ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Mad scientist Jackie Coogan ("The Addams Family") meets Allan Nixon ("Prehistoric Women") in his remote desert laboratory, where he is trying to create a race of superwomen by injecting them with a serum derived from spider venom.

Coogan has created an oversized tarantula, a three foot wide prop (completely immobile), which is keep behind one of those folding partitions that ladies step behind to change clothes Apparently the tarantula wasn't dangerous, it was just very shy.

Two things about this movie will have you alternately groaning and laughing; one is the horrible soundtrack "music" (performed by a Flamingo guitar and a piano, played almost constantly), and the other is the frequent and puzzling closeups of characters standing to one side of the main action, just watching what's going on.

It all those pointless closeups were edited out, the movie would half as long and twice as good — but still not worth watching.

The cast includes Tandra Quinn as "Tarantella", Karen Vea ("Teenaged Zombies" under the name Katherine Victor), and Mona McKinney ("Plan Nine from Outer Space").

Incompetently directed by Herbert Tevos and Ron Ormond.

[Also released as: "Lost Women"]
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, a trailer must be worth a jillion and a half.

Like this one.


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And this next version is introduced and narrated by Joe Dante!


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Oh, what the heck — here's the whole movie.

Caution: Do not try to watch this sober!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production which clear up the mysteries concerning why the movie is such a disjointed mess!
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~ The film was originally begun by Herbert Tevos as "Lost Women of Zarpa", but a variety of factors — such as the funds running out, and neither the producers nor the cast being able to get along with Tevos — resulted in the production being shut down and then abandoned. A few years later Ron Ormond bought the film, shot some new footage and released it as "Mesa of Lost Women".

Note from me: Ah-ha! No wonder the movie is padded out with useless closeups!

~ The character of Dr. Aranya and the spider people were added by Ron Ormond. Herbert Tevos' original story began with Masterson (who was merely a "schizophrenic homicidal maniac") at a Mexican cantina, where the dancer played by Tandra Quinn was just a murder victim.

The rest of the story is much the same as seen in the film, minus the various scenes involving the women and dwarfs watching the crash survivors.

The film ended when Mexican authorities responded to the flare Phillips fired off after they crash-landed on the mesa, whereupon Phillips and Doreen were rescued, and the love triangle was resolved when Doreen chose Phillips over her aging rich fiance', Van Croft.

Note from me: Actually that's not quite accurate.

In an early scene, a surveyor and his Mexican helper rescue the handsome pilot and the attractive blond after finding them staggering across the dessert , and the pilot tells the whole story to the authorities. So, 90% of the movie is a flashback.

The blond, the pilot, and the "schizophrenic homicidal maniac" are the only three who survive and are finally brought to Jackie Coogan's lab in the cave after being captured by Coogan's female "spider women" and his male midget minions.

This happens during the last ten minutes of the movie! The Maniac grabs a beaker of liquid and throws it at the wall, the lab on fire, killing Coogan and company while the hero and heroine escape.

Naturally the authorities don't believe a word of the story.

~ Although it was ultimately rejected, the film was considered as a possible choice for an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)

Note from me: I'm disappointment. I was hoping to watch their version on YouTube.

~ Hoyt Curtin's original music score--consisting solely of guitar, bass, and piano — was recycled by director Edward D. Wood Jr. for his film Jail Bait (1954).

Note from me: Well now, there's one more excellent reason to NEVER watch that piece of sh*t!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)