Robert Tharp Reviews 19 Horror Movies from 1956

Hi. Robert Tharp here again, talking about the horror movies that came out 70 years ago. I was one year old in 1956, and my parents didn’t take me to see any of these movies in the theater. Were they trying to suppress my interest in genre films? Did they think I wasn’t “mature” enough to handle the horrors? Who knows. Parents’ logic can be a mystery. (My daughter, Lauren Spear, can attest to that.) In the time elapsed since my first birthday, I’ve managed to see ALL of the 1956 horror movies listed below. I’ve even seen several of them on the big screen – so there, Mom and Dad!

My opinions about each of these movies are colored by various factors: Personal preferences, nostalgia, a love of cheese… I’ll admit that some, maybe most, of these 1956 horror films aren’t the greatest. That’s a critique that applies to today’s movies as well. But, good or bad, I’ll tell you what I think about them. These will be real thoughts from a real person, NOT Artificial Intelligence. That’s what I admire about Horrorfam.com! I like robots, but I like people even better. Agree or disagree with them, the writers on this site are all actual human beings and their thoughts are their own. Up with people!

Okay, I’ve stalled long enough. Let’s get into the horror movie time machine and set the dial to 1956. Roll film! 

This post contains affiliate links. If you watch a movie we’ve recommended using our links, you’ll be helping to support HorrorFam.com at no additional cost to you!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

I figured I’d save the best for first. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is THE best horror movie of 1956, and one of the best films ever made. I watched it again recently, and it still holds up great.

If you haven’t seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers, here’s the story: The main characters in the movie are a young Doctor, his girlfriend, and their married couple friends. The Doctor has been getting a lot of his patients coming to him and saying they think there’s something “wrong” with a family member; that they’re not acting like themselves. Seventy-year-old spoiler… They’re NOT themselves! They’re alien duplicates grown from seed pods from outer space.

Pod people, devoid of souls and emotions, are replacing all the inhabitants of Santa Mira. From that small town, they’re going to export the alien pods to the rest of America and then the rest of the world.

The pod’s replacement process happens when the person to be replaced falls asleep. Watching the heroes trying to battle exhaustion as well as the alien invaders is nerve wracking. Stay awake or die!

There have been a lot of scholarly articles written about Invasion of the Body Snatchers and how it represents the anti-communist attitudes of the period and blah, blah, blah. This may be true, but the REAL horror is people you know and love morphing into enemy strangers. The political subtext is interesting, but secondary.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers shook the Suits at the Studio when it was previewed for them. They insisted on tacking on a (marginally) upbeat ending, and adding some (unnecessary) voiceover narration. There are some more recent releases of the movie that eliminate these additions and present the movie as it was intended. Whichever version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers you see, it’s a winner.

Bonus useless trivia! Don Post Senior, of Don Post Studios, made the full body castings on the actors who were to become Pod People. I think his shop also made the big alien seed pods for the movie. Back in the mid-1980s, Don Post Junior had a secretary clearing out some file cabinet papers to make more space. I glanced in the trashcan she was throwing the papers in, and there on top was the receipt for Don Post Senior’s work on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I retrieved the receipt and gave it to Don Post Junior, telling him he should hang onto it. It’s historic! I don’t know if he kept it or not, or if it actually matters. But it was fun for me to see it at least…

Where to stream Invasion of the Body Snatchers:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers | Runtime 1h 20m | Released February 5, 1956 

It Conquered the World

It Conquered the World is sort of Roger Corman’s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It’s not as good, but still worth a look.

Lee Van Cleef is a scientist who’s communicating with an alien from Venus. The Alien has landed near Van Cleef’s home, and it promises to bring order and stability to planet Earth. Filthy lies, of course, but the scientist is duped into aiding the invader. It takes no nonsense Peter Graves and Beverly Garland to convince Van Cleef that he’s wrong.

The Alien hides out in a nearby (Bronson) cave, and sends these weird flying bats out that bite the townspeople and turn them into mind-controlled slaves. Very similar to the Pod People, or the 1951 novel, The Puppet Masters.

A scene from It Conquered the World that shocked me when I was a kid occurs between Peter Graves and his wife, and how he deals with their mutual alien bat problem.

The highlight of It Conquered the World, for me, is the Alien. Monster maker Paul Blaisdell designed and constructed the Alien, and I just love it. Blaisdell was responsible for some of the best monsters in 1950’s horror/sci-fi movies, and this one is stellar. Director Roger Corman insisted that the monster had to emerge from its dark cave to battle the heroes at the climax of the movie. When you get to finally see the beast in daylight, you can’t help but smile. It’s an angry cucumber, and it is adorable. Maybe not the reaction they’d hoped for, but there it is.

So, watch It Conquered the World. Great cast, fun monster, short runtime. I recommend it!

Where to stream It Conquered the World:

It Conquered the World | Runtime 1h 11m | Released on August 1, 1956 

The Mole People 

Speaking of dark caves, this movie from Universal Studios is full of them. Genre stalwart John Agar and his buddy Hugh Beaumont (the dad on TV’s Leave It to Beaver) discover an underground city of albino descendants from a lost Sumerian civilization. The albino (very) white guys lord over their enslaved Mole People working class.

The Mole People don’t look like moles. They have bumpy heads, giant eyes, and what appears to be wooly caterpillars for their mouths. Their most mole-like features are the giant claws on their hands that are perfect for digging tunnels. The 1950’s gave us some crazy, imaginative monsters!

Liberal-minded Agar and Beaumont don’t approve of the albinos’ abuse of the Mole People, and foment a revolt that topples the evil regime… and totally destroys the city. I guess it’s a win?

I like things about this movie. The Mole People monsters (later to be Don Post Studios masks!) are fun, smilin’ John Agar, and my favorite real-life scientist, Doctor Frank Baxter doing a pre-movie introduction speech, are huge pluses. The movie itself is not so hot. It’s slow-paced and seems longer than its 77-minute runtime.

The Mole People isn’t in the same league as Universal Studios classic monster movies, but it’s still worth a look. You might enjoy the version that’s on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The robots cracking jokes helps the movie go faster…

I was feeling a strong sense of déjà vu while I was writing about The Mole People. I just realized I’d previously said much the same things in the article I wrote about the Don Post Studios Halloween masks that were based on movie monsters. Forehead slap! Well, that article is absolutely fascinating and informative, and a definite must-read. I’ll stop writing this article for now and give you a chance to read that one. It’s no problem, I’ll wait for you.

Okay, welcome back! Hope you enjoyed some of those tales of movies and masks. Let’s return to 1956 and see what’s playing on the big screen.

Where to stream The Mole People:

The Mole People | Runtime 77m | Released on December 1, 1956 

Where to stream The Mole People episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (season 8; episode 3):

The Black Sleep

Here’s a movie that sadly lives up to its title. The Black Sleep makes me sleepy when I watch it. So unfortunate, because the movie seems like it should be good. Look at that all-star horror cast! Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, and mighty Tor Johnson. All these power players, and they’re given almost nothing to do.

Basil Rathbone is the mad doctor, Dr. Cadman, who gives his unwilling surgical patients a drug called The Black Sleep. It simulates death, but the person is actually just paralyzed. Basil is conducting brain surgery experiments on his victims, trying to get it right so he can operate successfully on his comatose wife. He blackmails the movie’s wrongfully-accused hero, Dr. Gordon Ramsay, into helping him. But the hero’s not down with Basil’s plans! They argue about ethics and morality and right and wrong. What they don’t do is anything very interesting.

Basil Rathbone gives a strong, forceful performance, and carries the movie. All the cast members do decent acting jobs, but poor Bela Lugosi just shuffles around doing nothing as the mute butler. Lon Chaney Jr. (also in a mute role) wanders the endless corridors attempting to strangle people and getting calmed down by Basil Rathbone’s head nurse.

If I’m giving the impression The Black Sleep isn’t any good at all, that’s wrong. It’s just so disappointing. It’s not bad enough to be fun, and not good enough to be great. If you watch until the end, there are some decent makeup jobs on the cellar-dweller characters who are the mad doctor’s failed experiments. John Carradine and Tor Johnson being two of them. Carradine gets to talk (and, frankly, won’t shut up!) and Tor gets to wrestle briefly with Lon Chaney Jr.

The Black Sleep is worth seeing for the novelty of all those horror movie icons collected together in one movie. Just don’t get your hopes up too high.

Where to stream The Black Sleep:

The Black Sleep AKA Dr. Cadman’s Secret | Runtime 1h 22m | Released on June 7, 1956 

Earth vs the Flying Saucers

I like this one. Earth vs the Flying Saucers moves quickly, has likeable characters, and great special effects.

Newlywed heroic scientists are suddenly faced with an alien invasion. The aliens want the two heroes to convince everyone to surrender the Earth without a fight. Sorry, but that’s not how we Earthlings roll! The scientists, together with the U.S. military, devise new weapons that can get past the flying saucer’s force fields and save the day.

Earth vs the Flying Saucers has lots of similarities to Independence Day with its evil aliens, saucers, science and soldier heroes, and massive destruction of Washington D.C. Admittedly, the landmarks blow up better in Independence Day, but stop motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen does an excellent job with the climactic devastation. A lot of famous buildings get trashed, and I’ll guess plenty of 1956 horror viewers were shocked to see it.

Check this one out. Earth vs the Flying Saucers is a little dated, but still holds up well. Neat looking aliens, too, when their helmets get removed!

Where to stream Earth vs the Flying Saucers:

Earth vs the Flying Saucers AKA Invasion of the Flying Saucers AKA Flying Saucers from Outer Space | Runtime 1h 24m | Released June 13, 1956 

The Indestructible Man 

Here’s another movie where Lon Chaney Jr. is mute. He plays Butcher Benton, convicted murderer on death row. He vows revenge on the fellow gang members who double crossed him, and he refuses to tell anyone where he hid the money they stole.

When Butcher is executed, the gangsters aren’t too worried about his threats against them anymore. What they don’t know is local mad scientists Robert Shayne (from the Superman TV show) and Joe Flynn (from McHale’s Navy) have taken Butcher’s body to their low rent lab and brought him back to life. The process they’ve used not only restores his life, but makes him into an “Indestructible Man.” Butcher pays them back by choking them to death. Then he sets out to have his vengeance.

The life restoration has also left Butcher Lon unable to speak, so Lon Chaney Jr.’s only dialogue in Indestructible Man comes at the start of the movie. For the rest of the film, he’s a silent star like his dad (sort of…).

Needless to say, Lon Chaney Jr. manages to track down his fellow bad guys and settle his score with them. The police detective hero of the movie is always one step behind, so as not to interrupt Lon’s killing spree and end the movie too soon.

Indestructible Man is okay. It’s low budget and shot in kind of a documentary style, without particular emphasis on the scary stuff. The camera just records what’s happening. More like a cop show than a horror movie.

As someone who was born and raised in Los Angeles, I got a kick out of all the location filming. Getting to see so much of 1950’s downtown L.A., plus all those cool vintage cars driving around, was fun.

I’d say Indestructible Man is worth seeing once. I’ve seen it a few times, but that’s just me. I regret nothing!

Where to stream Indestructible Man:

Indestructible Man | Runtime 1h 12m | Released March 25, 1956  

The Beast of Hollow Mountain 

The 1950’s were a golden age for western movies and TV shows. If you liked that genre, you were in hog heaven. Cowboys ruled.

The Beast of Hollow Mountain is a cowboy movie for about 70 minutes, and a monster movie for about 10 minutes. The story focuses on the romantic rivalry between two cattle ranchers in love with the same woman. She’s promised to one guy, but she can’t resist the handsome American cowboy hero. What’s a girl to do?

While she’s making up her mind, there is something making cattle – and sometimes people – disappear. The locals think it may be connected to the swamp area near Hollow Mountain. The locals are right! It turns out there’s a giant stop motion tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur hanging around there. It’s the kind of problem that only a handsome American cowboy is equipped to deal with. And he does!

The Beast of Hollow Mountain is kind of an interesting mash up of two popular 1950’s genres. On the plus side, it’s filmed in color, with attractive people and locations. All the usual cowboy movie tropes are represented, from fist fights to a cattle stampede. If you’re not into cowboy movies, you can skip ahead to the climax and watch the dinosaur in action. It’s not bad. I’ve always preferred stop motion animation dinosaurs to men in costumes, or gluing sail fins onto the backs of iguanas. The T-rex works well, except for a ridiculously long tongue that it keeps wagging out of its mouth. Totally goofy.

This movie came out the same year as Rodan, which I’ve heard is the first giant monster movie filmed in color. I don’t know which movie came out first, or if a western T-Rex counts as a Kaiju (What do YOU think?).

In 1956 we started seeing more monsters in living color, and that’s a win for us all!

Where to stream The Beast of Hollow Mountain:

The Beast of Hollow Mountain | Runtime 1h 19m | Released on August 1, 1956 

The Creature Walks Among Us 

The Creature Walks Among Us is the second sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The first sequel was Revenge of the Creature. This movie is the reason why there was never a third sequel.

I watched The Creature Walks Among Us again recently for the first time in many years. I thought maybe I’d been too hard on it in my memory. To be fair, The Creature Walks Among Us was better than I remembered it being. I still don’t care for it much, but it’s not terrible.

The story follows a small group of scientists who are tracking down the Creature. They hope to capture it and prove it’s the missing link between fish and mammals.

The leader of the scientists wants to experiment with altering genes to accelerate people’s evolution, so humans can withstand the rigors of space exploration. The other scientists debate this idea and the philosophical and ethical implications it suggests. These scenes help pad the movie’s runtime and give you a chance to consider what snacks might be in the fridge.

The team leader is married to a beautiful blonde, and he’s insanely jealous and suspicious about her. It’s rough, because she tries really hard to be a 1950’s trad wife for him, but he won’t believe it. Doesn’t help that a couple of the other cast members are making eyes at her. So much drama!

Since The Creature Walks Among Us is also a monster movie, they manage to find the Creature and in the process of capturing it, set it on fire. The scientists treat the burned Creature, wrapping it like a mummy in a hospital bed. When they remove the bandages, they discover that the outer fish scales have been burned away, revealing human-like skin beneath. Also, the gills have been destroyed, but the Creature’s lungs have taken over. It can’t breathe underwater anymore, but it can breathe on land.

This new version of the Creature looks way different than he did previously. He reminds me of Tor Johnson as Lobo in Bride of the Monster, especially the way they have the Creature dressed in baggy burlap shirt and pants. The lithe look of the original Creature is morphed into a very burly Hulk monster.

The Creature spends the remainder of the movie standing around in a fenced enclosure next to the lead scientist’s house, looking forlorn. Finally, at the end of the movie, he gets to go on a pretty good rampage and break things, solve the abusive husband problem, and wander off into the sunset.

I think The Creature Walks Among Us is well made, for what it is. The actors are bland, but competent. There are several exciting scenes, like the capturing of the Creature, and his outburst at the climax.

If you’ve watched the first two Creature movies, you should watch this one, too. Some people really dig the redesigned Creature, and maybe you’ll be one of those people. You be you. I think the best Creature sequel is The Shape of Water, but that didn’t come along until 2017. My HorrorFam.com retro review of that movie won’t happen until I’m about 132 years old. See you then! 

Where to stream The Creature Walks Among Us:

The Creature Walks Among Us | Runtime 1h 18m | Released on April 26, 1956

The Gamma People 

I never saw The Gamma People when I was a kid. If I did, I don’t remember it. I’m in the process of not remembering it now, and I just watched it a couple of weeks ago.

The story follows two reporters, one American and one English, on a train in Europe. Their train car comes uncoupled from the main train and rolls down a side track into a tiny country called Gudavia.

The country of Gudavia seems to consist of one small village, and a giant castle where the mad scientist/dictator lives and conducts his evil experiments. He’s using a gamma ray machine on the village children, trying to boost their intelligence and abilities. He’s had a few successes, but most of the test subjects become mindless zombies he controls with a whistle. They’re his goon squad that he uses to keep everyone else in line.

The reporters spend the movie figuring out what’s going on, and how to stop it and then escape to tell the story.

The Gamma People is okay. It’s more science-fiction than horror, although the gamma zombies are fairly scary. The Gudavia setting reminds me of the Village in one of my favorite TV shows from the 1960s, The Prisoner. Everyone has to pretend to be happy and content, or suffer the consequences.

The heroes are an odd pair. Neither one fits the usual criteria for leading man in a movie. The American is pushy, middle aged and beefy, and the English guy seems frail and prone to fainting and hysterics. The actors do a good job in their roles, but they’re definitely different. (I learned the Englishman, Leslie Phillips, was the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movie series, if you’re curious what the Sorting Hat’s voice actor looked like in 1956).

The Gamma People is worth a watch. I wasn’t crazy about it, but it had enough good parts that I was glad I saw it. I tend to like English horror movies, so bonus points there. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Where to stream The Gamma People:

The Gamma People | Runtime 1h 18m | Released on January 30, 1956

The She-Creature 

The 1950s saw an upswing in public interest about reincarnation and past lives. Several movies ran with this concept, and The She-Creature is one of them.

An evil hypnotist lusts after fame, wealth, and his beautiful assistant. She’s not into him, but she’s helpless to defy his mental control over her. The hypnotist has managed to use his power to regress her through centuries of past lives, all the way back to her prehistoric roots as the She Creature. The She Creature physically manifests (I don’t know how) and the hypnotist commands her to kill various people who annoy him. He picks up extra publicity by predicting the murders, and having an airtight alibi by being nowhere near the crime scenes. The man is so bad!

The She-Creature, for me, is a guilty pleasure movie. It’s not very good, but I like it anyway. The best reason to see it is the She Creature monster created by Paul Blaisdell. I talked about his work earlier in It Conquered the World, and Blaisdell has come up with another winner here. My wife Cathy was so charmed by this monster she sculpted its likeness as a tribute. That’s a very strong endorsement!

See this movie for the She Creature scenes, for Marla English as the She Creature’s modern day counterpart, and for evil Chester Morris as the hypnotist Dr. Carlo Lombardi. (Fun Fact: Chester Morris’ role was intended for Peter Lorre!).

The wisecracking robots of Mystery Science Theater 3000 had fun with The She-Creature on one their shows, so you might want to check it out there. Or make up your own jokes while you watch. There’s plenty of inspiration available. Enjoy! 

Where to stream The She-Creature:

The She-Creature | Runtime 1h 17m | Released on August 1, 1956

Where to stream The She-Creature episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (season 8; episode 8):

The Werewolf 

A guy walks into a bar in a small mountain town with amnesia. He can’t remember who he is or what he’s doing there. This is before he’s had a drink, so we know he’s got problems. When he leaves the bar, he’s attacked by a mugger. The mugger has the tables turned on him when his intended victim morphs into a werewolf and attacks back!

That’s how The Werewolf movie begins.

This is a pretty good show. It’s low budget, but that doesn’t hurt the movie. The actors all do acceptable jobs, especially Steven Ritch as the reluctant Werewolf. It was also fun watching Don Megowan as the leading man. Megowan had portrayed the monster in The Creature Walks Among Us only a few months earlier. Nice to see him without the Creature costume.

The Werewolf has 1950’s mad scientists being responsible for the Werewolf, instead of a supernatural curse. The Werewolf makeup looks good, very similar to the lycanthrope in Bela Lugosi’s Return of the Vampire. I think the same makeup artist did both. Bob Short used this movie as his inspiration for the Bloody Werewolf mask he sculpted for Don Post Studios.

Give The Werewolf a watch. Moves fast, short runtime, some suspense, and a decent monster. You could do worse! 

Where to stream The Werewolf:

The Werewolf | Runtime 1h 20m | Released on June 13, 1956

Rodan 

Rodan was Toho Studios first giant monster movie to be filmed in color. The Studio’s two previous Godzilla movies were stark black and white. I like color, but I think the Toho monsters look more believable in black and white. But color movies were one of the selling points for nudging 1956 era viewers away from their new-fangled B&W TV sets and back into the theaters.

Rodan holds up pretty well. I like the first half of the movie best. Coal miners are being attacked and killed by mysterious somethings. Turns out to be enormous worm/caterpillar bugs, living in a recently opened cavern deep below the mine. The bugs crawl out of the cave into the mine, and are soon attacking the nearby town. The coal miners and the army work together to destroy the bug’s nest.

When the movie’s coal miner hero sees inside the bug’s cavern, he’s so freaked out he develops amnesia for a while. Okay, okay, I’ll tell you what he saw: It’s Rodan, a giant pterodactyl hatching out of its egg! Rodan is so big, it’s gobbling up the giant bugs as if they were, well, just bugs. It’s a very impressive introduction to the movie’s real star.

Once Rodan leaves the nest, the movie settles into the standard formula of the Toho monster movies. Rodan flies around destroying lots of well-constructed miniature buildings, while toy tanks and model jet fighters are unable to affect him. The miniatures, especially the tanks and planes, looked more believable in the previous black and white Godzilla movies, but they’re still well done.

I think Rodan looks too tubby to get airborne and has a dopey face. Also, there are actually two Rodans. I’m not sure where the second one came from, but it’s there.

The first part of the movie with the giant bugs is similar to 1954’s Them! with its giant ants. There’s an air of mystery and suspense at work that vanishes once Rodan goes on its rampage. The overall tone of the movie is very serious, unlike the Toho pictures of the late 1960s and 1970s. If you’re into classic Japanese monsters, Rodan is one you should watch. It’s not my favorite kaiju flick, but it’s better than most!

Where to stream Rodan:

Rodan AKA Sora no Daikaijū Radon | Runtime 1h 22m | Released on December 26, 1956 

X The Unknown 

This is a sci-fi horror from Hammer Films in England, the studio that would soon rejuvenate gothic horror with their Frankenstein and Dracula series.

X the Unknown takes place in Scotland. Some army trainees are in a bleak muddy flatland, taking turns at practicing using a Geiger counter. A crevice opens in the ground, and the soldiers are suddenly getting radiation readings at danger levels. Time to call in the scientists!

The scientist who knows a thing or three about radiation is Dr. Adam Royston, played by Dean Jagger. Jagger is basically another version of Professor Quatermass from The Quatermass Xperiment AKA The Creeping Unknown. Whereas Professor Quatermass seemed ever ready to throw a punch at anyone who questioned him, Dr. Royston is calmer and more even-keeled. You can trust his judgement. I liked that X the Unknown has a bald-headed, middle-aged thinker as the hero. Nice change of pace from the standard two-fisted leading man type.

At first everyone is baffled how something is getting past security, into locked rooms, and absorbing all the radioactive energy from various facilities, like at the hospital. The people who encounter the culprit aren’t talking. They’re either seriously burned by radiation or melted into puddles of bloody goo. (Some brief but startling gore effects!).

Dr. Royston figures it out. A creature from deep in the Earth has emerged out of the fissure from the start of the movie, and this creature feeds on radioactive energy. And it can change shapes, to slide under doors or ooze past guard posts.

The actual monster isn’t revealed until near the end of the film. That’s not a problem, because the movie does such a good job holding our attention with mystery and suspense.

I give X The Unknown high marks! It moves quickly, has likeable characters, decent special effects, and an intelligent story.

This stands right alongside the three original Quatermass movies. If you enjoyed those stories, you’ll like X The Unknown.

Where to stream X the Unknown:

X the Unknown | Runtime 1h 18m | Released on November 5, 1956 

Man Beast 

Wow. Of all the horror movies released in 1956, Man Beast is in a class by itself. This is one of THE worst movies I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of bad movies. So, I guess in some ways that makes it special.

I saw Man Beast for the first time 60-some years ago. I remembered it vaguely, particularly one crucial scene. I finally watched it again recently to review it for this article and I can understand why it stuck with me. Man Beast is so poorly done, it’s almost dreamlike. Dreamlike if you ate an entire pizza, knocked back a triple dose of Nyquil, and fell asleep with your face in the pillow. Those kind of dreams…

The story follows a tiny expedition up the Himalayan mountains. One member is a scientist searching for Yetis, one is a woman looking for her brother who went missing in an earlier expedition, and two other guys. They hook up with the world’s shiftiest looking guide to lead them up to the top of the mountains.

The assent consists of endless stock footage of mountain climbers dressed sort of like the actors climbing over and over the same stretch of cliff face. The Himalayas apparently only require a light jacket, a small backpack, and no gloves to reach the summit. Who knew it was so easy?

When they arrive at the top, the truth is revealed: The shifty guide has been behind a plot to lure the semi-beautiful sister of the missing (now dead) brother up the mountain to become… Bride of the Man Beast! (Or Beasts, since there’s a tribe of Abominable Snowmen up there.)

The ick factor of this scheme is extreme. The Yeti costume in the movie is actually very good. It’s big, furry white, and butt ugly. (There are supposed to be a few Yetis, but having the same one walk past the camera multiple times does the trick, right?) The idea of a woman breeding with these creatures to produce Yeti/Human hybrids is just gross.

The Man Beast scene I remembered from my youth was when the shifty guide opens his shirt to reveal… his hairy chest! Ewww! He’s one of those hybrids he wants to make more of. He’s icky and pervy, too.

The movie has many scenes that take place inside a “cavern” that’s just the actors standing in front of black fabric curtains. Man Beast’s run time is only 67 minutes, but you’ll swear it’s much longer. If you’re the kind of person who can appreciate horror films that make other horror films appear better than they are, I recommend Man Beast. And remember… Beware of men with hairy chests!

Where to stream Man Beast:

Man Beast | Runtime 1h 7m | Released on December 5, 1956 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 

This is the first Hunchback of Notre Dame movie I ever saw. I think I was in the third, maybe fourth, grade. Aurora Models had just released their latest Monster model kit, and it was the Hunchback. The box art looked eerily great! (The model inside didn’t look at all like the box cover). I knew nothing about the character Quasimodo.

My friend Wally’s family had just bought a color television, so a couple of other kids and I gathered at Wally’s house to watch the TV premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo and Gina Lollobrigida as Esmerelda. In color!

When the movie was over, to say we were confused and a little disappointed would be accurate. The Hunchback wasn’t scary, he was basically a nice guy! Kind of homely, and kind of a dope, but he wasn’t frightening. And he got to hang out with Esmerelda, which we all agreed would be awesome. We decided The Hunchback of Notre Dame was okay, but not a monster movie and way too sad.

I guess all these years later, I’d have to agree with my younger self. This version of the Hunchback was made in Italy, and the first to be filmed in color. If you’ve never seen any of the previous (or later) Hunchback movies, there’s nothing wrong with this one. The makeup job on Quasimodo, including his back hunch, is very subdued. In some scenes he looks like regular guy Anthony Quinn. The Aurora model box art, and the Marx Toys Monster figure of the Hunchback look more extreme.

In spite of the color photography, The Hunchback of Notre Dame lacks some of the epic feel of the two previous Hunchback films. The story stays strong and carries the movie. It’s available in the original Italian or dubbed English. The dubbed version is what I saw back then, and it’s fine.

My favorite Hunchback of Notre Dame movie (Thanks for asking!) is the one from 1939, with Charles Laughton as Quasimodo. Great makeup, acting, great movie. It used to always make me feel weepy at the end. The silent classic with Lon Chaney Senior is also top notch. Anyway, Quasimodo is a good character, but I say again he’s not a monster! Am I wrong?

Where to stream The Hunchback of Notre Dame:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Runtime 1h 55m | Released on December 19, 1956 

The Bad Seed 

The Bad Seed was a big hit back in 1956. Some horror movies, for various reasons, get deemed acceptable by mainstream audiences. The people who usually turn their noses up at the genre, collectively decide a particular film is worthy. Jaws is probably the best example of this. Silence of the Lambs is another. Horror movies for folks who don’t like horror movies.

The Bad Seed was the movie version of a hit Broadway stage play, and they got most of the original cast members to recreate their roles.

The story follows a mother who comes to realize her seemingly perfect daughter is a psycho serial killer. It turns out the mother is secretly the daughter of a famous crazy killer, and she may have passed the tendencies on to her little girl. She’s got the Bad Seed.

It’s the first movie I can think of that features a child as the “monster.” There have been many later examples over the years, like The Exorcist, but I can’t think of any prior to The Bad Seed. Help me out, here. Can you think of any evil kid horror movies that pre-date this one?

The Bad Seed is okay, but it didn’t do much for me. I think it probably worked better as a stage play. The actors all seem to be pitching their performances to the back row of the auditorium. Subtlety is nowhere to be found.

The movie was nominated for several Oscars, but I don’t think it won any. The Bad Seed is a horror movie you could watch with your grandma to give her some very mild shivers.

One other thing: The ending of the movie was altered from the stage play. The Picture Production Code was still in force in 1956, and the rule was “nobody does a crime and gets away with it.” So, the movie version of The Bad Seed has a stupid climax. And then there’s an additional stupider ending when the actual movie’s over. Check it out, and you’ll see what I mean.

Where to watch The Bad Seed:

The Bad Seed | Runtime 2h 9m | Released on September 12, 1956 

Creeps

This isn’t a feature film. Creeps is one of the Three Stooges’ shorts starring Moe, Larry, and Shemp.

What can I say? If you’re a Stooges fan (and I am) you’ll probably enjoy it. By 1956 the boys could do their routines in their sleep, and Creeps has a little of a “going through the motions” feel to it. Still, it’s always fun to see them doing their thing.

The Stooges are trying to put their three toddler sons to sleep by telling them a ghost story about a time when they were removing the furnishings from an old mansion. There’s a ghost haunting a suit of armor who doesn’t want to be moved, and he chases the boys around the place. That’s pretty much it. The scariest part is seeing the Stooges dressed up as their own children, and acting like babies. Unsettling.

Not classic Three Stooges, but not their worst. Creeps is an okay way to spend 16 minutes of your day.

Where to stream Creeps:

Creeps | Runtime 16m | Released on February 2, 1956

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon

The first and last time I watched Curucu, Beast of the Amazon I was a teenager. I thought it was a waste of time and a total ripoff. I may rewatch Curucu again someday, but not soon.

On the plus side, the movie is in color, and has some nice jungle location filming. If you’re into mid-1950’s travelogs, you may be entertained.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon features Beverly Garland in the lead role. Garland was called “The Queen of the B’s”, and she earned the title. She gave strong, believable performances in lots of B-movies back then. She’s the female lead in It Conquered the World, another 1956 horror movie I talked about earlier. If you’re a fan of hers, add this movie to your bucket list.

However, be prepared for a “monster movie” that rewards your patient viewing with one of the worst payoffs of that decade. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Scooby-Doo, you can guess what the “monster” turns out to be. Is that a spoiler? Whatever. “The Beast of the Amazon”  looks like some Everglades middle school’s mascot. Humbug!

Whew. I’ve been waiting over 50 years to get that out of my system. Yeah, I feel better now…!

Where to stream Curucu, Beast of the Amazon:

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon | Runtime 1h 16m | Released on December 1, 1956

Forbidden Planet

I wasn’t sure if I should include Forbidden Planet or not. It’s not really a horror movie, but it does have the “Monster from the Id.” (You’ll have to watch to find out what that is).

Forbidden Planet also has the best 1950’s robot, Robby the robot, as well as lots of cool looking sets, space ships, and Leslie Neilson (of the original Naked Gun movie series), as the heroic astronaut crew Captain.

It’s weird watching Leslie Neilson in a serious role. I keep expecting him to be a goof. But when he had brown hair, he was a traditional hero; with white hair, a wild and crazy guy.

This isn’t my all-time favorite sci-fi movie, but Forbidden Planet is truly worth seeing. Lots of classic space adventure stuff. The movie takes itself a little too seriously for my taste, but that’s just me. And yes, I did have a Robby the Robot toy when I was a kid. A robot named after me? Way beyond cool!

Where to stream Forbidden Planet:

Forbidden Planet | Runtime 1h 38m | Released on March 2, 1956

Which 1956 Horror Movie are YOU watching first? 

Okay, that’s about it. Last time I spent this much time with 1956 I was living in it. Time for me to head back to the future, where color film isn’t a novelty and the monsters are impressive, even when the movie is not.

All the 1956 horror movies I’ve talked about are pretty much okay for kids to see. No graphic sex, language, or over-the-top violence or gore. These are old movies. If you’re not sure, watch them yourself before sharing with your children. Responsible parenting, that’s the ticket! I probably should have tried that parenting style myself…

See you again next year, when I revisit the horror films of 1957? That’s the year things really got cooking! Can’t hardly wait.

Thanks, everybody! Later, Gators!

Images for this review of 1956 horror films were purchased from CineMaterial (posters) and MovieStillsDB (stills). Lauren’s aware she accidentally included an image from the 1957 film Voodoo Island/Silent Death in the Featured Image because she hadn’t been sleeping… Or maybe it was actually a clever sneak preview for next year’s article?! Whatever the reason, sorry if there was any confusion as a result. Additional photos for this article were provided by Robert Tharp.