THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957) – Episode 208 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
Release Date: 07/26/2025
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
he Grue-Crew steps into the theater for STAGEFRIGHT (1987, Deliria), directed by Michele Soavi (The Church, The Sect, Cemetery Man). Part Friday the 13th, part Argento Giallo, all Slasher, Stagefright features an escaped madman donning the Owl Man costume from a stage play to slash and slay the entire cast and crew. What fun! The cinematography looks amazing, the gore is brilliantly executed, and the cast is better than anticipated. The Grue-Crew discuss the cast, the first-time director’s path, and the death count. Do not miss this one. STAGEFRIGHT (1987) Episode 320 – Decades of Horror...
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The Grue-Crew (Jeff, Gregory, and Bill) gather to discuss Mario Bava's film RABID DOGS (1974, CANI ARRABBIATI). The movie, filmed under its original title "L'uomo e il bambino", was shelved before it was finished when the financers died leaving it buried under bankruptcy for decades. From there, its strange road to a DVD release and a subsequent reedit by Bava's son Lamberto Bava continued. Bill, being a massive Bava fan, leads Jeff and Gregory to discuss this strange inclusion in a master director's filmography. Enjoy! RABID DOGS (1974, CANI ARRABBIATI) Episode 277 - Decades of Horror 1970s...
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I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) is B-Movie gold, perfect for 1950s drive-in nonsense. The Grue-Crew discuss the film's goofy yet gory monster, the mastery of tempered scene chewing that is Whit Bissell, and the extreme lack of teenagers in this teenage monster movie. Is it a good movie? Nah, not really. But that doesn't mean it isn't a brilliantly fun movie of its time. There's plenty to enjoy. And, as Bill noted, somehow when viewing I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN now, it is both better and worse than remembered. Check this review out and enjoy. I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) Episode...
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For episode 276, Bill picks the early '70s ABC Movie of the Week, THE CAT CREATURE (1973). The TV Horror Movie is directed by Curtis Harrington and features Meredith Baxter, David Hedison, Gale Sondergaard, John Caradine, Stuart Whitman, Keye Luke, and Kent Smith. Written by Robert Bloch, the plot involves a stolen amulet removed from an Egyptian mummy, a deadly black cat, and 40s horror movie homages. What will the Grue-Crew think of this 1970s supernatural throwback? Ah! Check out the podcast to find out. Enjoy! THE CAT CREATURE (1973) Episode 276 - Decades of Horror 1970s Quote: "One thing...
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The Grue-Crew go mythical to revisit and review JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) battling bronze giants, harrowing harpies, a horrifying hydra, and an army of skeletons. He who loves all things stop-motion, Bill Mulligan, steps up with his selection and results are amazing. The film still delivers awe and action all these years later and Ray Harryhausen’s mastery is in top form. As you can imagine, the discussion goes extra long diving into the cast of characters, the creatures, the stop-motion, and Greek legend. Join us for this episode, it is worth every minute. Thank you, Bill, great...
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For this episode of DOH80s, Doc has chosen THE LAST SHARK (1981, L’ultimo squalo) which is also known as GREAT WHITE and THE LAST JAWS. Yeah, if the last name there makes you wonder how Universal let that slide. Well, they didn’t! This is one of the most notorious accounts of cinematic plagiarism in film history. Universal Studios did sue and won which resulted in THE LAST SHARK being immediately removed from theaters and becoming unavailable in the States for decades. Is the film any good? Hell no, it’s a mess. However, it is so bad it’s good. James Franciscus and Vic Morrow lead the...
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The Grue-Crew head to France (actually Spain) to meet up with Waldemar Daninsky and Countess Wandesa to revisit THE WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971, La Noche de Walpurgis). After decades of watching this classic Spanish wolfman film, seeing the restored 4k version is a revelation. Sure, it's a B-Movie, but it's a fantastic B-Movie. Now it is easy to see why this is Paul Naschy's most successful film, it clearly deserves that honor. If you've never seen THE WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN, seek out a 4K version or a streaming version of it online, stay away from the graining, overly dark...
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The Grue-Crew follow H.G. Wells and THING TO COME (1936) 90 years into the past to predict 10 years into the future. This film is fully politically charged but incredibly fascinating. While it slogs from time to time compared to modern films, it manages to deliver as a movie by the end. The film spans over four distinct dates: 1940, 1966, 1970, and 2036 encompassing a decades long war and the reformation of civilization afterwards. The main character that we follow is John Cabal as he goes from a cynical visionary to a liberator from the skies as part of the Wings Over the World; for the 2036...
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The Decades of Horror Grue Crews stick with the folk horror subgenre and bring in Scott Wells to help explain some of the details. This time, the film is A CHINESE GHOST STORY (1987), from Hong Kong producer Tsui Hark and director Siu-Tung Ching. The great Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang create the chemistry necessary to believe this “ghost meets innocent, naive tax collector” love story. Of course, they need the help of Wu Ma’s Monk/Swordsman to overcome the hold the Old Dame has over the two lovebirds. Much wire-work, special makeup effects, stop-motion animation, and mystical shenanigans...
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This exercise in lycanthropic folk horror from Argentina catches the Grue Crew by surprise. Lulled to sleep by the slow, freezer-burn pace of the first twenty minutes, they immediately perk up when the Devil shows his face. There are several reasons to watch this film: brilliant cinematography, an excellent performance from Alfredo Alcón, entertaining supporting characters, fascinating folk horror, and a WEREWOLF! Bill and Jeff are joined by Scott Wells, who adds his folklore expertise, and Gregory Crosby, who contributes his usual insightful analysis. Enjoy! NAZARENO CRUZ AND THE WOLF (1975)...
info_outline“Look at the dog. It’s as hard as a piece of granite!” The whole dog? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Doc Rotten, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and special guest Michael Steinberg – as they delve into The Monolith Monsters (1957), the first (?) mineral-based creature feature.
[NOTE: Special guest Michael Steinberg of PlayNowMedia joins in the fun and offers a special promotion to the first ten Grue-Believers who take advantage of his offer. You will have to check out the episode to discover the details of that offer, so what are you waiting for? Get to it and remember to enjoy the podcast while you’re at it.]
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 208 – The Monolith Monsters (1957)
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/
Rocks from a meteor that grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.
- Director: John Sherwood
- Writers: Norman Jolley and Robert M. Fresco (screenplay); Jack Arnold and Robert M. Fresco (story)
- Music Supervision: Joseph Gershenson
- Composers: (all uncredited) Irving Gertz, Henry Mancini, Herman Stein
- Cinematographer: Ellis W. Carter (director of photography)
- Poster Art: Reynold Brown
- Gowns: Marilyn Sotto
- Costume and Wardrobe Department: Seth Banks (uncredited), Martha Bunch (uncredited)
- Makeup Department: Bud Westmore (makeup artist)
- Special Effects: Clifford Stine (special photography), Norman Breedlove (special effects technician) (uncredited), Frank Brendel (special effects) (uncredited)
- Selected Cast:
- Grant Williams as Dave Miller
- Lola Albright as Cathy Barrett
- Les Tremayne as Martin Cochrane
- Trevor Bardette as Prof. Arthur Flanders
- Phil Harvey as Ben Gilbert
- William Flaherty as Police Chief Dan Corey
- Harry Jackson as Dr. Steve Hendricks
- Richard H. Cutting as Dr. E.J. Reynolds (credited as Richard Cutting)
- Linda Scheley as Ginny Simpson
- Dean Cromer as Highway Patrolman
- Steve Darrell as Joe Higgins
- Claudia Bryar as Mrs.Simpson (uncredited)
- Troy Donahue as Hank Jackson (uncredited)
- Jerry Dunphy as Newscaster (uncredited)
- Paul Frees as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- Chuck Hamilton as Corpse in Back of Pickup Truck (uncredited)
- Kelo Henderson as Police Dispatcher (uncredited)
- Carol Morris as Second Nurse (uncredited)
- Eddie Parker as Highway Patrolman (uncredited)
- Paul Petersen as Bobby – Paperboy (uncredited)
- Ezelle Poule as Ethel – Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- William Schallert as Weatherman (uncredited)
- Clarence Straight as Husband (uncredited)
It’s time for another 1950s Sci-Fi, B-movie, creature feature, but this time, the creatures are unlike any others. In fact, they’re not creatures, but minerals. The Monolith Monsters (1957) has a smidgen of science, accompanied by a much larger portion of mumbo jumbo. However, thanks to the believable acting, the practical effects, the suspenseful score, and the sound effects, your Classic Era Grue-Crew is completely bought in and professes their love for this movie.
At the time of this writing, The Monolith Monsters (1957) is available to stream from Classic Sci-Fi Movie Channel, Classic Horror Movie Channel, Tubi, and multiple PPV options. The film is also available on physical media as a standard Blu-ray formatted disc from SHOUT! FACTORY.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Doc – is Tarantula (1955), another classic B-movie creature feature. Jack Arnold and Robert Fresco are involved again with a cast that includes John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva, Ross Elliott, Raymond Bailey, Hank Patterson, and… Clint Eastwood! This will be a fun one!
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]
To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”