergens and Jonathan Haze. Seven individuals, survivors of an all-out nuclear war, find themselves thrown together in a small house in a protected valley trying to stay alive and escape the horrors of radiation. It's a fascinating l...

Madeline Brumby is back to help "Monster Attack" celebrate its 2nd Anniversary with a look at Jack Arnold's 1953 Sci-Fi Classic "It Came From Outer Space," starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake and Russell Johnson. Aliens crash just outside of a small town and take on the appearance of several missing townspeople. Is it an invasion from another world? Jim and Madeline examine this...

Jim looks at a Jacques Tourneur-directed classic supernatural film form 1957 - "The Curse Of The Demon," staring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Nial MacGinnis. An investigation into a demon cult leads to the mysterious death of a paranormal professor in England. When his associate arrives, he too seemingly becomes the victim of a powerful curse. This stylish thriller became a signature piece for...

Jim finds another memorable cult classic in 1958's "The Hideous Sun Demon," produced, directed and starring Robert Clarke, who plays a scientist exposed to to an unknown isotope that causes him to turn "reptilian" when exposed to the sun. The film also stars Patricia Manning and features appearances by a couple of The King Family members. Will a cure be found in time/ Find out on this episode of "...

A strange man enters a rail car and foretells the fate of five travelers in this 11965 classic from Amicus : "Dr. Terrors House of Horrors," starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Roy Castle and directed by Freddie Francis. The is is a film that Jim said greatly influence his writing style and film making style. What is the power Dr. Terror holds over these five men. Find out on this episode of...

Mark Maddox returns for our 100th Episode of "Monster Attack!" In this special extended episode Jim and Mark talk about two incredible films - 1956's "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers," starring Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones and Directed by Don Siegel; AND George Pal's 1960 Sci-Fi Classic "The Time Machine," starring Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot...

It's another Bert I. Gordon classic cult film as Jim excitedly talks about another childhood favorite, 1957's "The Amazing Colossal Man," starring Glen Langan, Cathy Downs and William Hudson. Jim gets so excited, he consistently refers to the female lead female character in the film by the actor's name. But it is all part of the the fun in this HUGE episode of "Monster Attack."

Madeline Brumby returns and talks with Jim about about the 1960 Sci-Fi classic "Village Of The Damned," starring George Sanders, Barbara Shelley and Michael Gwynn. A small village in Great Britain  experiences a bizarre 2-hour period in which all living things black out. A few weeks later, twelve women in the village are found to be pregnant. The  children who are born exhibit some unusual charact...

Jim looks at another childhood favorite and a film that influenced several sci-fi/monster writers and directors - 1958's "It The Terror From Beyond Space," starring Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Dabs Greer, Kim Spaulding, Ann Doran and Ray "Crash" Corrigan. A spaceship headed back to earth from Mars picks up a deadly, unwanted guest from the Red Planet. It's a fight for survival on this ep...

Jim looks at an Amicus cult classic form 1966, "The deadly Bees," starring Suzanna Leigh, Frank Finlay, Guy Doleman and Michael Ripper. This Freddie Francis directed film centers around an exhausted Pop singer (Leigh) taking a rest on a small island, which just happens to be plagued with strange bee attacks. Which of the two prominent bee keepers is responsible? It is all ahead on this episode of...

Jim looks at what he believes is the best big-bug film of the 50's - the 1954 Warner Bros. classic, "Them," starring James Whitmore, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Edmund Gwenn, Onslow Stevens and an interesting collection of soon-to-be famous actors in cameo. Giant ants - from extended radiation exposure - threaten mankind. Take a look at this fascinating microcosm of 50's post-WWII society with a st...

Jim takes a look (so to to speak) at Universal's 1940 follow-up to "The Invisible Man" - "The Invisible Man Returns," starring Vincent Price, Cedric Hardwicke, Nan Gray, John Sutton, Cecil Kellaway and Alan Napier. An innocent man, convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, attempts to find the murderer of his brother using the infamous drug, Monocaine. Will he succeed before insanity sets in. Fin...

Two years before George Romero released "Night Of The Living Dead," Hammer Films presented a zombie film into its body of horror film work. Jim looks at a film that many consider to be the best zombie film made prior to "Night" - 1966's "The Plague Of The Zombies" starring Andre Morrell, Diane Clare, Brook Williams, John Carson, Jacqueline Pierce and Michael Ripper. A small village is plagues with...

Jim examines a cult favorite from 1956, "Indestructible Man," starring Lon Chaney Jr., Casey Adams, Marion Carr and Russ Elliot. "Butcher" Benton is brought back to life after his execution by a scientist looking for a cancer cure. Unfortunately, that gives him a chance to revenge himself against a crooked lawyer and two guys who ratted him out. The chase is on to stop this Indestructible Man. It'...

Jim looks at the film many consider the standard-bearer for all Hammer Dracula films, "Horror of Dracula," starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling and Carol Marsh. The evil count, after dispatching Jonathan Harker, sets his sights on Harker's fiancé, Lucy. Will Dr. Van Helsing come to the rescue in time? It's all ahead in this episode of "Monster Attack!"