The Cape Canaveral Monsters
December. 01,1960When a couple are killed in an auto accident their bodies are immediately inhabited by extraterrestrial beings. Taking refuge in an underground cave, the aliens attempt to sabotage the U.S. space program.
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Captivating movie !
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
In preparation of an invasion from outer space two aliens named "Hauron" (Jason Johnson) and "Nadja" (Katherine Victor) inhabit the bodies of a young couple and proceed to carry out their orders to sabotage rocket research at Cape Canaveral. However, after a series of inexplicable rocket failures a young scientist named "Tom Wright" (Scott Peters) begins to have suspicions about possible interference from sinister forces and proceeds to check it out. With him in his inspection of the local area is his girlfriend "Sally Markham" (Linda Connell) who also happens to be the daughter of the lead scientist in charge. But what neither Tom nor Sally fully comprehend is just how sophisticated these aliens are and how inhuman they can be. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was definitely a grade-B, sci-fi film from start to finish which pretty much had nothing novel or original to show for its efforts. Talk about a paint-by-numbers picture. Likewise, the fact that this was a made-for-television movie didn't help much in that regard either. It was all pretty boring. That said I have rated this film accordingly. Below average.
After the launch of Sputnik by the Russians in 1957 there were many attempts to launch American satellites that for a while were all ending in failure. I remember as a kid seeing the launches and seeing them fail every couple of months or so. By 1960 however we seemed to be getting it right and the following year we were sending men in space for the Mercury project. So in 1960 The Cape Canaveral Monsters was already a dated film on release. This dud of a science fiction film is as big a dud as some of those early launches from Cape Canaveral. This would have you believe that aliens who when not taking over dead human bodies are just dots of light are worried about our progress in space flight and are sabotaging our space program. Has to figure, if not aliens then its those Communists on orders from Moscow.A cast where you never heard of anybody performs their parts on the level of grade school drama. Some newsreel footage of our failure satellite launches integrated into some bad special effects and worse acting characterizes this film made by klutzes.
*Spoiler/plot- Cape Canaveral Monsters, 1960. Two alien balls of energy take over the bodies of a car accident victims to wage a war of sabotage against the Air Force new rockets. The aliens kidnap and transmit young humans to their planet to study them. The local Air Force program's Young scientists become the next victims of the alien plot. The police and Air Force take charge.*Special Stars- Jason Johnson, Katherine Victor.*Theme- Space aliens seem to want what they can't have on their own planet.*Trivia/location/goofs- B & W. shot at Bronson Caves and Leo Carillo Beach, Mike boom seen in police car glass in a reflection. It has a weird cliffhanger ending.*Emotion- This film crosses over into film 'exploitation' due its scenes featuring torture, decapitation, and suggested nudity. The female alien seems to have a sexual attraction for the film's distinct seedy exploitation elements. The odd ending is a cliffhanger of sorts with a car crash and female scream. As such, this film is unique and more than just a B-Movie science fiction film.
As a certified Ed Wood fan, I had been meaning for some time to track down the works of Mr. Phil Tucker. But, they had eluded me, except for his disasterpiece, his masturwork, his Citizen Kane, his Plan Nine From Outer Space.That would be the immor(t)al Robot Monster, which I have seen on DVD, and even had the good fortune to see on the big screen, in its super rare 3-D version no less! Jeekers!So, finally, Netflix allowed me to stream one of his other epics, THE CAPE CANAVERAL MONSTERS. I have to say, it was almost worth the wait. Fans of the celluloid leavings of Ed Wood, Jerry Warren and Richard Cunha will be right at home here. This is a pure gold-plated turd, full of the hi-jinx beloved by aficionados of low-budget 50's sci-fi swill. Aliens, mad scientist, stupid gadgets, cheap-arse monsters, yes, fans, they are all here, and they are all awesome. Perfect mindless viewing for a boring Saturday afternoon. Not sure if this presentation is available on DVD, but if it is not, then it really should be. Somebody get right on that, will ya?