Sci-Fi Film Fiesta, The Swingin' 60s - The Complete Book by Chris Christopoulos - HTML preview

“An energy valve of incredible power - of power quite beyond our

comprehension”

The three scientists eventually come to the conclusion that the sphere is an “energy valve of complex and fantastic ingenuity.” While trying to trace the source of interference which cut the radio and television reception, it was determined that its occurrence coincided with the time that Costain left the lab and when Anne felt ill. It appears that the valve permits the transmission of matter over great distances, “from some other planet received by the sphere and converted into its original form.” It then follows that they have had “a visitor from space!” The question now remains: “what did it come for?”

“The sphere must be emitting a radiation that is injurious to the human

being”

It is the next night and Morley is determined to observe the sphere alone while the others monitor what happens in the lab. Despite the scientists’ appreciation of the gravity of the situation, the same can’t be said for the military personnel charged with providing security. The whole thing is a bit of a laugh with one of the soldiers “wondering what we do if a martian popped out of that thing,” and his Sergeant replying straight-faced, “you'd place him under closer arrest and you'd march him smartly to the guard room, that's what you do.”

With Morley alone with the sphere in the adjoining storeroom, the tension begins to mount. As the sphere starts to activate and Morley’s report comes through, The emotional strain is reflected by Anne’s expression of concern and anguidh. Given what is happening and what she has experienced, she is no longer a vision of cool emotionless calm.

The tense atmosphere of anticipation is heightened by the pervading silence and the play of light and shade within the dim confines of the storeroom. Gradually the sphere begins to emit a brilliant light which increases in intensity and it appears to be having a physical affect on Morley.

Morley then reports that he is experiencing a very great pain in his head suggesting that it is possibly a form of radiation that is harmful to the human body. Suddenly, Morley reports that it is unbearable, that he can’t stand it any longer and that even with his back to it the light it is “beyond human endurance.”

After some argument between Costain and the Major over whether or not to intervene, the latter wins the argument and they both enter to find the “poor devil” Morley slumped over his desk, dead. The expression on his face testifies to what he felt and experienced in his brave solitary quest for knowledge and understanding. In addition to the tragic death of Morley, it is now evident that the sphere is gone! So, what happened to it, you may ask?

The Sergeant reports that one of the soldiers “thought they saw someone jump from the store-room window” whereupon “they challenged him but he ran off.” The Sergeant then spotted him and opened fire but the target seemed to have just disappeared as if “one minute he was there, next minute – nothing.” All that could be said by way of identification of the fleeing figure is that it was “a sort of a black shape.”

Unknown to Costain, Anne and the military is that the black shape is indeed an alien who after killing Morley, escaped out of the store-room window and commandeered a vehicle which it has used to abscond from the base, but not before running down and killing the major. Somehow it had learned how to hot-wire and drive a car at speed! It had better hope it’s not a manual drive!

“Somewhere along the line there must be a bridge between science and

criminal detection”

Reports arise about young women disappearing. A common denominator to the missing girls is that they all responded to an ad placed in the "Bikini Girl" magazine by the alien who is using the name Medra. Shortly thereafter, teenage girls begin to go missing after answering an advertisement in Bikini Girl magazine

 

SPACE CREATURE

NEW DEVELOPMENT!

DAILY CLARION

RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT BATTLE

FOUR WEEk OLD MYSTERY DEEPENS!

With reports in the media appearing concerning the disappearance of young women, Costain meets with Detective Superintendent Hartley. It appears that Costain has been been leaking his story to the Press as he felt it was the “only way to get all that's happened into the limelight,” as well as to obtain the cooperation of the police. Hartley, along with the rest of Scotland Yard, “view the whole thing with incredulity” but nevertheless “can't afford to ignore anything no matter how far-fetched.”

What is known so far:

1. “With one or two exceptions,” the missing girls don’t have any known living

relatives.

2. The perpetrator of the crimes has been seen standing outside the homes of

some of the missing girls.

3. He has “either murdered these girls or spirited them away taking them back

into

space” for some as yet unknown purpose.

On the basis that all of this is true, Hartley and Costain agree to work together.

Later, in response to a letter received this morning from a Madge Lilburn indicating that her daughter has been missing for 3 days, the two men go to interview her and her husband, Reg. Exercising a commendable degree of patience as the story about their daughter disentangles itself from their verbal pin pong narration, Hartley and Costain lean the following;

• Their daughter, Jean went out at about 7:00pm and indicated that she’d return

at 11.00pm.

• Next morning it was discovered that her bed had not been slept in.

• Jean was not the “sort of girl to go off without a word.”

• She was going after a very good job the nature of which she wouldn’t

disclose but was very excited about it.

• This may have been related to “that horrible man” who called Thursday night

the previous week.

• The stranger asked Mrs Lilburn if her daughter was in but as she wasn’t he

left a parcel with the mother to give to Jean.

• The stranger gave Mrs Liliburn the “creeps” as he stood in the shadows but

he did have a “nice” educated sounding voice.

• A distinguishing feature of the stranger was his heavy breathing as if he had

asthma or bronchitis.

• Jean was in possession of a 3D colour photograph,“sort of artistic,” very

unusual and “made of a sort of plastic.”

• Jean took the photograph with her when she went to the interview with

someone called Mr Medra.

• The job advertisement and interview had been obtained by Jean via the ‘Bikini

Girl’ magazine.

“There is nothing to be afraid of…..you must remember that no harm

will come to you - no harm will come to you - no harm will come to….”

At a time when so far 21 girls have disappeared in under 3 weeks without a trace, we see a certain you ng and attractive Joyce Malone entering a nondescript building. No doubt another unsuspecting applicant for the sinister and elusive Mr Medra. In the foyer, Joyce is startled when a panel in the wall suddenly slides open and before her sitting behind a desk is Medra himself. Joyce’s view of him is distorted by bright spot lights positioned to shine directly at her. She is then invited to sit down by the reassuring,sonorous, hypnotic and yet vaguely sinister tones of Medra’s voice. A single lamp light positioned before Joyce then acts as a swinging pendulum and together with the hypnotic suggestions being issued by Medras’ voice, Joyce is unwittingly placed into a hypnotic trance – and presumably under his total control.

 

“That sort of AD always gets a lot of replies”

Meanwhile, the investigation continues and centres around an advertisement from an “independent television film producer” who requires “talented young ladies with looks, personality and ambition”requiring them to write with a recent photograph to a PO box number, 968.

Hard work ahead for any PC or Detective Plod to check all the missing girls homes for copies of Bikini Girl. The sense of urgency has increased with the recent two additional cases of reported missing girls that takes the total now to 23!

The investigation has so far revealed the following;

1. A common denominator between all the missing girls is that “they all read a

magazine called Bikini Girl.

2. All the girls applied for a job advertised in this month's edition of the

magazine.

3. The advertised job offer in question “was used as a bait.”

4. “A regular pattern” has been established as follows:

• The girls apply for the job

• They go for an interview

• They have their photograph taken

• The photograph is delivered to the girls' homes on the night before they

disappear.

5. The man who delivers the package containing the photographs;

• always comes after dark

• always stays in the shadows

• seems to be very tall

• possibly wears a scarf across the lower half of his face

• could be an asthmatic

A link between the identity of the stranger and the creature at the research establishment at Falsley Park is strengthened with the discovery that a car parked outside the house of one of the missing girls belonged to a car that had been reported stolen months ago from that very government research facility!

Further investigation has led Hartley to an address in SoHo where a rather slimy perverted character runs a - for want of a better word - ‘business.’ Hartley had prior dealings with this creep and is there to question him about the 200 or more answers to an advertisement in Bikini Girl he received over the last 18 days

Pervert Creep confirmed a few details concerning the mysterious stranger:

• he always had a scarf covering much of his face

• he was very tall, about 6'5”

• he always had a strange way of keeping in the shadows

• he possibly wears a mask

• he has “horrible green like a snake’s”

• he paid very well for the letters

• he calls for the letters every couple of evenings

With the expectation that the stranger will call this very evening at about 6:30pm, Hartley decides to arrange to have himself and a few of his men stake out the place ready to nab him.

 

“Why has he come to Earth?

Why is he involved with these missing girls?”

Later at an official meeting, Hartley appraises Costain and Anne of his plan to capture Medra and is perhaps over-confident of its success until Costian informs him that their quarry is “superhuman” and “not born of this planet.” In fact, they are “not just up against a “criminal mind” but are instead “fighting an alien civilization, one at least 100 or maybe a thousand years in advance of ours.”

An astronomical map is then produced showing the solar system which at the time had 9 planets (bring back Pluto!). Attention is drawn to Jupiter and its then believed to be 12 moons! It is from Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede that Costain and Anne proclaim that Medra is from. Why Ganymede?

It has already been determined that the sphere at Fasley Park was a valve and that it is the slave of a “master system” which is used to transmit and receive matter and available evidence suggests that it is situated on Ganymede.

As to why Medra has come to earth and is involved with the missing girls, so far one can only speculate. Perhaps “they're being abducted for experimental purposes” such as “genetic experiments” that involve “the investigation of man under laboratory conditions.” Speculation is one thing but taking action to find out the truth is another…..

Suddenly, Anne offers the assembled gentlemen a suggestion. Good God! A woman offering up her opinion! It’s the mid-1960s after all, gentlemen! What will they say at the club? Anne informs them that she has already made an application to Medra for an interview and will be meeting him that very night at Thorin's Bookshop, the location where the trap is to be set. Of course, Costain immediately goes into protective mode but Anne’s logic and determination in the end prove to be unassailable. How else will they find out what Medra’s up to as if believed he won’t be taken alive by the police. Without Medra’s knowledge, all Costain’s work will have been wasted. Sorry Jack, you’re on a hiding to nothing trying to argue with a woman who considers herself not under yours or anyone ease’s “jurisdiction.” Yes sir, the lady will definitely be having it her way!

“Haven't you learned that futility of violence?”

Later that night the trap is being set up and it hinges on Hartley’s men taking up their positions ready to move in the moment Medra moves into the alley both ends of which will be sealed off.

Anne suddenly appears ahead of time. All external trappings of buttoned-up professionalism have been replaced by feminine attire and hairstyle. Anne enters the shop and completely unaware walks past the Creep’s dead body. Suddenly., Medra’s voice can be heard asking Anne why she asked for the interview. Medra doesn’t believe that Anne was intere3sted in the advertisement nor that she is a professional model. Medra then uses his powers of hypnosis to extract the truth from Anne, namely that:

• she’s frightened

• she has been lying

• she came to ask Medra ab out the purpose of his presence on Earth

• she wants to learn the secrets of Medra’s planet and to find out what has

become of the abducted girls.

Anne then discloses that scientists have been operating under the assumption that an advanced alien civilisation would not seek to destroy and would understand thew futility of violence. A very naive and dangerous assumption it turns out to be considering Medra’s actions thus far. Which begs the question: why?

By way of answer, Medra points out to Anne that his civilization “interfered with the laws of the universe” and “found it impossible to suppress the emotions of love and hate” and so slipped “back into the dark Abyss.” He then goes on to offer up a Darwinian-sounding bit of philosophising explaining that “the problem of life is that there is always an enemy who will kill or be killed” and that “there is always someone to fear.” As far as Medra is concerned, he fears what he can’t control, namely an intelligence that is almost equal to his such as a mind that Ann e possesses. Medra then proceeds to brutally kill Anne. The bastard!

Hartley and Costain burst into the premises only to find Anne lying on floor dead and Medra having just departed. Costain is distraught over Anne’s death but there is nothing for it except to continue with the task of tracking down Medra and putting an end to his crimes of murder and abduction.

“We're dealing with a creature not only of superhuman intelligence and

power but one also possessing a primordial lust for violence and

savagery”

Later, Costain theorizes that it is “evident that we're dealing with a creature not only of superhuman intelligence and power but one also possessing a primordial lust for violence and savagery.” In his opinion, “Medra could be the forerunner of a full-scale invasion” – an invasion that could be made all the more possible by the matter transfer device. Therefore, it is imperative that they “track down that sphere and destroy it before it's too late!”

While plans are put into effect to construct a powerful and effective means of detection, an announcement is broadcast on TV calling for “any girl who applied for a position in answer to an advertisement that appeared in this month's edition of Bikini Girl magazine under the box number 968” to contact the nearest police station immediately. The urgency of the matter is stressed by informing the public that “by answering the advertisement these girls have placed themselves in great danger.”

The new detection method will involve determining the wavelengths of the sphere and then plot its position using the Jodrell Bank radio telescope the American radar early warning system in Yorkshire and detectors in Cornwall and London. Where the lines converge that will be the site of the sphere.

“I can't believe I could be in any danger from Mr Medra.”

“That's just why you are in danger, because you don't believe it”

 

Learning that Joyce Malone whom we saw earlier at an ‘interview’ with Medra has just had a photograph delivered to her, it is surmised that if the established patter is adhered to then she will in all likelihood go missing later that night. Hartley quickly heads off to question Joyce.

Joyce is able to remember something of the interview with Medra , namely that it was a strange interview and something of its setting. Of Medra, all she can recall is his “wonderful voice, kind and soothing.” However, she can’t remember him standing in the room, the actual interview itself nor of the photograph having been taken. The only thing she remembers after Medra speaking to her “was being in the street outside his office.” Joyce is convinced that she couldn’t be in any danger to which Hartley replies “that's just why you are in danger, because you don't believe it.”

A raid on Medra’s office reveals that it is absolutely deserted as if he had never been there. What’s more, Joyce has succumbed to a force that appears to be emanating from then photograph she received and she appears to be under Medra’s control. Medra soon picks Joyce up and departs with her in the stolen vehicle.

A car chase ensues while a message comes through from Jodrfell Bank that a signal from the sphere has been picked up followed by another receiving station picking up the signal. It becomes apparent to Costain that Medra doesn’t care that he’s being tracked and pursued.

“ I don't think I've made myself clear; we're trying primarily to destroy

the sphere, not Medra.”

As to what needs to be done if and when Medra is tracked down and trapped, there is a difference of opinion between the position of the scientist, Costain and thed interests of security in the form of Detective Hartley and the military. Costain believes their task is “primarily to destroy the Sphere, not Medra on the grounds that he needs “an opportunity to communicate with him.” The destruction of the sphere will “eliminate his only means of mobility” thereby rendering him “as helpless as a genie without a lamp.”

Finally, the location of their quarry has been established and they soon have Medra surrounded with every exit guarded.

 

“Is that why you came to Earth, to find new blood?”

With flames as a backdrop, Medra emerges and informs the humans surrounding him that with his mission completed he’lll be returning to his planet soon and that there’s nothing they can do to stop him.

Medra’s mission is to seek human women for breeding purposes on Ganymede as a means of overcoming mutations and ultimately their species’ own extinction. Their civilisation had reached the stage of possessing “knowledge that could lead to eternal peace and progress but also embodying the darker powers of universal destruction.” Those who survived “were terrible to look upon” and “ it took centuries of procreation before signs of normality began to appear.” Medra assures the assembled humans that no harm will come to the women and that his people have learned their lesson. Before leaving Medra tells them that one day he may return…..if it isn't too late!

 

Points of Interest

Night Caller from Outer Space is also known as The Night Caller and Blood Beast from Outer Space. It was the first science fiction film featuring John Saxon who was a familiar face and stalwart actor in movies and series throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The film does a quite an admirable job of combining both the science fiction and detective mystery genres with most of the first half taken up by the former and the second half by the latter. The film also effectively combines both drama and humour with a few moments of levity used to off-set the serious nature of proceedings. For instance, the Sergeant’s berating of the none too bright troops and the poor Major’s attempts at being sociable with the all too serious scientists.

I found the ending rather disappointing with the humans just standing about while the alien intruder babbles on about conditions on his home planet and vowing one day to return to earth. At least there’s not too much of the admonishing finger wagging at humanity for its perceived sins and an implied direct threat to its existence if it continues to persist with its wicked ways. Nor does the film descend into the usual happy ending with everything being resolved and redemption for all concerned. Bur seriously, did we need to have that sparkler ascending into the sky at the end?

As far as alien incursions go, if an alien wanted to find women to help repopulate its home planet, would it really resort to placing a wanted ad in a Bikini Girl magazine? If anything it serves as a statement on the power of vanity, people’s capacity for gullibility along with the predatory and exploitative nature of human beings. I guess our moder- day social media would prove to be a bonanza for the likes of any aspiring alien Medra!

One thing I admire about British film makers is their ability to produce films that, despite the lack of budget, come across as quality pieces of cinema achieved through solid acting, good pacing, competent direction and engaging dialogue. Many of the British sci-fi films in this blog manage to achieve just that as to an extent Night Caller From Outer Space manages to do.

Night Caller From Outer Space raises an interesting consideration of the means by which an intelligence species could traverse the universe without being constricted by the laws of physics as we know them. In the film, a form of matter transportation is used to move beings from one location to another. We are right now perhaps on the cusp of being able to use such technology to transport molecules but who knows what will be achieved in the future? Perhaps one day the limits imposed by distance, space and time might be circumvented by the ability to travel instantaneously by a process akin to thought-travel utilising corridors or filaments in space connecting different regions throughout the universe? It could be that other intelligent advanced civilisations may be employing laws of physics we are not even aware of.

The film was made at a time when reports began to emerge of alien abductions and alien experimentation on humans. This also raises the question of what would be the motivation of any alien species coming to our planet. The film wisely dispels the overly optimistic assumption that contact between Earth and an alien species would be motivated by a spirit of altruism or a quest for knowledge and understanding. Take out own faltering steps into the cosmos for instance. Once we might have emphasised our need for understanding our place in the universe along with our nature to explore as being reasons to venture out beyond the confines of our planet. After 50 or 60 years of attempting just that, what do we now seem to emphasize? Words like ‘knowledge’, ‘understanding’ and ‘exploration’ are being supplanted by a focus on winning a ‘race,’ the need to ‘colonise’ and the opportunity to ‘exploit.” In other words, the universe is seen as being a resource for humanity’s exclusive use. Could it be that an equally rapacious alien race would have something to say about all this and may in fact view us and our planet as a resource to exploit, perhaps for its very own survival?

 

Ganymede: Basic Facts

 

Largest moon in the Solar System: Ganymede is bigger than both Mercury and Pluto.

Size & structure: It has a thick crust of ice (≈ 150 km in places), and beneath that a subsurface ocean possibly ~100 km deep.

Unique among moons: It is the only moon known to have its own magnetic field (a magnetosphere).

Thin atmosphere/exosphere: Very tenuous; includes oxygen, hydrogen, and more recently detection of CO in a patchy exosphere. ₂

Surface features: Bright and dark regions; many craters (older surfaces are darker), ridges, troughs. The crust shows signs of tectonic-like deformation.

Temperature: Very cold—surface temperatures range roughly from 90 to 160 K in daylight in regions receiving sunlight.

(NASA Science)

Recent Discoveries

Salts & organics on surface: Data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft (especially via the JIRAM spectrometer during a close flyby in June 2021) show mineral salts and possibly organic compounds on the surface. These may be signals that briny water from the internal ocean has interacted with the surface. (NASA)

CO exosphere detection: ₂ The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has helped detect a patchy CO component in Ganymede’s exosphere. ₂

(arXiv )

Global furrows & ancient impact hypothesis: There’s a hypothesis that many of the furrow features on Ganymede are part of one massive, multi-ring impact structure (from a very large impact ~4 billion years ago), which may have shaped much of the early geology of Ganymede.

(arXiv)

Missions / Exploration

Voyager spacecraft flew by in the 1970s.

Galileo orbiter (1990s–2000) made several close passes, yielding a lot of the earlier high-resolution data.

Juno has done at least two flybys of Ganymede (including the one in June 2021), giving more recent data on surface composition and interior.

(Wikipedia)

 

**************

Island of Terror (1966)

 

A competently directed British sci-fi gem with a stirring and eerie musical score,

colourful and crisp cinematography and an entertaining combination of suspense,

humour and horror.

Directed by Terence Fisher

Written by Edward Mann Al Ramsen

Based on an original story by Mann and Ramsen Produced by Tom Blakely

Cinematography: Reg Wyer

Edited by Thelma Connell

Music by Malcolm Lockyer

Barry Gray (electronic effects)

Production company: Planet Film Productions

Distributed by Planet Film Distributors, Universal Studios (US) Running time: 89 minutes

Country: United Kingdom

Budget: £70,000

Cast

Peter Cushing as Dr Brian Stanley

Edward Judd as Dr David West

Carole Gray as Toni Merrill

Eddie Byrne as Dr Reginald Landers

Sam Kydd as Constable John Harris

Niall MacGinnis as Roger Campbell

James Caffrey as Peter Argyle

Liam Gaffney as Ian Bellows

Roger Heathcote as Dunley

Keith Bell as Halsey

Margaret Lacey as Old Woman

Shay Gorman as Morton

Peter Forbes-Robertson as Dr Lawrence Phillips Richard Bidlake as Carson

Joyce Hemson as Mrs. Bellows

 

An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack from

something unimaginable!

Will this small community be able to fight back against the encroaching

deadly horror?

 

“He doesn't like company much”

“That's why he picked as isolated a place as this”

On the small isolated Petrie's Island situated off the east coast of Ireland Dr. Lawrence Phillips has recently arrived to set up a sophisticated laboratory in an out of the way mansion on the island's peninsula. Dr. Phillips and his assistant Carson supervise the unloading of their equipment.

Observing the unloading on the dock are locals Peter Argyle, the general store operator; Roger Campbell, the ‘mayor’ of the island; Constable John Harris; Dr. Reginald Landers, an ‘outsider’ who has resided on the island for a good 10 years; and farmer, Ian Bellows. It is remarked that Dr. Phillips is something of a recluse but Dr. Landers states that “he's one of the top research men in the world” and that “researchers are like that” in that they tend to shy away close from contact with any human beings who are not from their own fields of research.

The isolation and insignificance of the island and its community is reinforced by the observation that all the unfulfilled promises that the uncaring mainland has made to the islanders is due to the fact that “we don't pay enough taxes.” Apparently there are no working phones on the island and there is only one boat a week from the mainland. We can be sure that this will not bode well for the inhabitants of Petrie’s island.

“I've waited a long time for this moment”

“There shouldn't be any snags”

We next shift scenes to the laboratory where Dr. Phillips tells Carson that they will begin their experiment without first coordinating with the teams in Rome, New York, and Tokyo. (Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast!) After a bit of scientific techno-babble gobbledegook, Phillips is confident that “if we're successful today, it may well be that we have the cure for cancer.”

Suddenly the screen turns blood-red followed by the sound of breaking glass suggesting that something dangerous has managed to breach containment……..

Roll main title display…..

That evening a fog rolls in, the very one predicted by Peter Argyle on the dock who stated to the doctor, "if you weren't a newcomer, you'd feel it in your bones." The irony of this comment will shortly become all too obvious. We then see Ian Bellows, carrying a lantern near a cave entrance on a cliff-face overlooking his property not far from Dr. Phillips’ residence. He is suddenly pulled short by an odd atonal sound. Curious, Bellows enters the cave to investigate only to disappear from view. Only the sight of his lantern’s light moving up and down on the cave wall accompanied by the sound of his own anguished cries followed by a sickening slurping noise offer us a clue as to his fate.

“I'm afraid something's happened to him”

Later, Bellows’ wife goes to Constable John Harris' house to seek his help with locating her overdue husband. In good old school small village fashion, Harris readily obliges and personally bicycles his way to the cave to investigate. It isn’t long before he locates the body of Bellows, but unlike any other corpse he might have been acquainted with, this one appears to be soft and malleable.

 

“There was no face, just a horrible mush with the eyes sitting in it”

Realising that he is dealing with something both shocking and beyond his experience, Harris enlists the assistance of Dr. Landers. Both men then go to retrieve the body of Bellows and convey it to the island medical clinic. An autopsy is conducted on the body but not much can be determined. The clothing together with an appendectomy scar confirms its identity, but the most intriguing and unexpected discovery is that Bellows' skeleton is completely missing!

 

“We can't take chances”

Landers instructs Harris not to mention what has occurred to anyone until he finds out what they dealing with. He intends to see Dr. Phillips first to seek out his expert assistance as this incident involving the death of Bellows is beyond his knowledge. If Phillips is unable or unwilling to help, Landers will then take the emergency launch, the islanders’ only means of communication with the mainland in between a larger vessel’s weekly visits, and go and see Brian Stanley, “the most eminent pathologist in Great Britain” who is in London. In case they have to fly back, Landers instructs Harris to “build a signal fire on Moor Heights.”

At this stage Landers believes that they may be dealing with a disease which is “virulent and could be contagious.”

When Landers calls on Dr. Phillips, no one answers the door. Landers then implements the next stage of the plan and takes the emergency launch to the mainland, where he proceeds to London to seek out the eminent pathologist, Dr. Brian Stanley…….

 

“If that's true, it's beyond me”

Landers meets with Dr. Stanley who has just completed conducting one of his classes. Stanley appears to enjoy the respect and good will of his medical students with whom he engages in friendly banter concerning their dubious progress with their studies.

Landers quickly get to the point of his visit by informing Stanley that “we've discovered a body without any trace of bone in it.” Such a case is beyond even Stanley’s knowledge and experience. He therefore suggests they seek out the assistance of Dr. David West, the renowned expert on bone diseases and according to Stanley, “the most qualified man on bone disease that I know.”

“That's why we're tossing it into your lap. You're the young genius.”

We find the good Dr. West occupied with an attractive young wealthy and socialite-type lady, Toni Merrill. She is in fact his patient after “writing off a very expensive Maserati” which led her to be taken to the emergency suite where our good doctor was in attendance.

After Toni’s discharge, what was Dr. West to do but take her back to his place for dinner? As luck would have it, West managed to spill wine on her dress which explains why Toni is clad in just one of his shirts and displaying her shapely legs in her endeavors to prove that what spoilt little rich girl Tony wants, spoiled little rich girl Toni gets.

Again as luck would have it, right in the middle of the couple’s game of lip lacrosse, the doorbell rings. While Toni fetches West’s dressing gown, the doctor answers the door to admit Stanley and Landers. It seems that Stanley is taking some delight at having interrupted West in his post-medical rehab activities.

While Toni confirms she can look just as good in a man’s dressing gown as she can in a man’s shirt, Landers and Stanley explain the situation to West. Of course, West is skeptical and initially tries to dismiss their story with sarcastic humor: “No bones? Yes, well, of course, this is quite a common....” Eventually West is intrigued by the problem and expresses a desire to see Bellows' body for himself.

It is decided that they ought to fly back and like a shot Toni offers to ask daddy to lend them his helicopter but on one little condition- she is to accompany them. What ever spoilt little rich girl Toni wants……..

“Looks like we'll be marooned on the island for a few days”

As preparations are made to fly to the island, the copter pilot tells them he cannot wait for them as Toni's father (due to his business commitments) will need the helicopter. This means that they will be to all intents and purposes, marooned.

Shortly afterwards, guided by the signal fire, the helicopter lands and the three doctors and Toni are greeted by Constable Harris and Dunley, a hunter.

 

“Not a very pretty sight”

Landers takes Stanley and West to the clinic to show them Bellows' body which turns out to be "not a pretty sight" what with its protruding eyes and tongue along with its grotesque mushy appearance. The tests that are performed reveal “a series of minute punctures…..all over the body” indicating that “something could have entered the body through those punctures” possibly “some kind of enzyme.” It proves difficult to determine “if they open inwards or outwards” or indeed if they are “punctures or ruptures” raising the question as to whether “something came out or some organism producing an enzyme went in.”

One thing for certain is that “there's not one trace of calcium phosphate in the whole body” indicating that “this enzyme, or whatever it is, seems to attack and break down the calcium phosphate” which is “a major component of human bone.”

What is not yet know is “if there's a connection between the perforations and the absence of bone” and whether they might “be simply two evidences of a similar syndrome.”

At this point in the three doctors’ ruminations, the lights start flickering due to apparent trouble that the island community has been having with the generator recently. The generator supplies all the electric power of the island.

Unable to continue their investigation due to the inadequate facilities of the clinic, the three men head out to the mansion of Dr. Phillips. Upon their arrival there is no response to their knocking on the front door so it is decided that a bit of breaking and entering might be in order. When the men gain entry, they discover Dr. Phillips, his butler and his two assistants dead, all displaying the same horrific physical symptoms as Bellows.

It is concluded that since Phillips had no contact with the villagers, a contagious disease can be ruled out. “Whatever it was, it must've started in this lab.” If so, “it might be moving down the peninsula towards the village.”

Judging by what they observe inside the mansion, the three men are convinced that Phillips and his staff “were fighting something, or the death throes were pretty violent.” They then decide to collect Phillips' notes and study them in the hope that it could give them a lead on what happened.

“At least I think it's one of my horses. It's all soft and flabby”

While Stanley and West collect Dr. Phillips' notes and take them to the inn to study, Morton, a farmer discovers one of his horses dead, also in a similar soft and flabby condition to the dead humans. Morton heads off to Constable Harris’ place to report this. Having to forgo a lovely cup of tea, Harris sets out on his trusty bicycle to seek out Dr. Landers who had earlier left him a note indicating where he and his colleagues were going.

When Harris gets to Dr. Phillips' mansion and enters, he is confronted by the same scene as that witnessed by Stanley, West, and Landers. Upon entering the cellar, he hears the strange atonal sound that is a prelude to something horrific happening. When Harris enters the room that contained test animals, an octopus-like tentacle descends on him, and hooks him under his chin. The last we see and hear of Harris is his anguished expression as he cries out in fear and pain. I for one will certainly miss the steadfast, dependable and intrepid constable!

 

“It's a bloody mess, a pile of flesh”

The next morning, Landers pays a visit to Harris’ place but does not find him there. Later on he comes across Peter and Morton at the general store. Morton informs Landers of his dead horse and of its strange appearance being of “a bloody mess, a pile of flesh.” Landers is struck by the fact that this happened on "the other side of the island." Somewhat evasively and abruptly, he rushes off leaving Morton and Peter puzzling over the "strange goings-on." Peter then decides to see the head of the island, Mr. Campbell who ought to know about what has been taking place.

While Campbell and Peter head off to talk to some other farmers before going on to see Dr. Landers, Landers himself along with Stanley, West, and Toni Merrill have gone to the farm to investigate the dead horse. During this investigation, Toni remains in the car only to be confronted by the sight of the underside of an unidentifiable creature sliding down the rear window. Toni is unable to provide the men with much detail except that whatever she witnessed had frightened her terribly and that she had heard “a strange sound.” Well, she did insist on accompanying the men and got her way – again!

“let's not take any unnecessary risks”

The intrepid quartet head off to Dr. Phillips house, and you guessed it, Toni gets her way yet again by convincing the men to agree to taking her with them inside the house on the basis that there’s safety in numbers. Down in the cellar they spot the grizzly remains of Constable Harris followed by the “strange sound” that Toni earlier referred to. Suddenly they are confronted by the sight of the ghastly creatures that Dr. Phillips created.

 

“Good Lord, what's that?”

The creatures are approximately two meters in diameter and possess a hard turtle-like shell from which emanates a single tentacle that serves both as a sensor and a flexible limb that can grab hold of potential victims. The creatures can also travel flat along the ground using a system of suckers instead of legs.

Toni and the three men find themselves cornered by a couple of the creatures who appear to be coordinating their actions. As they close in, Dr. Landers takes down a fire ax from the wall, approaches one the creatures and takes a swing at it but with no effect. Just as Landers is about to take another swing, the creature latches on to his ankle with its tentacle. Landers cries out in pain before falling across the creature’s carapace. To the horror of the others, Landers suffers the same fate as all of the previous victims.

Just as the creatures move in for the kill, they suddenly come a halt. They seem to have chosen that very moment to divide. As West observes, “they're inactive now because they divided, but we don't know for how long, and we can't stay here.” The process of division resembles of combination of what one might observe with cell division under a microscope and what one might throw up after consuming pasta followed by copious amounts of alcohol.

During the creatures’ present inert state and in the face of Toni’s own fear-ridden state of paralysis, the party of four make their escape from the cellar. As they exit the house, they spot another creature on the grounds. They then hurriedly get into the car only to find that it won't start. With tension mounting, West manages to fix the problem with the engine and they drive off before the creature can get to them.

At the inn, West gives Toni a sedative to help her relax. He then apologises to her for bringing her to the island and placing her in danger. West does not appear to be all that convinced that they’ll be able to “get out of this somehow” despite his assurances to Toni.

 

“There are creatures loose on this island. They're dangerous”

After learning at the general store that Landers hasn’t been found and that there are strangers (“two men and a girl”) on the island who arrived by helicopter the previous night and who were seen in the company of Landers at 7.00 am, Campbell and Argyle head off to the inn to find out what’s-what. They enter the inn as West and Stanley are studying Dr. Phillips' notes.

The two doctors informs Campbell and Argyle that Dr. Landers is dead, and a bit later adds the names of Constable Harris and Ian Bellows to the list of the deceased. In addition, they are told that there are dangerous creatures loose on the island and that they may be the result of Dr. Phillips' experiments. They go on to explain that “Dr. Phillips, in the course of his experiments, created some kind of living organism that kills” and that was the cause of Landers’ death.

With the entire island and its inhabitants in serious danger, Campbell agrees to summon all the inhabitants to the village meeting hall, as they’ll “need a lot of help if this island is going to survive.”

 

“I must warn you that we're faced with a very dangerous situation”

With everyone assembled in the hall, Stanley and West address the villagers. Their message is frank and to the point with no sugar-coating. They begin by stating that “in order to understand the nature of cancer, Dr. Phillips was trying to create living cells, cells that he hoped would attack the cancer. He based his creation on the carbon atom which is the basis of all life on this planet. He did not succeed. But he probably succeeded in creating a form of life based on the silicon atom. Now these Silicates, as we call them, eat animal bone - human bone.” This last point elicits shocked murmurs of surprise and consternation. West goes on to explain that “Dr. Phillips' gave life to some kind of organism, something that we know nothing about” which possess “an external skeletal structure which is tough and resilient.”

Stanley takes up the account of their findings by admitting that they “haven't found a way to destroy them yet” but that they “intend to attack them with everything we can.” Based on Phillips’ notes and their own experience with the creatures, they “calculate that these creatures divide every six hours.” As Stanley proceeds with his account, there is a rising crescendo of shocked murmuring and mumbling among the assembled villagers. They learn that “there are about 64 silicates on the island at this moment; there'll be 128 by six o'clock this evening; two hundred and fifty-six by midnight and if the multiplication continues, until the end of the week, there'll be a million of them.”

West proposes that ‘the only ultimate way to stop them if all attempts fails, is to deny them food.” He suggests that everyone “move into this building with supplies” and “the cattle brought to this end of the island.” He concludes by reminding the villagers that they “must keep calm,” that fear and panic will defeat them just as surely as the Silicates and that they’ll need everyone’s help and cooperation with the population of the island all working together.

At the close of the meeting, Campbell begins to assemble a ten-member defence force that will launch an attack on the approaching silicates with guns, dynamite and petrol bombs. Toni now finds herself transformed from rich adventure-seeking girl to person in charge responsible for organising the villagers: making sure “that everything's handled at the meeting hall,” that “all the supplies are organised” properly” and keeping everyone from panicking.

 

“Nothing seems to get through to them”

The plan of attack involves Dunley and two other men scouting out three locations on the northern shore of the island while the rest including Stanley and West advance to meet the wave of silicates using guns, petrol bombs and dynamite. Alas, their efforts amount to nothing as the creatures seem to be impervious to the men’s weapons. They also lose Morton when he gets too close and is killed by a creature that jumps down on him from a tree! Don’t ask me how it managed to climb up the tree in the first place considering its non-simian qualities.

Dunley suddenly rushes up to inform them that he has discovered a dead silicate along with Dr. Phillips' Great Dane, also dead and half-eaten. After they arrive at the site of the dead silicate and dog, Stanley and West using Geiger counters confirm that the dead silicate and dog are both radioactive. According to Dr. Phillips’ notes, his dog had previously received an overdose of radiation – Strontium-90.

“If we can get enough Strontium 90 at his place, we can contaminate

the cattle”

They drive back to the clinic and meeting hall, where West informs the gathering that there might have a way to kill the silicates, but will it only succeed with the assistance of everyone there.

After an examination of the dead silicate, it is decided that West and Stanley will return to Dr. Phillips’ lab to collect a quantity of Strontium-90 isotopes along with a pressure gun to inject cattle with. In the meantime, Campbell is tasked with gathering all the cattle into his cattle yard away from the silicates until they can be injected with the Strontium.

After five minutes of watching West and Stanley don radiation suits, they succeed in their mission to recover the Strontium and the injector. I would not put money on their suits’ ability to protect them from radiation! When West returns to the lab to retrieve his radiation gloves, Stanley is attacked by one of the creatures outside at the rear of the car. It has its tentacle wrapped around his wrist which forces West to use the fire ax to cut off Stanley's left hand. In typical British stoical stiff upper lip manner, Stanley doesn’t even cry out as his hand is parted from the rest of his arm. West just manages to apply a tourniquet to Stanley’s arm before they speed off in the car back to clinic.

“One more transfusion and I'll be a full-blooded Irishman”

We next see Stanley with his arm bandaged after West had performed surgery on him. It’s not as if West has had enough to do! Our British Batman then dashes off to inject the cattle, which he succeeds in doing except that he has had to reduce the dose of strontium for the last few animals lest they run out of the isotope.

“We're all scared. If they go outside, it's certain death”

In the meantime a bit of trouble is brewing within the meeting hall in the form of Halsey who is all for getting out of there. He says to his small audience, “if you'd seen what that thing did to Archie, you'd swim.” Overhearing this and fearing that panic will spread, Campbell takes Halsey aside and says to him threateningly, “if I hear another sound out of you, I'll smash your face in and throw you out for those things.” These days a Halsey character would probably burst into tears and Campbell would be charged with abuse!

“They're dividing. That means the effect of the Strontium will be halved”

No long before midnight, the corralled cattle fall prey to the insatiable appetite of a couple of hundred calcium phosphate craving silicates. As the creatures next make their way to the building housing the terrified citizenry of the island, they begin the process of dividing resulting in the power and effect of the Strontium being halved.

“If they start breaking out...”

With the generator beginning to fail and the lights starting to flicker, people are panicking while Halsey makes a dash for the door. Argyle and some others who are armed block the way while Campbell fires a gun into the air and instructs everyone to move away from the windows and doors otherwise they will be shot.

Suddenly silicates break in through a window, grab hold of Halsey with their tentacles and kill him. Another silicate crashes through a skylight and falls upon Dunley killing him. Everyone then rushes into the clinic where they hastily barricade themselves leaving some of their friends and neighbours to a grizzly fate. Sometimes the need to survive trumps all other considerations.

Those in the clinic can only await the seemingly inevitable as the creatures continue to batter their way in. Toni Merrill, by now completely overcome by terror is comforted by Stanley's remaining intact arm while West prepares a fatal dose of morphine to spare her the inevitable horror to come. Just as he is about to do so, Campbell draws everyone’s attention to the fact that the silicates seem to be weakening.

As the scene falls silent, and the tentacles slip from the doors down to the floor, the barricade is removed and West flings open the doors to reveal the sight of dead silicates lying completely inert on the corridor floor.

The next morning, with the return of the helicopter, West promises Campbell that a large crew will be sent to clean up the island and bury the dead. He believes that “Phillips was just trying to help humanity” and that “science has its risks, but the risks aren't enough to hinder progress.” He also observes that they were fortunate this incident happened on an island, otherwise they might never have been able to destroy these creatures.

But there’s always an unforeseen HOWEVER…..Other scientific teams have been busily beavering away in Rome, New York City and Tokyo, the last city in which we see a scientist enter a lab to the accompaniment of an eerie sound. As he enters, we hear only his cries of horror as he apparently faces the same kind of fate we are already far too familiar with.

 

Image generated by Chatgpt