Cult Science Fiction Films: From the Amazing Colossal Man to Yog : The Monster from Space

by Welch D. Everman

This text is a celebration of 75 of the weirdest and wildest science fiction films which have attracted cult followings. By defining the sci-fi film as the realm of the "not yet", the book's selected movies deal in interplanetary, intergalactic and time travel, androids, and futuristic medical or surgical techniques. Famous, and infamous, actors and actresses are to be found in amongst the androids and space Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark in "The Swarm", Richard Burton in "The Medusa Touch", Dana Andrews in "The Frozen", and Barry Sullivan in "Planet of the Vampires". While some of these films are genuine thrillers and others are simply ludicrous, all have that cult appeal. This book should appeal to all fans of way-out movies and science fiction. It details the films, complete with casts, credits, production notes and photographs.

255 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Aki Umemoto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge science fiction film fan, especially of the "B" variety from the studios of Allied Artists, Monogram, American International and Roger Corman. I'd like to find film reference books to get behind the scenes anecdotes or critical analysis of these films, but this book isn't it. In fact of over hundreds of cult sci-fi films, this book only covers 75, and what it does cover, it only gives a page or so of a synopsis and two paragraphs of commentary. Also what comments Everman has are very snarky or sarcastic.

One saving grace is that the book is loaded with photos. If you're looking for a more comprehensive collection of science fiction synopses and commentary, please see Bill Warren's "Keep Watching the Skies!". He only covers films from 1950-1962 but it's a great reference book to have and he covers probably over 1,000 titles as opposed to 75. Get that and skip this one.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what one of these things should be like. I'd've given it a fiver but the writer (his real name?) is too obviously a perfessor--the facile humor of the classroom is occasionally evident (although it's by and large pretty damned funny); a bigger problem is his constantly deriving messages from the films and getting preachy in his sort of boring liberal conventional way.