From deep in the bargain basement of Hollywood B-pictures, Killers from Space stands as a prime example of those films who are lengendary for their lack of quality.

     Mere inches above a beast like Robot Monster, Killers from Space pursues a cinematic vision of stock footage, bad superimpositions, and a vacuum of inspiration.  It's the kind of movie drive-ins would play, knowing the teens weren't watching the movie, or the kind of thing you used to see at 2:30 AM on your local UHF station (remember those days?).

     Peter Graves stars as Doctor Doug Martin, a nuclear scientist whose plane crashes as he was observing a nuclear bomb test.  The pilot is killed, but Dr. Martin is nowhere to be found.  When he returns, staggering into his military base with a strange scar on his chest, he has no recollection of what might have happened to him.

     Soon, his strange behavior makes it apparent that he is acting under an outside influence.  Under the influence of sodium amitol, he tells a story of being pulled from the crash by aliens living in the desert, observing our nuclear tests and preparing to release a horde of giant creatures across the Earth to destroy our will to resist, after which, they will step in and take over....

     The quality of the production is at the level of an early 30s serial--the photography is poor, the sound is unrefined, and the editing is crude.  The lack of a budget is painfully obvious--the lack of any greater inspiration with the material is also clear. Most footage is on the level of a mediocre industrial short.

     The sound track, in particular, has a constant overwhelming presence, trying to force excitement and interest into the scenes.  Unfortunately, it wheedles and whines incessantly to no effect, bearing little focus as to what is actually happening on screen.  

     The aliens are ludicrous, and are undoubtedly the best part of the film:  pudgy men in body stockings, hoods, and stripey cummerbunds with PING PONG BALLS FOR EYES (sorry, that has to be said in full caps).  Their lab is primarily high school level lab equipment.  Film played backward makes 'alien language.'  It's these 'touches' that are responsible for the goofball cult reputation of this flick--the rest of it is just dreary. 

     Effects techniques are generally superimposition and rear projection, used to make the huge menagerie of the aliens.  None of it is particularly well done, but at least they do it to excess--the scenes of Graves running around in the alien caves, being menaced by rear projected bugs and lizards, deserves a special award for remaining 100% entertainment free. 

     The director, W. Lee Wilder, was the brother of famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, and previously made a much better picture, PHANTOM FROM SPACE.

Behold our stock footage! Fear our mighty rear-projection! WE ARE....THE MARTY FELDMAN MEN!

1 rocketship (out of five)

PLUSES: The aliens are absurd (and when that's the only plus, look out).  

MINUSES: Poor production overall, but the stock-footage-as-giant-animal scenes are particularly bad.