It Came from Outer Space (1953)

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

[6] Richard Carlson (Creature from the Black Lagoon) stars as an amateur astronomer who sees a spaceship crash in the Arizona desert. He tries to tell the community about it, but no one believes him -- especially after the crater…
Godzilla (1954)

Godzilla (1954)

[7] Underwater hydrogen bomb testing awakens a prehistoric monster from the depths of the ocean in this Japanese classic that launched a mighty franchise still active today. Godzilla is a lot like King Kong or the Universal Monster Movies in…
Village of the Damned (1960)

Village of the Damned (1960)

[7] One day in an English village, everyone drops unconscious for several hours. People outside the village discover the phenomenon and investigate. When they step inside the perimeter, they, too, fall unconscious. The terrifying mystery resolves as quickly as it…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

[8] Philip Kaufman enhances the creepiness and desperation in this superior retelling of the classic tale of alien menace and paranoia. The terrific cast includes Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy. Ben Burtt provides the…
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

[4] Aliens in flying saucers contact a scientist about their plan to enslave all the humans of Earth! This atomic age flick is slow going until the last ten minutes, when effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen gets to destroy Washington D.C.…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

[7] The residents of a small California town are slowly being replaced by otherworldly "pod people" and it's up to Kevin McCarthy and Carolyn Jones to warn the rest of the world about the invasion. This original film version is…
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

[5] This monster romp was the first solo effort by effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. All the stop-motion animation has the usual Harryhausen charm, including a famous scene where the dinosaur rages down Wall Street and chomps on a policeman. Unfortunately,…
Them! (1954)

Them! (1954)

[6] Often regarded the best of the atomic age 'giant critter' flicks, Them! is best in the beginning, during two police officers' discovery of a little girl roaming the desert in a catatonic state. Looking for her family, they come…
Matinee (1992)

Matinee (1992)

[7] John Goodman stars as a schlock filmmaker previewing his latest atomic horror flick during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The script by Charlie Haas draws clunky parallels between the real life threat of nuclear destruction and the…
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

[5] This atomic-age monster movie features a giant octopus that attacks San Francisco. With the help of special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, the creature topples some skyscrapers and whacks a piece out of the Golden Gate bridge. Unfortunately, the visual…