rodrig58 The movie begins with the "end" and ends with "the beginning". It would have been better to hold on and Mr. Corman did not start at all. When I was little I played with my fingers in the dark and in the light of a bulb I got figures of animals, snake, rabbit, etc. on the walls. I also think they have done so to get the shadow of the "monster" on the wall in this awkward movie. The most natural is the donkey, but he dies first. Only after an hour and six minutes we see the "monster", a man with a carnival mask, all ridiculous. Pathetic! If you decide to watch it, you will want it to end faster.

Hitchcoc A pretty decent Roger Corman offering about a group of people who find themselves amid a mountain range that is full of lead after a nuclear holocaust. They include a survivalist and his daughter, a young man knowledgeable in science (handsome Richard Denning), a gangster (played by Mike Connors) and his stripper girlfriend, an old prospector and his donkey, and a poor guy who was caught in the radiation. The dynamics are interesting as food and water run low and they become aware that there are some frightening creatures massing over the rim. It's hard to work together when Connors is constantly on the lookout for a gun he can get his hands on. He also has designs on the young daughter and becomes impatient with his girlfriend. There is some poorly developed science here but, of course, we have to have monsters. Corman doesn't disappoint. Not a bad movie.

gavin6942 In a post-Apocalyptic world after an atomic war seven disparate people find themselves in a protected valley in the home of a survivalist (Paul Birch) and his beautiful daughter (Lori Nelson).Much like other films in Corman's history with American International Pictures, this one allegedly started out with James Nicholson thinking up a title and then commissioning Lou Rusoff to write a script. Basing an entire film off the title may seem silly or dangerous, but it worked -- no money was ever lost."Day the World Ended" can be compared to "Panic in Year Zero", which was another Corman film (produced by Rusoff) about the world shortly after a nuclear explosion. Despite this one featuring a three-eyes, four-armed monster, it feels more real in its portrayal of the world after the bomb. The constant tension is evident, whereas in "Panic" the music seems to negate any level of serious peril...Besides being an early Corman film, the cast has a few names and faces that should be familiar to fans of the 1950s horror and science fiction scene. The lead, Richard Denning, is best known for "Creature From the Black Lagoon". Jonathan Haze was a Corman regular, most notably in "Little Shop of Horrors". Adele Jergens was even married to the Amazing Colossal Man! The monster, created by Paul Blaisdell, may come across as cheesy, but this is all a part of the charm. Blaisdell had made so many great contributions to the science fiction of the 1950s, his name deserves to be better known. He may not be a Stan Winston or Willis O'Brien, but he was important in his own way.Not the best film in Corman's career (it is easily overshadowed by the Poe films), but still a strong part of his earliest days, and well worth a peak from fans. There is enough to love in the film that even picky horror fans should get a smile or two.

MartinHafer The film begins by telling the viewers that there was an all-out nuclear war and almost all the people on the planet are dead. However, a small number of survivors happen upon a home built in a perfect location to avoid nuclear contamination--and coincidentally, they all arrive one after the other within about two minutes! There are some serious problems, though, that hinder their survival. The most pressing is that there just isn't enough food for all of them. Also, there is a contaminated man who has somehow survived but has mutated into a vampire-like thing. But the worst are bizarro monsters--the sort of bug-eyed one that naturally were created by radiation! Will these folks somehow survive? And, given that several of them are complete idiots, do we even want them to?! Among the humans is a total sleaze-bag played by Mike "Touch" Connors (of "Mannix" fame). He constantly is threatening the others, acting like a thug and ogling the pretty young lady who wants nothing to do with him. My question, then, is why didn't they just shoot this guy?! At one point, he tries to take the leader's gun and then promises to kill them--yet they do nothing! So, he tries it again later--yet they do nothing! He even attempts to rape one of the women and murders another. You'd think that enough would be enough!! His character is simply a very broad caricature of a hoodlum--too broad. And, the rest of the folks are simply too stupid to live! In addition to Mr. Mannix, the contaminated guy develops a taste for fresh, raw meat and begins talking about the deaths of everyone there at his hand or those of his new 'friends'! Once again, you'd think they would just shoot this guy! In many ways, this plot is a lot like the plot from the Vincent Price film "The Last Man on Earth"--but with stupid bug-eyed monsters. It's the normal survivors versus the mutants. Now that I think about it, it's also a bit like the horrible "Robot Monster"! The end result is quite stupid, though considering the film was made in only nine days on a shoestring budget, it isn't too bad--plus it has a certain kitsch value. It also had a few cool scenes--such as when Connors tosses one of them off a cliff! The basic idea wasn't bad, but shabby writing and a dumb monster sink this film.