Invasion of the Star Creatures
| Invasion of the Star Creatures | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruno VeSota |
| Produced by |
Samuel Z. Arkoff Berj Hagopian |
| Written by | Jonathan Haze |
| Starring | Bob Ball Frankie Ray Gloria Victor Dolores Reed |
| Cinematography | Basil Bradbury |
| Edited by | Lew Guinn |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
|
Release date
|
May 3, 1962 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
70 minutes (theatrical); 80 minutes (TV version) |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
Invasion of the Star Creatures is a 1962, science fiction/comedy film directed by Bruno VeSota and starring Bob Ball and Frankie Ray. It was released theatrically by American International Pictures. It was released as a double feature with The Brain That Wouldn't Die.
The original theatrical version (currently on DVD) runs 70 minutes. The television version syndicated in the 1960s added a 10-minute sequence, bringing the running time up to 80 minutes.
The film opens with a parody credit of “R.I. Diculous Presents.” Private Philbrick and Private Penn are stuck in monotonous assignments at Fort Nicholson, a U.S. Army base near the Nicholson Mesa. The privates are assigned to a scouting mission that requires the inspection of a newly discovered cavern that was located near the base. Philbrick and Penn are part of an expeditionary squad, but become separated from their fellow soldiers. The privates are attacked by seven-foot-tall vegetable-like creatures that take them into the cavern, which is actually an alien base commanded by two statuesque women from the planet Kalar. The alien women, Dr. Puna and Professor Tanga, reveal that they arrived on Earth with the goal of conquering the planet. Philbrick and Penn find that their fellow soldiers have been placed in suspended animation by the aliens. Philbrick eventually discovers that kissing Puna leaves her temporarily powerless, allowing him and Penn to escape from the cavern and its inhabitants. After an encounter with an American Indian band, the two soldiers race back to their base to rally a defense of the Earth against the Kalar aliens. They succeed in saving the Earth by prematurely launching the alien spaceship, but are captured by the aliens. However, Puna convinces Tanga not to kill them as they have no way of returning home now and they need to rely on the two soldiers. Tanga accepts this, kisses Penn and the sparks fly. At the end of the film, the soldiers receive medals for their actions and they drive away with the aliens, now their wives.
Invasion of the Star Creatures was written by Jonathan Haze, an actor best known for his starring role in the 1960 Roger Corman feature The Little Shop of Horrors. Haze’s screenplay originally had the title "Monsters from Nicholson Mesa," which was intended as a jokey reference to James H. Nicholson, the co-founder of American International Pictures. Haze was originally planned to be a star of the film, but he did not appear in the production.
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