Customer Reviews

Day the World Ended/She Creature

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After suffering DVD bootlegs of these two titles these past years, it was nice to finally get both of these films officially, and on the same disc. I hafta say, the transfer quality is decent and offers crisper viewing of both films if you've only seen VHS transfers-to-DVD courtesy of Ebay as I only had, so I can't really complain.

There are definitely parts in both that are washed out/speckled, but not so much that they're annoying. One of the cool things I appreciate about these Arkoff double features is BOTH FILMS are featured on ONE SIDE of the disc. There's none of that double sided nonsense which ultimately renders one unlucky playing side scuffed over time. Here, the movie art is screened onto the topside of the disc and once in, there's a menu to take you to either film.

For me at least, the main reason to watch these films is the monsters in them. The Paul Blaisdell (sp?) shoestring budget, classic monster creations are a pleasure to see despite not being featured as prominantly as this viewer would like. If you have trouble stomaching old-school cheapie monster suits, then stay far away, especially if you're an unshakable CGI accolyte cuz these rubber suits will make your eyes bleed and send you into seizures. But if you grew up on old FAMOUS MONSTERS issues and model kits, you could probably appreciate the creatures at least. The films:
"DAY THE WORLD ENDED": I'd only seen a full frame of this flick, so it was nice to see it letterboxed or whatever that's called. There's parts of the pic's image (the sides, the top & bottom are the same) I'd never seen before in my old copy. The acting throughout is typical 50's...a little....err..... well....ALOT on the melodramatic end, but hey, if you're watching old school flicks, this shouldn't surprise you. I found the father ...the man whose house all of the survivors gravitate to, to be a little grating through most of his performance....in fact there's a point in the film when he demands his daughter basically marry the Richard Denning character to populate the new world which was not only laughable in that 'ooooooh uh uh, no he didn't' kind of way to almost feeling like nails on a chalkboard it is so painful to watch, despite it trying to play as a heartfelt ....uh....heartfelt....uh......anyway.....

"THE SHE-CREATURE": Man...I love the suit design of this monster. Waiting for her to appear makes watching this mostly stilted movie bearable. I didn't find it as awful as a few people I know....certainly no more awful than other drive in flicks that I get great pleasure suffering through, but it isn't all that great either. The Hypnotist is such an over the top wannabe-all-powerful- villain, he's a pleasure to watch....most of the time. The chick who's under his spell is a 50's hottie, though her innocent victim part got a little grating after a bit, I kept waiting for her to bite her knuckles in typicall 50's fashion. Her 'Hero' was a bit stiff throughout his performance (no pun intended hehe;-) But hey.....remember...it's all about waiting for the monsters.

OVERALL: They're drive-in movies from way back-I love this stuff. My friends sometimes wonder why I bother with them. There's a heavy does of nostalgia involved, but there's also the fact that I can spend 30 bucks at a theater these days and still walk out hating the movie. Here, for less than 15 bucks, I get two films...infinite cigarette and bathroom breaks and no one chopping it up on their cell phones one or two seats over. These fall somewhere between PLAN 9 and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL in viewability if that tells you anything. For the price, they're definitely worth it. Now when does INVASION OF THE SAUCERMEN come out??????
NOTE: I give this entire package 4 stars for being a double feature and a value at its price. I'd give each film a 3 on their own. Since these are supposed to be reviews of the PRODUCT as well as films, I needed to take that into account. So don't none o' ya'll email me screaming about how awful you thought the films were but bought it because you expected a 4-star feature...lol!!!;-)

I've been waiting for some time for someone to finally release a copy of Day the World Ended in widescreen as it was originally released. Unfortunately, Lionsgate did it WRONG. Although they obviously used a real widescreen print as their source, for some reason of their own they formatted it into the wrong screen ratio for their DVD--using 2.35 to 1 instead of the original 1.88 to 1, which cuts off the top and bottom of the picture (in one scene, for example, you get to see a talking NOSE at the bottom of the screen). This is part of a disturbing trend among DVD producers, who are apparently trying to cater to the widescreen TV crowd (which makes it even MORE unusual that Lionsgate went 2.35 to 1--as it will have to be letterboxed even on a widescreen TV!), at the expense of the original film formats (which sometimes results in people with half-heads and no feet). At least She Creature is full screen (closer to the original 1.33 to 1 ratio), but the print is a bit dark.

Love these old movies. If you purchase, get out the popcorn and sodas on a dark spooky night and gather around the family, you can all watch. Not bad, even better on a stormy night.
Have lots of fun and enjoy

This set is one more attempt on my part to chase down the movies that I loved as a child. On rainy Saturdays I would post up in front of the T.V. and turn to the Saturday afternoon "Horror fest" on our local UHF station.(before cable and VCR's UHF stations were the only other way to see these old classic horror movies)
"Day The World Ended" is a Roger Corman movie and the reason I bought this release. After a nuclear war, One man has set up a house in the "valley" so that the fallout can't get to him and he and his daughter are set to ride out the end. Well others find their way to this oasis and sure enough the start fighting amongst themselves. To make matters worse someone or something is in the woods around the house and it wants a "date",NOW!!! It's all great fun with Corman once again proving that a little money and a lot of imagination can go a long way. Super Fun
"She Creature" was one that I had not seen before for some reason and even though it's not a Corman movie it has that same American International Films feel too it. After being hypnotized a woman reverts back to the monster she was in a former past life. Nothing great but loads of fun.
In this day of tepid gore soaked remakes these old Drive-In classics shine with their wit,imagination,charm, and style. Well worth a look no matter what your age.

"Day the World Ended" was the very first film officially released by American-International Pictures in 1956. Directed by Roger Corman, it's been copied ad nauseum, but here is the original! It's very well done, by B-movie standards, and the cast is first-rate. I won't re-hash what previous reviewers have said, but Paul Birch was later used in Corman's BEST film, "Not of This Earth", which is, pitiably, not available on DVD or VHS. It is a thought-provoking film, so typical of the paranoia regarding the bomb back in he 50's, but the script by Lou Rusoff will not insult your intelligence. It's a film all sci-fi aficianados should have in their collection. "Day the World Ended" is paired with "The She-Creature", which is a typical 50's horror exploitation film, but isn't all that bad. Certainly, production values are low, but there's Lance Fuller (the bad Brack from "This Island Earth") looking handsome and concerned, as well as newcomer Marla English (gorgeous) and the reliable Tom Conway and Cathy Downs. Perhaps a trend-setter, a reliable old actor of the past, Chester Morris, plays the oily hypnotist. Directed by horror schlock veteran Edward L. Cahn, it's worth a look. One thing that was silly is that the cover art & posters showed the monster with huge breasts, rather daring for 50's sensibilities, but no such breasts appear in the film. I'm regularly amused by such exploitation. Good package of films, especially the Corman.

After the Atomic destruction a hand full of people find them selves in a valley that escaped the initial radiation. Naturedly the mix is of innocent and not so innocent women and men. This is not just any valley it was especially picked by a survivalist that expected the big one to be dropped and scoped out a valley with lots of lead around them.

Slowly encroaching on them is a strange mutant that has physic powers. Like the mutated monkeys on the atoll where they tested the bomb, this is probably the new generation of people replacements. Luckily he (it) still has a hankering for blonds in swimsuits.

There is also the possibility of contaminated rain bringing radiation to the valley.

One of the fun scenes in this Rodger Corman movie is when they throw a dummy off the cliff and you are supposed to believe it is a blond.

In all honesty I don't believe there is any such thing as a five star American International Picture. These two are certainly no exception. These movies are true "creature features" and the creatures are the only reason to watch them. Were it not for the brilliant work of Paul Blaisdell these two turkeys would be nearly unwatchable.
The Day the World Ended is a well worn plot of survival after a nuclear holocaust filled with stock characters in stock cicumstances acting(?) in a stock manner. These were great drive-in movies because you really didn't miss anything by not watching until the end of the movie when the ceature finally makes his appearance and by then it was time to come up for air anyway. Unfortunatly this was not one of Blaisdell's best creations.
However, The She Creature is one of Blaidell's best and makes it worthwhile to endure the rest of the movie. The plot is best described as Bridey Murphy meets the Creature from the Black Lagoon and indeed the She Creatures design is often compared to that of the gill man. This comparison holds up well in still photographs, but when the two are shown moving, the paucity of Blaisdell's budget becomes all too apparent. One can only wonder what Blaisdell could have done had he had a decent budget to work with. The She Creature along with the big headed invaders from Invasion of the Saucer Men are two iconic creations of Blaisdell that he did on virtually no budget. We all owe Paul a debt of gratitude for making these low budget stinkers a lot more watchable.
So, pop up some popcorn, get a soft drink, turn out the lights, pretend like the couch is your bad ride from your youth, cue up this disc, grab your main squeeze and pretend like it's a night at the drive-in. It'll be a blast!

Day the World Ended/She Creature (1956)- I saw the DAY THE WORLD ENDED (at the old Bronx LUXOR theater way back) in 1956 which was the year it was made. I enjoyed it for all it was worth during that first time screening. I remember it being very frightening, and appearing "plausible" to me as a youngster. I just noticed its availability at AMAZON and ordered it, having not watched it since 1956. Now as a 64 year old person I felt that its script was actually respectable for 50's Sci-Fi and still found it to be worth watching (though not with non-sci-fi movie fans) in 2010.

I admit to being overly sentimental about old sci-fi movies, but this one was a notch above many 50's sci-fi films, being smart about what to show and not to reveal too soon, and the ending was pretty good too. The music was even good (but I think partially pirated from another film having stolen just the legal limit from another composer), and the special effects and costumes were also very good.

The sexist marketing that supported this movie (and SHE CREATURE) was an embarrassment, as were almost all marketing efforts for 50's and 60's sci-fi films (see DVD cover), but it worked, didn't it?.

The day the world ended is a film I saw late at night and found it one of the most frightening I had ever seen, to the extent that I had nightmares about it and remembered scenes from it for the 45 years since I first saw it. The plot: a survivalist with experience - observations of horrible mutations after the H-Bomb explosion in the Pacific - has built a house protected by lead deposits and natural ridges. But there is a kink in his plan: a group of uninvited guests show up. With only enough food for himself, his daughter, and her missing fiancee, the danger of hunger increases tension between the group that includes a scientist and a crook with his stripper babe. But the scariest part is a man who survived in mutated form, with silvery atomic skin, who can walk through the radioactive mist to the outside world in search of the raw meat he craves, where, he assures the scientist, "wonderful things are happening, but you will all die." The mutated man returns at night because he has enemies on the outside. All the residents are unsure whether or not they will become like that man with the radiation that is sure to come with the next rains.

This kind of thing - of a infection from radioactive contamination that causes irreversible mutation - absolutely terrified me. There is one scene where a man emerges from the mist with clawed hands and three-toed feet, weeping from hunger because "the stronger ones" won't share their hunts with him. He became an image of feverish nightmare for me. Meanwhile, the daughter keeps hearing someone call to her, perhaps her missing fiancee, a presence who comes ever closer to the house. Though she has fallen for the scientist, she feels somehow beholden to the mysterious creature, who when revealed is (admittedly rather campily) monstrous and invulnerable until the scientist realizes that it fears the uncontaminated.

This is really great fun and brought me back to my childhood terror of nuclear holocaust. Radiation was such a mysterious thing then. The acting is also unusually good for low budget scifi of the 50s, with Connors (or Minnix) as the thuggish tough, but also Denning, who was in many 60s TV shows. Just this film is well worth the price of the dvd. It is by far my favorite of the Corman legacy.

The other film, she-creature, is so ridiculously bad that I simply couldn't get through it, but then, I tried watching after the great Corman film.

Two terrific B movies. The DVD transfer is good. I really enjoyed watching them again