Charming and brutal

A Disappointing Continuation

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Coming at the tail End of the Fifties Alien Invader/Nuclear Paranoia Films, this is a Fitting Finale to the Cycle. Low-Budget and Proud of it, B-Movie Maker Ed Cahn manages to Cobble Together enough Thrills and Political Inclusions that the Movie just Cannot be Ignored.The Cheesy Effects are incorporated for Your Viewing Pleasure and Aided by enough Stock Footage that Ed Wood would be Proud. But the Lasting Images are the ones of the "Zombies" and Romero Fans might Experience Deja-Vu.Overall, this is a Rich and Rewarding little Ditty that fully Realizes its Place in the Pantheon of Saturday Matinée and Drive In Fodder that so Enamored Baby Boomers and Sci-Fi Geeks who were Coming of Age in the Fifties.The Cast includes Cult-Favorites John Agar and John Carradine. The earnest Anti-Nuke Scientist is stern Serious and makes Us believe that the Only Good Nuclear Weapon is One that is Never Made. The Ending World Coming Together to Fight an Invading Force has become a Standard Geo-Political Mantra given Voice by no less than President Ronald Reagan on More than One Occasion.

Hostile extraterrestrials reveal themselves to mankind when one takes over the dead body of the deceased Karol Noymann (John Carradine). They've been living in secret on the moon, having exploited the fact that normally they're invisible to the human eye. Now they've decided to conquer the Earth, and only a select few will be able to save the day: intrepid hero Major Bruce Jay (John Agar), Noymanns' associate Dr. Adam Penner (Philip Tonge), Penners' daughter Phyllis (Jean Byron), and young scientist John Lamont (Robert Hutton).This is must viewing if you're a fan of Carradine, Agar, or both. Carradine isn't seen on camera very much, but his booming voice is used to great effect, to function as a voice for the alien intelligence. Agar is as likable as he's ever been. Hutton is fine as the man who begins to crack under pressure. The best performance would have to be from Tonge, however; he's so remarkably sincere that he helps to completely sell the material.Ably directed by prolific B movie specialist Edward L. Cahn ("It! The Terror From Beyond Space"), "Invisible Invaders" does give away the fact that it's low budget from the start, with most of the action confined to one main set - an underground bunker - and a dialogue heavy script. Making a difference are some of the details, such as the way that the creatures manipulate dead human bodies, and the subsequent hordes of the walking dead that prefigure George A. Romeros' landmark horror film "Night of the Living Dead". Our heroes come up with a novel way of confining one of the enemy, and in the end also devise an amusing solution. Despite a lot of talk, the pacing *is* adequate enough, and this clocks in at a very reasonable 68 minutes long.Written by Samuel Newman, who was also responsible for the bad movie classic "The Giant Claw" - which also featured a character named Karol Noymann.Six out of 10.

What a bright idea! How to save thousands of dollars on your "B" movie adventure: Make your invaders invisible! As implied, this is an extremely low-budget, sci-fi horror melodrama from the Robert E. Kent—Edward L. Cahn pill-box. The screenplay by Sam Newman (obviously penned in his lunch hour at CBS TV), begins with some ineptly padded introductory scenes before switching to an enormous amount of stock footage which turns out to be considerably more interesting than the movie itself. Indeed, when the movie itself resumes and director Cahn takes the reins, entertainment flies out the window. Mr. Cahn's painfully inept direction gleans only a minimum of atmosphere and tension from some quite promising Newman material. Admittedly, Cahn is not helped by his fourth-rate cast. The stars, John Agar, Jean Byron and Robert Hutton are particularly weak. Available on an excellent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer DVD.

1959's "Invisible Invaders" truly represents the quota quickie, shot fast and cheap, then sent out to die a swift death at drive-ins across America. Nevertheless, such films being horror/science fiction, they continue to gain legions of fans through the years, no matter the merits of each. An alien invasion with invisible beings and spaceships looks easy on paper, but with literally nothing to work with, the actors are performing in a vacuum (an invisible alien had already starred in 1953's "Phantom from Space," a real no budget loser with a cast of no names). The notion of inhabiting the recent dead to carry out their world domination was used at least once before, in "Plan 9 from Outer Space," and would be revived for 1968's "Night of the Living Dead," which used radiation from space activating the brain as just one possible reason for its flesh eating zombies. John Agar fans can rejoice, as their hero gets top billing, and works hard to earn it. Robert Hutton fans (I know you're out there too!) also see him survive to the very end. Ah, but John Carradine fans like myself, well, there's very little bang for the buck. Killed off just a few seconds after the opening credits, we do see him emerge for one big scene opposite Philip Tonge, supplying exposition regarding the invaders' intentions and background, then becoming a disembodied voice heard on three more occasions thereafter. He may well be flattered to find his face adorning the DVD, despite his miniscule role; the producers at least utilized his remarkable voice to great effect. Certainly, better horror films lay ahead, but titles like 1972's "Silent Night, Bloody Night" and 1976's "The Sentinel" both capitalized on playing up his name value, yet never granted him the dignity of using that voice (one line of dialogue between the two). Billed last in the small cast is Eden Hartford, lesser known than her sister Dee Hartford, but better remembered as the current (and final) wife of Groucho Marx (she appears with him in 1957's "The Story of Mankind"). Actor Philip Tonge died in Jan 1959, some four months before this final film saw release (other notable titles of his include William Castle's "Macabre," Vincent Price's "House of Wax," and 1955's "Desert Sands," also with John Carradine). "Invisible Invaders" aired twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, Oct 17 1964 (followed by 1958's "War of the Colossal Beast") and Feb 17 1968 (following 1964's "Godzilla vs. the Thing").