Main Cast: Tom Tryon, Gloria Talbott, Peter Baldwin, Ken Lynch, John Eldredge, Robert Ivers, Alan Dexter, Chuck Wassil
Release Year: 1958
Country: US
Run Time: 78 minutes
Plot
It has now become a film-review clich to preface a write-up for I Married a Monster From Outer Space with the cautionary "Don't be misled by the title." The fact remains, however, that this one of the better and more intelligent horror outings of the late 1950s. The "I" of the title is Marge Farrell (Gloria Talbott), who can't help noticing that her husband Bill (Tom Tryon) has been acting very strangely since their dark-and-stormy wedding night. For one thing, the formerly demonstrative Bill behaves listlessly, as though possessing no emotions whatsoever; for another, though he spends much of his free time at Grady's Bar, Bill never takes a drink (now that is weird!) It isn't long before Marge discovers that Bill, along with several of his male friends, have been taken over by aliens from the Andromeda Nebula, who have arrived on earth to replenish their species. There's only one flaw to this plan: the aliens are unable to procreate! Once the authorities are alerted, a posse of non-possessed men attack the alien spaceship, paving the way for the not-altogether-predictable finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This smart, tidy little sci-fi effort is deserving of its cult reputation. I Married A Monster From Outer Space works primarily because it never tries to outdo the outrageous hard-sell of its title. Instead, Louis Vitte's screenplay builds the story up in a subtle manner, allowing the troubled marriage of its two leads to drive the story and building its alien-invasion plot around the edges of that main narrative hook. This approach also allows the filmmakers to offer some interesting thematic commentary: the film could be seen as a metaphor for how marriage can "change" a relationship. The film also benefits from strong, adult performances by a pair of leads who take the offbeat story seriously and play it straight: Tom Tryon never overplays the alien mannerisms of his character and withholds emotion to show the character's disconnection while Gloria Talbott makes a strong, resourceful heroine who is easy to root for. Finally, Gene Fowler's artful direction seals the film's appeal: he doles out shock effects where need be (mainly during the finale) but mostly concentrates on creating an atmosphere of paranoia through subtle performances and shadowy photography. All in all, I Married A Monster From Outer Space is a fine addition to the canon of 1950's sci-fi and well worth the time for cult film fans interested in this genre. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
A young couple marries, but almost from the start the bride notices her husband is acting strangely. He doesn't drink alcohol or show emotion. Marge also becomes concerned that she cannot get pregnant. She then notices that other townsfolk are acting the same way. One night she follows Bill when he goes for a walk and finds that he's not the man she knew but an alien meeting up with his like. He eventually explains to her that all the females from his planet were killed and that the aliens from another world are taking over earth male bodies so that they can mate with women. Marge is horrified and tries to warn others of the plot.
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom as Max Grady (bartender)
Review
A recent review on Scifi.com[1] summed up the movie like this: "I Married a Monster From Outer Space belongs next to the much better-known Invasion of the Body Snatchers on the roster of terribly titled science-fiction movies of the '50s that, when watched, turn out to be significantly better than anyone would have guessed."
Remake
In 1998, the now defunct UPNtelevision network produced and aired a remake of the film simply titled, I Married a Monster[2], with Richard Burgi as the alien husband.
