Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]Before Joe Dante (Innerspace) created the B Movie sensation in the monster movie having to do with Piranha (1978 ), and even before, Steven Spielberg (Minority Report) created the international monster movie sensation based on your standard Shark in the movie Jaws (1975), there was, The Monster That Challeneged The World (1957)!
Written by: Pat Fielder (The Vampire), and Directed by: Arnold Laven (Slaughter On Tenth Avenue). Starring: Tim Holt (Road Agent), Audrey Dalton (Titanic), Hans Conried (Lost In Space), And Gordon Jones (The Green Hornet).
The Monster That Challenged The World (A movie which inspirationally speaking I believe was direct ancestor of both Piranha and Jaws) tells the story of a small salt lake in the middle of the California desert that as it turns out is a top secret research facility for the U.S. Navy.
Now during an earthquake, a group of ancient sea monsters eggs that had been housing ancient sea monsters, that had been known as, 'Krakens' (creatures that are the ancestors of modern day Mollusks.
At first no one suspects anything until one day while during a parachute test, the parachutist and the launch that has been posted to pick up the parachutist go missing.
Well after they go missing, the communications operator informs a Naval Intelligence Agent by the name of, Lt. Cmdr John Twilliger (Holt), who when he and his team discover the launch end up discovering a substance that they end up sending to the lab.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"]
The Communications Operator informing the Commander about the Launch![/caption]Now as Commander Twilliger begins to start assembling his team, which will include: a Navy Doctor by the name of, Dr. Jess Rogers (Conreid), Dr. Rogers assistant by the name of Gail McKenzie (Dalton), Sheriff Josh Peters (Jones), along with a small team from the Navy, and Sheriff Peters deputies, everyone in his growing team will discover a threat to the world that they will have to stop before these Kraken can escape from the Salt lake, and eventually make it out in to the ocean where they can begin to take over the world!
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Commander Twilliger and his team as they are trying to destroy the monster![/caption]As an ancestor of movies like Jaws and Piranha, I gotta say that this movie is an interesting one, you see, in Jaws, (as is with Piranha, i'm sure,) you get to see where some of the modern filmmaking legends came up with some of the stuff in their movies, and I believe that this is no exception.
What I mean by this is:
1. In Piranha (1978) the monster is a group of genetically engineered Piranha, in Jaws (1975) it was a large Shark that was the monster. In The Monster That Challenged The World, it was a group of Giant Mollusk... All in all, creatures that for the most part can be seen in the ocean today.
2. In all 3 movies, the monsters threaten areas where swimmers usually swim.
3. Lastly, in similarity between The Monster That Challenged The World and Piranha, the monsters surfaced next to a U.S. Navy Research Facility, and in Piranha, the Piranha are from a U.S. Army facility.
The next thing that I thought that I would mention here is the acting. In the 50s and 60s the Special Effects in Science Fiction and Horror movies was not a great, but what they loose in special effects they gain in the amazing talent that the actors and actresses bring to the game, (and I gotta say that this movie's acting talent was amazing!)
All in all folks, if you’re a fan of Science Fiction or Horror movies of the 1950s, then you might like this one!
http://youtu.be/YM7b0-HoTlc
