Monolith Monsters [VHS]

Monolith Monsters [VHS]
by John Sherwood (II)

Monolith Monsters [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Grant Williams, Les Tremayne, Lola Albright, Phil Harvey, Trevor Bardette
Director: John Sherwood (II)
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 78 minutes
Release Date: 1996-10-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Universal Studios
Studio: Universal Studios

VHS Movie Reviews of Monolith Monsters [VHS]

Movie Review: And old favorite.
Summary: 4 Stars

While my friends, who were born in the 80s, made fun of this movie and claimed that it needed the MST3K crew in the foreground, I still like it. It is one of the more creative and well-made of the 50s monster movies. While not up to the standards of Them, Forbidden Planet or War of the Worlds, the monsters are among the most unique you will find in film. Well worth the money for fans of old-school monster movies.

Movie Review: A Different Kind of Science Fiction & It Works
Summary: 4 Stars

There are only a precious few Grade B horror films of the 50s that still resonate with those who saw them then and can feel even now the creepy sensations of tumbling rocks. THE MONOLITH MONSTERS is an effective thrilller that director Jack Sherwood can justly be proud of. The plot is a staple of the genre. A meteor falls to earth and it causes terror and destruction in its wake. But in this case, the terror and destruction build slowly from the opening scene. The first half of the movie is a series of vignettes, each pointing the audience to accept the reality of small rocks growing monstrously huge when exposed to water. Any living creature that comes into contact with them has the silicon drained from its body with the result that what had once been a normal living entity is morphed into a crusty ossified corpse. Grant Williams (of THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN fame) and perennial 50s beauty Lola Albright are the romantic leads and their interaction blends seamlessly. They are right there to witness the gradual evolution of a menace that begins with just one rock but soon enough changes to a crushing crawling wall of towering rocks that seems invincible. Part of what makes this film work is the realization that earth is threatened not by a thinking Big Bug From Up There but by the natural process of life and growth of the monoliths. By the second half, the monoliths are seen for what they are--a serious threat to all life on earth. The ticking time bomb of a plot demands that humanity find a way to stop their relentless onslaught or face extinction.

Even after repeated viewings, one can appreciate how effective is the melding of acting, scripting, pacing, and FX. At first the monoliths are presented as no more than a bunch of shiny rocks, sort of like obsidian. Director Sherwood slowly causes us to view them in an evolving light--from a bare recognition of their existence to a wonder at their growth and finally to a weird terror at being pulverised by their progress. We not only SEE them grow and spread but we HEAR them crash, thus intensifying the creepy terror. THE MONOLITH MONSTERS is one of the jewels of that decade or of any other. Finally, sharp eyed viewers will note the presence of uncredited appearances of William Schallert (DOBIE GILLIS), Paul Peterson (DONNA REED), and Troy Donahue.

Movie Review: WHAT'S THIS??? ANOTHER INTELLIGENT SCI-FI FILM FROM THE 50'S!
Summary: 5 Stars

Most people who like old Sci-Fi and Horror films have seen 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', but not as many know about another really smart and interesting film called 'The Monolith Monsters'. I do not like giving plot details in my reviews but, this one does have an intriguing premise that is well executed. Good special effect and I'm sure that is an unbilled Paul Peterson from 'The Donna Reed Show' as the boy with the bike. The transfer is excellent on the ultimate sci-fi classic collection volume one. This is another top notch film from a time when most of these flicks were for making out at the Drive- in.

Movie Review: Finally available on dvd!!
Summary: 5 Stars

[...]

Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide as five incredible science fiction films crash down on DVD for the first time ever in The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection! This fascinating, collectible set will shock, terrify, and captivate you with film favorites from the golden age of Hollywood including Tarantula, The Mole People, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Monolith Monsters, and Monster on Campus. Featuring amazing, ground-breaking special effects, these classics set the standard for all sci-fi terror to come! Tarantula An experiment to create a growth formula that could end starvation evolves into a nightmare when a contaminated spider grows gargantuan - with an appetite to match! The Mole People Deep below the surface of the earth, three scientists stumble upon a tyrannical tribe of albinos who have enslaved a mutant- and dangerous- race of mole people. The Incredible Shrinking Man After encountering a mysterious radioactive mist, an ordinary businessman finds his physical size diminishing as his ordinary household becomes a terrifying trap of doom. The Monolith Monsters In a desperate race against time and nature, a geologist and a scientist must find a way to stop the effects of killer outer-space rocks that are literally petrifying people with fear! Monster on the Campus Terror sweeps a college campus when the discovery of a prehistoric fish turns animals and humans that come into contact with it into bloodthirsty monsters.

Movie Review: These movies scream for a dvd release!
Summary: 5 Stars

The film The Monolith Monsters, is one of the more thoughtful
of the fifties sci-fi movies.
This film along with The Day the Earth Stood Still. and When
Worlds Collide. Take a philosophical approch to great question "What if?".
These are great science fiction movies should have been released on to dvd long ago! (or at least re-released on vhs)

Write your own review

Summary of Monolith Monsters [VHS]

First off, be advised that the Monolith Monsters are not really monsters in the conventional sense (meaning a guy in a hideous rubber suit wreaking havoc). That having been said, this is still a very effective, standout Fifties sci-fi film. A meteor crashes near a desert town, and the fragments of the meteor crystallize very quickly when exposed to water. They also suck the moisture from humans, turning them stiff as boards. The rocks (black and shiny, like obsidian) grow to great heights and fall over from their own weight, with each shard of the rock starting the process over again. Of course, a thunderstorm accelerates everything. It's up to the townspeople to stop the advance of the menace before it overruns everything. Based on a story by Jack Arnold (director of Creature from the Black Lagoon), Monolith's production values are very good for the time, with the huge, menacing black rocks sometimes resembling the Chrysler Building. There are plenty of recognizable character actors to be seen, and a sense of pacing and tension that's above average for the genre. With its inventive premise, The Monolith Monsters is quite a bit better than the usual cheapo drive-in sci-fi from the mid-Fifties. --Jerry Renshaw

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