THE BEAST WITH 1,000,000 EYES * U.S.A. 1955 Dir: David Kramarsky 78 mins
Out in the Californian desert lives a family unit consisting of mother, father and daughter who operate a date farm. They also have a man living on their land in a shack who helps around the place. Their once quite life is soon threatened when an alien craft, which resembles the worst thing created at a childrens nursery, crashes nearby releasing an alien being who wishes to take control of all on Earth. Can this meagre team save the Earth from the terror?
Prepare to be disappointed upon watching this film if you are expecting a beast with a million eyes as the beast barely has 2 eyes. The title in fact is referring to the beasts ability to see through the eyes of the creatures of Earth and thus control them. There isn’t much to recommend a viewing of this film apart from getting to see a young handsome Dick Sargents earlier work, though I doubt he would see this as a high in his career. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959) gets a lot of hate but at least it entertained which is far more then I can say this film did. Within its overstretched running time of 78 minutes you get to experience bad acting, a horrible script and possibly the least scariest alien ever shown on film. Thankfully credited director David Kramarsky only directed this movie in his short movie career and stuck to producing. Originally the movie had a more appropriate title…..THE UNSEEN, now that title certainly fits this film as once you have watched it you wish you didn’t.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins