Mysterious Island (1961) — a Mite-y Movie Mention
Movie
Mysterious Island (1961)
Genres
Action, adventure, science fiction
Source
Based on The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. (Sequel to both Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways.)
Elevator Pitch
Castaways fight giant animals and pirates with the help of Captain Nemo while trying to escape before the island’s volcano erupts.
Reasons to Watch
- Harryhausen creature effects
- Joan Greenwood
- Herbert Lom
Random Observation
Although based on a Jules Verne novel, the giant creatures came in by way of H.G. Welles’ The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth. Nemo is trying to solve world hunger through enlarging food sources, a common misconception about the motivation of the scientists in that book. This is an ironic combination of plots, as Verne despised the lack of scientific basis in Welles’ stories.
She Demons – Lobby Cards (1-8)
This gallery contains 2 photos.
She Demons (1958)
Directed by Richard E. Cunha
Written by H.E. Barrie and Richard E. Cunha
Starring Rudolph Anders, Irish McCalla, Tod Griffin, Leni Tana, Victor Sen Yung, Gene Roth, and Charles Opunui
The English language is cluttered with phrases like “too much of a good thing” and “everything but the kitchen sink”. These perfectly describe why I love She Demons, because if it wasn’t so over-stuffed with cliches that pay it probably wouldn’t be interesting all. It’s as though the creators couldn’t decide what story to tell and went with everything.
Coming Attraction: Itsy Bitsy (2018)
The Itsy Bitsy trailer is out, and I have to say that I’m intrigued. It sounds like the giant spider comes with some mythology, which could give it a really cool feel compared to most spider films. The trailer hints at it being sort of a dark fairy, and I really hope that’s not too misleading. Anyway, always glad see a new theatrical release in my favorite monster category!
Web of the Big Damn Spider 
