O2D The "Beast" is an alien we never see,who telepathically talks to earthlings.He doesn't have a million eyes,his "space ship,as you call it"(the best alien line ever)makes an ear piercing sound that makes all the animals(and dumber humans) his slaves.It starts with a stuffed bird bouncing off a windshield and the wackiness continues with a dog that gingerly smashes a door in with its snout. The aliens need our planet for some reason that I can't remember but 4 people in the desert show them that humans are too strong to be taken over. Instead of doing the "long quiet walk" time killer, they have some story about this dumb family that makes no sense. The last minute of the movie sees a horrible attempt at comedy and then we learn a lesson. This review was less confusing than the movie. This review was deleted for no reason and they say I have to change stuff.

classicsoncall Maybe a little bait and switch going on with the title? I didn't see any beast to speak of, and the million eyes? Sorry, just one big one at the end of the picture framing what might have been a bat. But at least my perception of the alien space ship was seconded by many other reviewers for the picture - it looked to me like a tricked out coffee pot! You know what was really bizarre? After that lengthy conversation between Mom Carol (Lorna Thayer) and daughter Sandy (Dona Cole) on why they call the creepy looking caretaker guy 'Him', because they didn't know what his name was and the poor mute couldn't tell anyone, guess what? It must have been a secret Dad Allan (Paul Birch) didn't share with anyone because all of a sudden he began calling the guy Carl. What was that all about? Well I don't go out of my way to see a Roger Corman film, but if one shows up on TCM or any other cable channel I'm not about to let it pass by without a look. This one had the same kind of dystopian feel as Corman's later picture "The Last Woman on Earth", with the same minimalist trappings and scant cast of characters. But then again, where else would you find a German Shepherd, a cow, some chickens and a bunch of birds all going berserk at the same time. Well wait a minute, I wonder if Hitchcock ever saw this film.Catching this picture on Turner Classics the other night I was surprised to see host Ben Mankiewicz conducting a short interview with Roger Corman himself! I don't know when that segment was originally produced but Corman looked absolutely great (ninety years old this year!) and not at all like I pictured him. Among other things, Corman explained what it was like making pictures on a limited budget, his preference actually because the bigger the budget, the more accountability there was to the studio financing the picture. This one looked like there was no accountability at all.

mark.waltz Poor old Caroline won't let anybody milk her. Black birds attack, and Tippi Hedren is nowhere in sight. Old Duke bares his fangs and scares mother into pet-o-side. A mute ranch hand gets tired of the naked pin-ups in his Jud Fry like guest room in the barn and heads out into the desert, beckoned by some high-pitched sound. And poor mother can't even make a cake, burning it twice. It's her daughter's birthday, and while this family is obviously estranged, she's going to try. Will she wrap up the dead dog in a huge box with a bow on it as her present? All these questions and more await you in the Donna Reed Show of science fiction movies.Actually, this is more of a survival film than science fiction, that element totally understated. In one sense, that makes you want to like it more, because it's more psychological than supernatural. There are definite comical moments, particularly silent comic Chester Conklin's issues concerning trying to milk his beloved cow, but that unfortunately leads to tragedy. There are some very tense moments, but the final confrontation with the visitor from outer space is totally silly, with the vision of some kind of creature (a spider with one huge eye it looked like) inside the spaceship. Acting is OK with Lorna Thayer a bit emotionally over the top as the mother. Paul Birch tries to remain dignified throughout the proceedings. Dick Sargent has a small role as a local law enforcement officer. You won't totally hate it, but most likely, you'll just find it rather unsatisfying.

gavin6942 A dysfunctional family operating an isolated date farm in the California desert is threatened by the arrival of an extra-terrestrial.This film was made by American Releasing Corporation, the company that later became American International Pictures. This puts it firmly in the realm of Sam Arkoff, John Nicholson and Roger Corman. Corman produced this picture, and allegedly he helped direct it. Furthermore, it was apparently done on a budget of only $29,000 and using a tea kettle as the monster. A tea kettle? Yes.Sadly, it is rather disappointing as nothing much happens. Not even throwing Dick Sargent in the mix can save things. For Corman or AIP enthusiasts, it is a must see, but beyond that it does not have all that much to offer.