Customer Reviews

Zontar: Thing from Venus / The Eye Creatures

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

 

 

It's interesting, but not without reason, that people should think producer/writer/director Larry Buchanan ripped off others, like Roger Corman (the two men were actually friends), in making some of the films he did, as it's not really true. You see, back in the day Buchanan, through his own Azalea Pictures group, made a deal with American International Pictures to produce a series of ultra low budget films (eight in total, I believe) for television, including Zontar, The Thing from Venus (1966), and The Eye Creatures (1965), both of which appear on this DVD. Now the reason some of Buchanan's movies seem so much like previously released material is because they're actually remakes of AIP films like Corman's It Conquered the World (1956) and Edward L. Cahn's Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). Get it? Got it? Good...co-written and directed by Buchanan, the film Zontar, The Thing from Venus features John Agar (The Brain from Planet Arous) and Susan Bjurman (Messenger of Death), along with `Buchanan's Stock Company' regulars Tony Huston (The Eye Creatures, Curse of the Swamp Creature), Pat Delaney (Mars Needs Women, Creature of Destruction), Neil Fletcher (Mars Needs Women, In the Year 2889), and Bill `Billy' Thurman (The Eye Creatures, Curse of the Swamp Creature).

Agra plays Dr. Curt Taylor, a scientist working at a United States rocket control and tracking station. After launching a sophisticated laser satellite into space, the satellite is hijacked by a creature, who lives on Venus, named Zontar with the aid of disgruntled scientist named Keith Ritchie (Huston), who is duped by Zontar into thinking the alien will save mankind from itself by taking control of the planet, essentially turning all of its inhabitants into slaves (seems Keith's been communicating with the creature for a while through some kind of wacky hi-fi set in his living room). Zontar arrives, knocks out all the power, hides out in some nearby caves, and launches a series of flying lobster drones called injecta-pods (grown from his own body no less), to implant mind control devices on specific individuals of power, thus providing Zontar the ability to control their actions. Curt eventually learns of the sinister plan (after his own wife is assimilated), and also learns he's one of Zontar's targets. Amidst the panic now developing in the streets, Curt must try and find a way to convince Keith Zontar is not a friend, and that his intentions are that of evil, but it may be too late as a number of annoying individuals are now under his control.

Good lord...I wanted to like this movie, but it was so completely boring, so much so I actually dozed off about halfway through, only to awaken and discover I really hadn't missed all that much. The scripting, laced with all kinds of technical sounding gobbledygook and obvious exposition, was pretty ridiculous, as was the acting. Here's a great line issued by the general, played by Neil Fletcher, as rocket control is trying to bring the laser satellite, which Zontar is hitching a ride on unbeknownst to the scientists, back to Earth, and they lose control of it..."Send it back up! Don't mess around with it!" By this time I was hoping the satellite would crash down on the station and wipe out a good number of the characters. The film, which was probably shot in under a week on a minuscule budget, looks incredibly shoddy, but sort of homey. Check out that rocket control room, complete with a `Cycloid' computer...it hardly instilled a sense of confidence in America's burgeoning space program. Agar, who was no stranger to the B film, seems to fit in pretty well in this Z grade film, making the most of his role while managing (sadly) to avoid going over the top, as he did so wonderfully in The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)...seriously, this film could have used a performance like that to keep me awake. As far as the rest of the actors, well, the do what they do, generally not very well, but I wasn't expecting great things here. Keeping in form, Buchanan holds back on presenting his monster until about an hour and ten minutes into the film, and for good reason. Once we finally get to see Zontar, it reminded me of a burnt grilled cheese sandwich with wings, like a bat had become entangled into the grilling process...ick. It was hardly impressive, and certainly provided little, if any scares, but whatever...the film runs about an hour and twenty minutes, but it felt like three hours given the extreme drag in the story. Well, for better or worse, I still have the 2nd feature on this DVD, titled The Eye Creatures (1965) left to watch...

I'm unsure if it's a testament to my intestinal fortitude or my stupidity, but I did watch both these movies in one day. The Eye Creatures, directed by Larry Buchanan, features John Ashley, a sort of bargain basement Elvis, who first started in the biz appearing in hot rod/juvenile delinquent pics like Dragstrip Girl (1957) and Hot Rod Gang (1958), before moving on to schlocky foreign made horror films like Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968) and Brides of Blood (1968). Also appearing is Cynthia Hull (High Yellow), Chet Davis (Mars Needs Women), Bill Peck (The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald), along with `Buchanan's Stock Company' regulars Tony Huston (The Eye Creatures, Curse of the Swamp Creature) and Bill `Billy' Thurman (The Eye Creatures, Curse of the Swamp Creature).

As the movie begins we learn the gooberment is keeping a secret. Seems there's UFOs flying about, and the army is tracking them using infrared scanners, at least when they're not using said scanners to peep on young couple necking in their cars in old man Bailey's farm fields, which , apparently, is make out central. Ashley plays Stan Kenyon, a strapping young buck putting the moves on his girlfriend Susan Rogers (Hull). The two are planning to elope, but they get sidetracked as Stan accidentally runs over and kills (somewhat) one of the aliens, a cadre of whom have just landed in a nearby field. Their car disabled, the couple run off on foot looking for help, but the sneaky aliens kill a nosey kid and make it look like Stan did it with his car, leaving Stan in some hot water with the police. Meanwhile, the military, who are hard at work trying to cover up the grounded UFO, accidentally blow it up...oh well...turns out none of the pale, lumpy, numerous eyed, jellyroll-like aliens were on board, as they're all out roaming the fields for whatever reason. Anyway, Stan, Susan, and Mike (the dead guy's greasy roommate, who spends half the film in a nightshirt) head out to alien central to try and get some evidence the aliens exists (none of the adults believe the dumb kids), and we learn Susan's car is named Elvis because "She shakes and shimmys a lot, but she can really go!" At least I think they were talking about Susan's car...they might have been talking about Susan...the aliens get jiggy, and Stan gets together all the kids at make out point for a final, idiotic showdown.

Oh man, this was a real flopper...if you must see this film, search out the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of it, as it will be infinitely more entertaining. The film is populated by a whole slew of annoying characters (check out the pair of army homersexuals manning the infrared scanner), many of whom never get what they deserve, that being a slow, painful, and hideous death...instead, the audience is left to suffer the intolerable cruelties of rotten acting, a horrible script, polluted with some of the worst comedy I've heard in a long time, and pointless scenes that offer no reason for existing, other than to fill an hour and twenty minutes of celluloid. This is one of those movies where it's supposed to be night, but we can clearly see the sun shining, indicating a general lack of concern how good or bad this movie turned out, as long as it turned out. As far as the aliens, they look like moldy bread with Smucker jelly mouths, the biggest threat being accidentally running over one and getting a claw stuck in a tire. There's a painfully protracted sequence where Stan and Susan are driving, and a disembodied alien claw is creeping around the car...I think this was supposed to be suspenseful, but I've seen more tension trying to get the ketchup out of a bottle. No one really survives this flotsam, and Ashley, who seemed the most experienced, appeared to have been along just to pick up a check. You know, while I may be critical of Buchanan's films, I do admire him solely on the basis he did what he loved to do, and that was make movies, unimpeded by such things as budgets (or lack of), untalented actors, little or no directorial skill, or even ridiculous scripts and storylines, and that counts for something. His vision may have been hampered by the aforementioned, but his drive, determination, and `to hell with it' attitude was always present, even if the quality wasn't...

The picture quality, both in fullscreen, original aspect ratio, on this Retro Media Entertainment DVD release for Zontar, The Thing from Venus, is somewhat rough (at one point, the picture develops a case of the jitters), but it is watchable, even if the movie isn't. As far as The Eye Creatures, the quality is a little better, and looks a bit cleaner. Each film features Dolby Digital mono audio, which comes through well enough. The only extra feature is a featurette titled `Remembering John Ashley' (20:51), on the side featuring The Eye Creatures film. The DVD is two sided, meaning one film is on one side, the second on the flipside of the DVD.

Cookieman108

You can read about the movies in any other review, I just want to point out that the same exact disc is still available new in Retromedia's "The Beast Collection". No need to deal with the price gouging dealer/leeches.

Zontar
"It must come from the very hart of man himself."

Dr. Curt Taylor (John Agar) refused to believe there is life, malevolent or benevolent, out there. Mean while brilliant and misunderstood scientist Keith Ritchie (Anthony Houston) invite his Venus buddy Zoltar over to earth to make a few social adjustments.

The philosophical discussions take precedence over the sci-fi action. And the wives (Patricia De Laney and Susan Bjurman) turn out to have a strong influence on the direction of the story.

This is a TV remake of Roger Corman's low budget "It Conquered the World"

The original film "It Conquered the World" with Peter Graves had the alien looking like a rubber creature with tentacles for tootsies. And instead of flying lobsters they used bat like creatures. This film even though a cheap remake seemed to spend more time on significant dialog, making it more relevant to our life.

After watching these two versions of the story, be sure to watch the spoof "Lobsterman from Mars" with Tony Curtis.

It Conquered the World B&W
It Conquered the World (1956) 11" x 17" Poster
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Eye
An excruciating remake of "Invasion of the Saucer Men" (1957)

If you've seen "Invasion of the Saucer Men" than you actually seen this movie with a few cheap twists and turns. If you have not seen "Invasion of the saucer men" I suggest you watch it instead of this film.

Stan Kenyon (John Ashley of "Beach Party" fame) and his girl Susan Rogers (Cynthia Hull) dispatch a hideous creature from outer space. Even though they were using a car this was before the invention of "texting". The insidious creatures removed the body replaced it with a more conventional body of evidence. Now will no one believe Stan or Susan?

There are two interesting things about this film. The first is that it was made in Dallas and some of the locations are actually recognizable. The second is the voyeurism of two airmen using an infrared detector to watch a couple petting in their vehicle.

I have always liked ridiculous sci-fi films from the 1960s, and this DVD is wonderfully representative of the genre. "Zontar, The Thing From Venus" is one of my all-time favorite cheesy sci-fi movies. It was made by Larry Buchanan in 1966 as a remake of "It Conquered The World," which is itself an enjoyable bit of B-Grade cinema. By all estimates the remake is horribly inferior to the original, but "Zontar" makes up for in silliness and bogus science what it lacks in quality production values. The most notable difference between "Zontar" and "It Conquered The World" is the monster. Zontar looks like a three-eyed, hooded Sleestak with pincher jaws, whereas the original monster looked like an enraged carrot.

The story concerns Keith, a brilliant lunatic scientist (Tony Huston) who conspires to bring Zontar from his home planet to help the people of Earth become more peaceful. His friend, Curt (the always gentlemanly John Agar) thinks he is nuts and eventually convinces him that he must destroy Zontar, who has taken up residence in a local cave because "it is close to his Venus environment." (Sure.) Zontar attempts to take over the world by launching "injectapods" at people which fly to their victims and implant a pin in their neck making them a biological sub-unit of Zontar. (Following all this?) I love watching the injectapods fly, and you will too when you watch this movie.

After much bloodshed and panic in the streets (sample exchange after the power has gone out: "My husband's in an iron lung, what shall I do?"...now that's dialogue you don't see in just any film,) Keith finally dispatches Zontar with a "Plutonium-Ruby Crystal Beam Gun" which involves the funniest special effect I have ever seen on film. The movie concludes with a real Ed Wood moment of solemn pondering about the future of mankind.

In a nutshell, this is a great piece of cheese. Sure it's silly, Sure it is ludicrous watching Keith speak to Zontar via some radio gear that just goes "Bwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu" over and over. But if you are looking for an excellent piece of mid 1960s paranoid sci-fi lunacy, "Zontar: The Thing From Venus" would be tough to beat!

"The Eye Creatures" is another Buchanan masterpiece featuring many items reused from other films: the soundtrack music and satellite image were also used in "Zontar," and many of the actors in secondary roles are also retreads (don't miss Tony Huston as Corporal Culver!) Here B-movie regular John Ashley stars as Stan, who is trying desperately to marry Susan (Cynthia Hull) but a bunch of grade-Z monsters get in the way. The plot is amazingly generic, with all the standard 1960s B-movie subplots: there has been a UFO invasion of creatures covered in eyeballs (although some costumes have notably smaller eyeball-enhanced regions than others,) who terrorize a small town; the military is called in to cover up the event to prevent a public panic; the police don't believe the "teenagers" because they are just "kids;" a brilliant method of killing the creatures is found just in the nick of time, etc. Compared to "Zontar" the film tends to drag, and while it's a bit of a tough slog on its own, it made an excellent episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (episode 418) as the retitled "Attack of the the Eye Creatures" (that's not a typo, that's really how the title card reads.) I highly recommend that you check out the MST3K version in preference to the original version for B-movie entertainment value.

One thing I noticed is that the image quality is (relatively) excellent on this DVD. I have seen "Zontar" endlessly repackaged on several different tapes and DVDs, and this is the best overall copy I have seen. I have likewise seen several copies of "The Eye Creatures," and this is also the best copy I have seen. I liked that the DVD also came with a quite lengthy feature "Remembering John Ashley" in which his personal film career is discussed. I would like to see something similar done for John Agar at some point as well.

Larry Buchanan made these movies on a shoestring, and they are eminently representative of the cold war mentality that dominated 1960s science fiction. The movies aren't good by any conventional reckoning, but they have a unique charm of their own (especially "Zontar") and I recommend them to anyone who loves primitive science fiction or cheesy movies.

Want a good laugh on a lonely Saturday night?? Well, sci-fi movie buffs, these beauties are for YOU!! Terrible acting, moronic dialogues and cheesy creatures worthy of being on the MST3K (Mystery Science Theatre 3000 ). I enjoyed this DVD at an old firend's house so, while both our wives were yapping away in the kitchen, my friend and I walked over to the living room, he pulled out this BEAUTY, and turned to me and said, "How about some Sci-fi stand-up comedy??" to which I generously complied, "Bring it on, Vinny!!" Broke out the chips,peanuts and beer, and we had a ball!! Watched both flicks back-to-back and I tell you tears were streaming down my face. Here's a toast to cheesy pictures and the likes of Roger Corman, Russ Myer and the gentleman who directed these "wonderfully-satirical" (lol) works of art. I gave this item a 5-Star rating because movies like these, as BAD AS THEY ARE, do carry CULT status and ironically evolve to become genuine masterpieces; in fact, they pretty much match up with typical comedy--excellent to view on an evening after a hard-day's, hectic day on the job!! RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!

This one remains my favorite among the cheesie catagory.Its filled with bad effects,acting and costume.Low budget and hilarious entertaining.Creatures covered with eyes terrorize a small town and the army is called.The only movie where headlights are used to destroy the creatures.John ashley stars in this ridiculous romp.The director in my version forgot that there was a fly in the room and filmed it.

If you thought Larry's Azalea pictures ALWAYS looked fuzzy, you're in for a treat. The print of Zontar is the best I've seen anywhere and the print of Eye Creatures is excellent, far better than any other print of any Azalea film I;ve ever seen..

Hideously boring and stupid made-for-TV remake of Roger Corman's "It Conquered the World". Dating from 1966, proof that bad television is not soley a modern institution. Mothman from Venus rides a satellite back to our good 'ol planet and gets some funny ideas about taking over the place. The nerve of those Venutians! Sure, they make great blinds, but they're never up to any good! Of course, Earth people (including legeandary Z-grade star John Agar) stop him and the world goes on. Ho hum. Check out the cars driving in the background after all machines have stopped. Heck, there isn't even a line of dialogue delightfully absurd enough to quote in the tagline. Just a waste of eighty some minutes. So, you want to watch it anyway, huh? Well, listen. don't you go and be a hero, kid...you'll feel like you've eaten lead paint chips afterwards. Only professionals should subject themselves to these cinematic atrocities. Now, go finish your asparagus and I don't want to hear any more of this Zontar nonsense.

Im suprised Roger Corman didnt sue for Zontars blatant ripoff of his "It conquered the world" Famous for 2 sixties heavies such as Peter Graves and Lee Van Cleef.

And the Eye Creatures yuch. Give me those little evil ETS from IOTSM anytime with them little alcohol filled stinging nails to incapacitate their victims.

Feel like getting numb to dumb movies? Numb yerself folks cause its going to be a looooong night watching this ham fest of bad movies.The writer before me took the time to go over this in great detail{i wonder if he is in therapy? I know I would be}Its filled with horrible acting,cheesy sets,and phony monsters.The one man isn't effected at all about hearing the death of his roomate?!? Can't blame him though thats one obnoxious crappy actor out of the way.Oh Marlon Brando daid it best in Apocalypse Now.....The Horror! Yes the horror of spending 80 minutes watching this dribble! Headlights kill the monsters! I wished the monsters had killed everybody on the set and put em out their misery or mine!