Keep Watching the Skies! 1950s Sci-Fi and Horror on Blu-ray

[noirjunkie]

12/22/18 Update - Noirfan, the original OP of the thread, is currently MIA. In an effort to continue his work, I've taken over OP responsibilities for the thread. Out of respect for Noirfan, I've kept all of his original text, which begins below this paragraph, intact. I will also be leaving the second post of the thread untouched. I have made updates and minor modifications to the list of films, such as replacing older editions with upgrades, removing duplicate entries if a US edition exists that is identical or superior to a foreign edition, and alphabetizing the titles within each release year.

Noirfan's original text:

I thought it might be worthwhile to create a thread devoted to a period and genre(s) near and dear to my heart - 1950's sci-fi and horror films. To maintain the 'drive-in' spirit of the thread, it will focus entirely on English-language horror and sci-fi of the decade (Godzilla includes the American-language dub, hence its inclusion). So no Diabolique et al. Films are listed by year of release.

Keep Watching the Skies!

1950s Sci-fi and Horror on Blu-ray

MST3K / Rifftrax Editions

[noirjunkie]

Trailer Compilations!

[Show spoiler]1950s Sci-Fi Film Trailers - YouTube

Trailer Reel #11 (1950's Sci-Fi & Horror) - YouTube

Radioactive 1950's Sci-Fi Trailers #1 - YouTube

Radioactive 1950's Sci-Fi Trailers # 2 - YouTube

Radioactive 1950's Sci-Fi Trailers # 3 - YouTube

Radioactive Sci-Fi 1950's Trailers - Alien Invasions - YouTube

Retro Sci-Fi Trailer Trash - February 2010 - YouTube

Science Fiction Movie Trailers - Entertainment - YouTube

Documentaries!

Watch the Skies! (2005)

[Show spoiler]
Watch The Skies (2005) - Pt.1 - YouTube
Watch The Skies (2005) - Pt.2 - YouTube
Watch The Skies (2005) - Pt. 3 - YouTube
Watch The Skies (2005) - Pt.4 - YouTube

Sci-Fi Monsters (1997)

[Show spoiler]Sci-Fi Monsters (1997) - Part 1 - YouTube

Sci-Fi Monsters (1997) - Part 2 - YouTube

The Sci-Fi Boys - YouTube

CLASSIC 1950'S SCIENCE FICTION FILM THEMES - YouTube

Clips!

Books!

Links/Resources!

Wikipedia: List of horror films from the 1950's


Wikipedia: List of sci-fi films from the 1950's


20 Great Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the 1950s


20 Classic Horror Movie Posters from the 1950s


STILL WATCHING: An Interview with Science Fiction History Bill Warren (1943-2016) by Stuart Galbraith IV

[dragon53]

Great idea for a thread. My suggestion:

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by dragon53

Great idea for a thread. My suggestions:

THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD)
WAR OF THE WORLDS
THEM!
THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
THIS ISLAND EARTH
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE
THE CRAWLING EYE
RODAN
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
INVADERS FROM MARS
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN

Not all of those are on Blu-ray

[NoirFan]

Dragon, I included It! (the cover art hasn't been uploaded yet, so it just shows up as a broken image now, but the link works - it's between Colossus and Plan 9), the upcoming German disc of The Incredible Shrinking Man and the MST3K version of This Island Earth. The Thing from Another World and Them! are being prepped by WB for release, but no date(s) as of yet. I just added Creature.

[dragon53]

I missed the "Blu-ray" part of the headline, so I edited my post.
I read on this board that THE THING and THEM! might be released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros. which is good to hear.

[MifuneFan]

Here are a couple more

Mysterious Island
Earth vs Flying Saucers

Edit: Wrong Mysterious Island

[dragon53]

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND was released in 1961.
Two Japanese sci fi movies, RODAN and THE MYSTERIANS, are in Blu-ray, but they haven't been released in the US.
Also, Hammer Films THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN.


Link: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Rodan-Blu-ray/6074/

Link: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-M...-Blu-ray/9622/

Link: http://worldcinemaparadise.com/2014/...-snowman-1957/

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by dragon53

MIFUNE FAN:

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND was released in 1961.

oops, I was looking through a list of 50's sci fi films and noticed the title listed, but it was referring to this

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myste...sland_(serial)

[cakefactory]

Seventh Voyage of Sinbad often gets lumped in with the other Harryhausen movies too, but that's definitely fantasy so it was probably an intentional exclusion.

The Man Who Could Cheat Death is in a two movie bluray which is now OOP, but it's a pretty fun 1959 hammer flick that's definitely horror/sci-fi.

House on Haunted Hill was 1959, too.

There's an Australian disc of Quatermass Xperiment which also contains Quatermass 2 and Creeping Unknown, two more great 50s sci-fis.

That's kind of sad that the only version of This Island Earth available is the MST3K movie, but oh well. I love MST3K and better that than nothing!

[lilboyblu]

Great thread idea! Here's a couple more too...

The Bad Seed

[Show spoiler]

The House On Haunted Hill

[Show spoiler]

[Terrorfirmer]

This is a great idea! This will definately help in building my Sci Fi collection

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Seventh Voyage of Sinbad often gets lumped in with the other Harryhausen movies too, but that's definitely fantasy so it was probably an intentional exclusion.

Correct. I wasn't aware of the Japanese discs - how are the transfers on those?

[HeavyHitter]

Cool thread.

I was hoping Warner would have released more Hammer titles in the U.S. by now as they once claimed they were going to do.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Cool thread.

I was hoping Warner would have released more Hammer titles in the U.S. by now as they once claimed they were going to do.

Should be later this year, I imagine around Halloween

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Cool thread.

I was hoping Warner would have released more Hammer titles in the U.S. by now as they once claimed they were going to do.

A couple months ago I stopped waiting for them and just bought up every DVD of them I could get. A ton of them are OOP and expensive in the US now so I figured I'd be wise to get what few were still in print before they went out of print too and I couldn't even get DVD copies. At this point I have legit US or UK copies of all of their horror/sci-fi movies apart from Hound of the Baskervilles (waiting on the bluray since it's announced), Lust for a Vampire (I can't justify 20 bucks for a DVD-R of that bad, bad movie), and Satanic Rites of Dracula (non-public domain shovelware discs are hard to find!). And out of those 75+ movies, the only Region A blurays I could get were Quatermass Xperiment, Dracula Prince of Darkness, the four synapse discs, Vampire Lovers, and Man Who Could Cheat Death! (I had a region free australian disc of Frankenstein Created Women, I know that one's available too).

Anyway, that's mostly OT besides the 9 of them (12 if you count the icky Stranglers of Bombay/Camp on Blood Island and the vaguely horrific Hound of the Baskervilles) that were made in the 50s! I didn't know about that japanese disc of Abominable Snowman, I might have to look into that. It's a pretty good flick and the Region B dvd is pretty ugly.

[The Great Owl]

Great thread.

I've made quite a dent in this genre with my collection, but there are still a lot of missing gaps on my shelf.

I've been tempted to buy Fire Maidens of Outer Space and She-Devil for a long while now, but have hesitated, because they both seem to be movies where "the sizzle is better than the steak", in the way that some of the more outdated cinema of that time can often be. They would both probably be good for a laugh, though.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've been tempted to buy Fire Maidens of Outer Space and She-Devil for a long while now, but have hesitated, because they both seem to be movies where "the sizzle is better than the steak", in the way that some of the more outdated cinema of that time can often be.

She-Devil wallows enjoyably in its own trashy absurdities, but Fire Maidens was a real chore to get through, and that's coming from someone who has watched his BD of The Devil Bat a half-dozen times.

[zbinks]

[NoirFan]

Did any masochists spring for Killer Shrews? A cursory online search didn't lead me to any reviews/comments.