Best Sci-Fi films of the ’50s….

Updated on June 3, 2010 By Ken Begg 32 Comments

This would actually a nice year to year breakdown, like when I very occasionally run down the horror films of some year in the ‘80s.  Still, with the Thing being our monster of the day, I thought I’d give people a forum for arguing about the best sci-fi movies of the decade that defined sci-fi movies, the 1950s.

These are the absolute classics, in my opinion, that stand above even the large number of very, very good sci-fi films from that decade:

The Thing From Another World
The Day the Earth Stood Still
War of the Worlds
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Forbidden Planet
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Incredible Shrinking Man
Quatermass and the Pit (made later)
Man in the White Suit

And…that’s nine.  So what’s the tenth movie, even if perhaps a step down from those giants?  The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms?  Them!? Gojira? 20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea? The Fly? Invaders from Mars?  Do you have another choice?  Do you go counterintuitive and demand there be a representative of ‘50s schlock sci-fi here?

There’s a (I think) complete list of ‘50s sci-fi here. Have at it.

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  • Mr. Rational

    Frankly, I don’t see how Gojira isn’t on that list as it currently stands.

  • Ericb

    While Quatermass and the Pit was a BBC television program that came out in the 50s (I’m not sure but I think it was broadcast as a serial rather than a feature lenght film) the actual film wasn’t made unitl the 60s.

  • Eric — Ah!! I thought 1958 sounded wrong! Good call.

  • Ericb

    Speaking of Quatermass, though, I’d defintely put the Quatermass Xperiment on the list.

  • BeckoningChasm

    How about “Them”?

  • I second Quatermass Xperiment and add Quatermass II. X the Unknown was pretty good too, as I recall.

  • Well, clearly Them! is up there for me, as it is my all-time favorite monster movie. However, Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was released first, and then there’s the fact that, no matter who much I love it, Them! isn’t quite in the same level as Forbidden Planet and some of the others. Certainly a respectable choice, however.

  • X the Unknown IS a pretty good movie. I showed that for Halloween one year, and it went over pretty well.

  • BeckoningChasm

    “Them” is a swell picture (boy does that look bad without quotes), but more importantly it set a template for many future films (admittedly, most of those that followed in its wake were fairly bad). So I would think it would get the nod for what it gave to the genre, as well as its merits as a film. Yeah, others in the list are better, but some of them have some serious flaws.

    I’ve only seen Quatermas Xperiment once, on television, and while it was good, I’m not sure it’s that good, unless you’re talking historical precedent in which case we come back to “Them.” Quatermas II is very good, but it’s very similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I think we’re talking “Fiend without a Face” territory–good, very good even, but without that quality that makes them leap out of the fireplace and onto the back of your neck. I mean, um, ahem.

    X The Unknown is also a nice little picture, odious comedy relief notwithstanding (one of them went on to produce Monty Python) but it’s not much more than a Blob picture.

    Still I’ve yet to see a film mentioned in this entry (and comments) that doesn’t have a lot to recommend it.

  • Ericb

    I haven’t seen the Quatermass Xperiment in decades. Does anyone know what’s keeping it from being released on DVD?

  • BeckoningChasm

    Well, I know that for a long time Nigel Kneale worked to keep “Enemy From Space” (Quatermas II) out of circulation, because he was really unhappy with it. Eventually I guess he relented, cos that one was released on tape, laserdisk and DVD (with Quatermas and the Pit).

    As for Xperiment, I would guess it’s ownership rights of some kind. The same that keeps a lot of Roger Corman’s stuff (Attack of the Crab Monsters, It Conquered the World, etc) out, while Little Shop of Horrors and The Wasp Woman are all over the place.

  • Rock Baker

    Where does The Blob fall in? is it a classic monster movie or good schlock? Invaders from Mars would be the most likley addition to the list I think (and on that film I break with my custom and better like the British version!).

    AC Comics/Cult Retro sells DVDs of The Creeping Unknown, Enemy from Space, and a scope version of The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas, along with lots of other neat stuff. Enemy from Space includes an episode of Brian Donlevy’s Dangerous Assignment. (Again, I don’t get any sort a perk if you check them out, I’m just sharing the info!)

  • Rock Baker

    Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Them! should be a given, right? Many would also ague for I Married a Monster From Outer Space and The Man From Planet X. Maybe The Monolith Monsters? As a definetive 50s sci-fi movie, I might also nominate Earth vs The Spider.

  • Rock Baker

    Oh, and Destination Moon.

  • BeckoningChasm

    Of course, with the elimination of QatP, we have two slots…

  • Rock Baker

    You know I’ve finally been stumped. Until today I’d never even heard of Man in the White Suit. Another title for the want list!

  • The Rev. D.D.

    Man, Mr. Rational took the words right out of my hands in the first post there.

    I’ve not heard of Man in the White Suit either; in fact, I know nothing about it. I hope I can keep it that way until I finally see it.

  • Ericb

    I haven’t heard of The Man in the White Suit either.

  • It’s a British comedy starring Alec Guinness about a naive young man who invents an indestructible and unstainable fabric, and throws both powerful interests and ordinary people (mostly in the form of textiles manufacturing and unions) into a panic. It’s not what most folks think of when they speak of sci-fi, but it’s actually one of the few actual ‘science fiction movies’–Andromeda Strain would be another–as it deals with an advanced invention and then realistically, if satirically, explores what effects it would have on society. It is available on DVD.

    By the way, I just saw Incredible Shrinking Man (and Son of Frankenstein) at a local theater this weekend, and man, I must not have seen it in a while. It’s really much more sophisticated than I remember, and on a big screen, the stuff with the cat and spider was just horrifying. I knew it belonged on the top list, but even more so than I remembered.

  • TongoRad

    Yeah- I’m on the Gojira bandwagon as well. Being quite familiar with King Of the Monsters I was really surprised with just how powerful I found Gojira to be when I finally got to see it within the past few years. And then there is the legacy to consider, so that’s a definite for my personal top ten.

  • I think you pretty much have to guarantee a slot to Gojira. Hard to believe you actually compiled this list and didn’t include it. I mean you put Man in the White Suit on the list and I’m willing to bet most people reading this have never even heard of that film. I’ve never even heard of it.

    Since we’re getting obscure, I’d cast a vote – at least an honorary mention – for 1958’s Colossus of New York. Definitely one of the most underrated science fiction films of the Fifties. Something about the cyborg’s voice gives me the willies every time I watch it. Might be because it’s so haunting in how it amplifies the amount of pain and despair on the part of the man whose mind has been transplanted inside that robot golem. The piano score is also devastatingly haunting. Great little unsung classic of the era that feels more like a holdover from the classic Universal Monsters era transplanted to the Atomic Age.

  • gabriele

    It’s really difficult to choose between Them, Gojira and Invaders from Mars! I’d like to add This Island Earth, I know it’s a bit cheesy but I just love it.

  • John Nowak

    Gojira needs to be there, if only for its impact. Heck, it triggered a whole genre. And it’s a very good film.

    Not mentioning it would be like a list of “Influential Genre Film Directors” without James Cameron.

  • Well, Gojira is the obvious choice. But for pure entertainment (read “chilling” that stands the test of time) I have to go with “Them”. Or how about “Indestructible Man” (just kidding).

  • BeckoningChasm

    May I just point out (in my best Eric Idle voice) again, that to have a top ten, we need TWO more titles? Thus, we could include both “Them” and “Gojira.”

  • Rock Baker

    I’m not sure a list of ten is enough. The fact is, we were treated to so many essential science fiction films during the 50s that you just can’t limit one to ten titles, and thats just of the really good everyone-agrees-it-was-great titles.

    I’ll have to keep my eyes open for Man in the White Suit, it certainly sounds interesting.

    “By the way, I just saw Incredible Shrinking Man (and Son of Frankenstein) at a local theater this weekend, and man, I must not have seen it in a while. It’s really much more sophisticated than I remember, and on a big screen, the stuff with the cat and spider was just horrifying. I knew it belonged on the top list, but even more so than I remembered”
    On one hand, I’m happy for you. The other hand reads that and says ‘sure, rub it in why don’t you.’ Did you stick around for Frankenstein’s Daughter? I’d like to know how a chintzy little flick like that translates to a big screen. I imagine it improves, they say cheap sets and such look much better on the big screen.

  • Rock — To my embarrassment, I wimped out on F’sD. I was just sort of beat and figured if I stayed for that I wouldn’t get home until after midnight. (Since Superdawg is on the way back.)

  • sandra

    THEM! gets my vote. It’s brilliant because its played straight, as a serious murder mystery, not as a “giant bug movie”. Of course, it was the first of its genre, as far as I know. Its also fun to watach for Leonard Nimoy’s bit as a solider, and Fess Parker’s as a mental patient.

  • sandra

    THEM! gets my vote. Its brilliant because it takes a wild premise and plays it straight, as a murder mystery, rather than a ‘giant bug’ movie. THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT is also very good, largely because of the actor who plays the infected astronaut. He only has one line (“Help”) but there’s a world of suffering in his face. Of course he’s named Victor, after Frankenstein. And I like the fact that Quatermass is not at all likeable; fanatics usually aren’t.

  • Rock Baker

    I found Quatermass to be likeable. He was crusty, but intelligent and professional. But then, I always liked Brian Donlevy. While both his Quatermass pictures were great, I do think that Enemy From Space was a better film than Creeping Unknown.

    Colossus of New York is a good choice. I’m a little shocked no one has nominated Donovan’s Brain. My own personal choice is an underdog to be sure, It Conquered The World.

  • Rock Baker

    And if anyone wants to know why I’m not calling The Creeping Unkown “The Quatermass Xperiment” and Enemy From Space “Quatermass II”, its to avoid confusion (even if its just my own). For the sake of clarity, The Creeping Unknown and Enemy From Space are theatrical features starring Brian Donelvy, while The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass II are the tele-serials the features were based on. (There was a second serial, right?)

  • Hal

    THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS is a strong contender IMO.