Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)

By John Chard

Rock Lobster and the Skeleton Crew. An alien race come to earth with less than honourable motives in their genes... Gargons Will Rule The Universe! Ah, well, one needs to have a modicum of interest in the "Z" grade sci-fi schlocker craze of the 1950s to even watch this picture. To understand why it exists, with a knowledge of budget restrictions etc, allowances can be made. Yet it's so dreadfully performed and constructed it asks for giant leaps of faith even from the most hardened of cult schlock fans. In truth there's only enough material here to have filled a half hour Twilight Zone episode, in fact thinking about the acting this would have made a good silent feature. There's some fun in the ray guns used, which reduce living beings to skeletons, and the flying saucer is funky, hell there's even the notion that aliens get horny as well. But come the time when the rock lobster puts in a show, you wont know whether to laugh or cry... 3/10