Movie Title: The Angry Red Planet
Genre: Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi
Writer: Ib Melchior and Sidney W. Pink
Starring: Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen, Paul Hahn, J. Edward McKinley, Tom Daly, Joan Patrick
Review: An expedition to Mars is met with all sorts of terrors and attacks from alien plants, monstrous blobs, and a giant mouse/spider hybrid creature. Take that Matt Damon!
The Angry Red Planet is the first film of sci-fi filmmaker Ib Melchior (The Time Travelers). With just 9 days to shoot the film, on a budget of $200,000, Melchior really makes the most of this b-movie. All of the scenes that take place on the surface of Mars use the so-called Cinemagic process, in which footage has a red glow cast over it; and hand-drawn animation was used for the Martians. It might look a bit odd, but it certainly makes a lasting impression.
The story, as silly as it is, is told in flashbacks by the mission's survivor Dr. Iris "Irish" Ryan (Nora Hayden) - Spoiler Alert! The good doctor tries to recall what occurred during their time on Mars and spins a yarn that has some rather memorable events about aggressive plants, being chased by a murderous mass, and a gigantic menacing mouse/spider monster that doesn't quite come off as cool as it sounds, but it's worth the price of admission.
The Angry Red Planet is fun sci-fi fare that makes you laugh with delight as you blast off through the entertainment galaxy to the silliest cinematic gem in the solar system.
Fun Fact: The 40-foot alien monster was actually a marionette about 15 inches high. It was essentially a combination of a rat, bat, spider, and crab.