Here's Looking at You-The Beast with a Million Eyes

The Beast with Million Eyes (1955)

"...because it will seem like I see your most secret acts, you will know me as the beast with a million eyes."  Alien

 If you watch this flick expecting to see a multi-eyed creature you will be sorely disappointed. Yes, I know the movie poster and opening credit art hint at such a creature. The actual “beast” is an alien with the power to control animals (and eventually humans) to do its bidding.  The alien’s vision is expanded through the creatures it controls.  When the alien’s ship lands outside a remote date farm, the Kelley family is forced to get a grip on their various issues in order to fight the alien threat.

The premise is promising but falls short in delivery.  While an all encompassing animal attack on humanity could be terrifying as in Hitchcock’s The Birds  or James Patterson’s Zoo  most of the attacks in this flick seem more silly than scary.  Maybe it is because a flock of churlish chickens or a single rampaging cow is not as threatening as a pack of wild dogs or an angry bear.  Even when Kelley family is aware their critters are on the warpath, the mother proceeds with daughter Sandy’s birthday party as though all animal life is not intent on killing them.  After all nothing stops escalating insanity and violence like birthday cake and a pretty party dress.  

Even though the film seems more like a family drama with creepy accouterments (like the mute lurking handy man) than a creature feature it is still worth a watch.  If nothing else, it is comforting to know that even a dysfunctional family can rally to defeat an alien with apparently superior intelligence.

Fast facts:
Filming took place in Indio and O’Rourke’s Date Ranch at Coachella Valley California.

Budget was approximately $30,000.


Most of the music featured in the film was public domain music cues from Richard Wagner, Dimitri Shostakovich, Giuseppe Verdi and others.

Popular posts from this blog

Read 'Em & Eat-Mesquite Turkey Quesadillas

Image
Like most physical activities, dancing presents a challenge when it comes to dinner.   You don’t want to feel weighted down by a heavy meal, but you don’t want to hit the dance floor hungry either. Also any lengthy prep time in the kitchen takes away from primp time in front of the mirror.😉  Fortunately Mesquite Turkey Quesadillas are short on prep time and long on satisfying hunger. They are perfect to enjoy before a night on the town or for a quiet evening reading a good book like Lovestruck Two Step . Mesquite Turkey Quesadillas 1/4 to 1/2 pound-sliced Mesquite Turkey from your grocery deli counter. Shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 white onion-chopped fine. Several tablespoons Balsamic vinegar (I like to use Golden Balsamic vinegar for milder taste).  Marinade chopped onion in Balsamic vinegar for a few minutes. Assemble chopped turkey, shredded cheese and marinaded onion into flour tortilla and heat in skillet on stove until cooked through.  Lovestruck T
Read more

Moving On

Image
"All good things come to an end. It's been fun for everyone. Peace and hope are never gone. Love you all and say 'So long'." Verse from The End Bear's packaging When I received the email notice from Google stating that they were going to stop supporting certain blogging apps, I decided it might be a good time to reconsider my social media set-up. I write romance as Mariposa Cruz and women's fiction as Susan Winters with separate Facebook pages and blogs for each identity. While I have thoroughly enjoyed having two separate blogs with changing times it makes sense to consolidate to one blog while exploring other platforms.   Mariposa’s Musings started in 2009 a few months prior to the release of my first romance title, Howl. BTW I hope to re-release Howl later this year. Stay tuned. Ten years, seven titles and 214 posts later here we are. I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all the guests, authors, followers and casual passersb
Read more

Author Interview Monique McDonnell

Image
What inspired you to become a writer? I think I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write shorts stories and poems all the time as a child and had my first poem published in the paper when I was 11. I did a minor in Creative Writing at university, but i mainly wrote literery fiction. After I had my daughter I started reading books that made me laugh - romantic comedies and chicklit with happy endings and so I decided to have a go at writing them and I haven’t looked back and now have published over 20 books. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) That’s a tough question. I really like Jill Shalvis’s characters as well as Susan Mallery’s and Marie Forces Gansett Island series. More recently I’ve gotten into Lucy Score’s Blue Moon series. I’m a voracious reader once I find an author I read everything they’ve written. Tell me what inspired this story. The No Brides Club series is about a group of women who made a vow to each other to focus n their c
Read more