 |
|
In recent issues, we've looked at a couple of British sci-fi monster flicks from the Fifties, both of which starred American actor Forrest Tucker. Now we're turning our attention to a British sci-fi monster flick from the Sixties, this time starring American actor John Saxon. In this later entry, we're again confronted with scientists and the military having to deal with a very intelligent (and quite ruthless) alien invader. This still makes for an intriguing film premise, but by this time the concept had worn a little thin. Add some big goofs in plotting and production and we find this time around that this is...
1965’s The Night Caller is another entry in the string of British horror-sci-fi films of the Fifties and Sixties. This film is also known as Night Caller From Outer Space, which is the title on the cover of the DVD. Here’s the info from the Internet Movie Database: Directed by: John Gilling Cast overview, first billed only: John Saxon....Dr. Jack Costain Okay, let’s dive right in. The film starts with a blip on a very scientific looking machine, resembling an oscilloscope. Dr. Morley (Maurice Denham) watches the blip. I thought I recognized his name but I think I was thinking of Denhom Elliot, a character actor I rather like. Maurice Denham fits the part of the slightly pre-occupied but brilliant scientist. Dr. Morley calls Dr. Jack Costain (John Saxon) over to see the blip. They agree the blip may be a meteor.
Their assistant, Ann Barlow (Patricia Haines), tracks what’s probably the same meteor on another scope. She tells them it’s heading straight for London. At the last minute, the "meteor" changes course and doesn’t burn up or hit London. This is the inciting incident that gets things rolling. We cut to a beautiful black and white shot of London as the "meteor" rushes across the sky in the background. A Bobby Darin-ish crooner sings the beautiful title ballad as we appreciate the shot of London. This is such a beautiful start to the film. The choice of a ballad as the theme song signifies a director with good musical taste, a good sense of humor, or both.
The next morning, Drs. Costain and Morley head out to find their meteor. As they approach the area where the meteor should have landed, the British army stops them. The scientists are taken to the Major in charge (John Carson). Dr. Morley talks the Major into letting them provide scientific advice, especially since, as Dr. Morley points, they have "top secret double A" clearance. This was one of a number of scenes where I didn’t know if the humor was intentional or not. "Top secret double A clearance." Could go either way. The Major is so impressed with the scientists clearance, he fesses up that they can’t find the meteor. He says "We’ve had the whole heath ringed and there’s no meteor." Great line, that. Had the "heath ringed." An American would have said "We can’t find shit." Doesn’t have the same "ring" to it. The Army personnel finally find a basketball-sized sphere in the middle of a field. The sphere is extremely cold. The scientists are sure it’s their meteor. (Just an aside here; John Saxon makes an incredible attempt to face the camera at all costs. I know it’s a good acting ploy but it also pulls the viewer out of the scene. It pulls me out, at least.) So, the scientists talk the Major into letting them take the sphere back to their lab. The Major puts the place under super security just in case it’s an atomic device. Once the Major leaves, the scientists huddle and agree that 1) the sphere is from outer space and 2) the less the military knows about it, the better. The scientists put the sphere in a small room off the lab. Once Dr. Morley leaves, Dr. Costain puts the moves on Ann. She rebuffs him in a friendly way. She’s attractive, but the tension in her face makes her look like a constipated Angelina Jolie. But, she’s the only woman in the room. Costain leaves, leaving Anne alone. She tries to type but keeps shaking her head like she’s been drugged. Meanwhile, Morley and the Major report to the Major’s superior, but they can’t make themselves understood. It might be the creature scrambling the lines, or it might be another attempt at humor, I can’t tell. It almost seems like the director gave them direction that didn’t coincide with their dialogue, like "this should be like a "Who’s on First" routine but there are no funny lines. It could also be a cultural gap, proving the adage that Britain and the U.S. are two countries separated by a common language. Anyway, back to Ann. As she rubs her eyes, she notices a glow coming from the sphere room. She fights unconsciousness, and then looks back. The glow is gone. This segment was well shot, like a vintage Twilight Zone episode. She finally opens the door, but doesn’t go in. Then a cheesy clawed hand, a rubber one from a masquerade shop, reaches out and grabs her wrist. She pulls free and sounds the alarm. That claw shatters whatever tension was built by the solid direction of the scene. Maybe the target audience was pre-teen boys. Kids are about the only audience members who could suspend their disbelief enough to buy into that claw. Responding to the alarm, the Major and his troops rush into the lab and check out the sphere room. There’s no one there. Anne tells them about the claw but no one believes her. The Major checks with the Corporal outside who verifies no one entered or left the building. The Major is actually the most well developed character in the movie. He speaks his mind often, telling the scientists they’re daft in subtle ways, but he goes along with everything they want to do. Anne tells the Major about the glowing room and that she almost fainted before she saw the claw. The Major says he’ll escort her home, obviously not believing her. She’s rightly frustrated but agrees to leave. Then, as soon as everyone leaves the room, the sphere glows. The next day, when Dr. Corstain goes to bring the sphere in to examine it, he finds dirt on the floor. He looks outside the window and sees footprints.
The scientists make a cast of the foot and study it. It looks like an alien foot but the Major thinks it’s a practical joke. Dr. Morley learns the local television station was disrupted by intense signals emanating from the laboratory at 9 p.m. This convinces the scientists that the sphere is an energy transmitter. Remember earlier I said the ballad at the beginning meant the director might have a sense of humor? Well we have another attempt at comedy scene with two army guys speculating on what might pop out of the sphere as they guard it. Just doesn’t work. Like they say – dying is easy; comedy is hard.
Later that night, Dr. Morley insists on being locked in the room with the sphere at 9 p.m. night so he can see if there’s going to be another transmission from the sphere. He says he’s not to be let out for any reason. I couldn’t help but think of a similar scene in Young Frankenstein. Now, there, the comedy worked. The others listen in the next room as Morley tells them the sphere is starting to activate. Then, of course, the radio signal jams. When they pick up the signal again, Morley says the sphere is glowing and causing a great pain in his head. Morley tells them as the sphere changes shape. He says he can’t stand it anymore. The Major wants to let him out but Dr. Corstain stops him. He seems unreasonable, but he points out that Dr. Morley can leave the room whenever he wants to.
Morley drops his glasses and looks up to see a blurred image of the creature. Then there’s silence. Back in the lab, Anne merely whispers "Stop it" and the Major and Dr. Corstain run into the other room. Morley’s dead and the sphere is gone and there’s shooting outside. I’m starting to notice some flaws in the script. The Major argued with Corstain at length to not release Morley, but Anne merely whispers "Get him" and they all rush to Morley’s aid. She’s basically an assistant. Why do they jump when she says that? And what about these supposed comedy scenes? Are they supposed to be funny? It’s not clear.
Outside, the army personnel watch the creature steel a jeep. They shoot at it but it gets away. We get another shot of the cheesy claw on the steering wheel as the creature drives away, hitting and killing the Major. That’s not good. The Major was the most interesting character. Through the news headlines, we jump ahead a month. Dr. Corstain meets a police inspector from Scotland Yard, Superintendent Hartley (Alfred Burke). Hartley tells Corstain that someone has been abducting women and Scotland Yard can’t catch him. Corstain believes it’s the creature (whom they dub "Smith") and tells Hartley everything he knows about him.
They both go to interview the parents of the last girl who went missing. They learn the girl got a new, secret job, her employer gave her a strange photograph of herself, and the mother believes her employer was the creepy guy who came to her house one night. They believe she’s posing for the magazine Bikini Girl. Hartley asks if they have a copy. Dad sheepishly pulls a copy out from under the cushion he’s sitting on. Hee hee. His daughter’s posing in dirty magazine and she’s missing and may be dead. This film stumbles and falls every time it shoots for humor. We cut to a young woman as she searches a large, rather vacant office building. She finds Orion Enterprises and enters. A door opens the there’s Mr. Medra, obviously the Night Caller. As she enters, the door closes behind her.
He hypnotizes her, then reaches out with his flawed clawed hand and caresses her face. Cut. Sup. Hartley finds an ad for young girls and has a cop check all the girls who answered the ad. They tie Medra to Smith through his car, which was stolen from the army base. The filmmakers made a big mistake here. Dr. Corstain, our supposed protagonist, drops out of the picture and Hartley takes over the search for the alien. This breaks one of the basic rules of screenwriting--one hero; one villain. It feels like the spine of the film has some vertebrae missing.
The police find 201 applications to Medra so they search for his office, Orion Enterprises. Hartley meets with Thorborn, the owner of a sleazy bookstore, played by the excellent character actor Aubrey Morris (Mr. P. R. Deltoid, Alex’s "Post Corrective Advisor" in A Clockwork Orange.) Thorborn tells Hartley that Medra is meeting the girls at his bookstore later tonight. Hartley says he’ll send men out. As Scotland Yard plans an ambush, Dr. Corstain joins the film again, but more as an advisor than hero. He says the police will never catch the alien with an ambush. Corstain pulls out a map showing the cops Jupiter 3, where he believes the alien came from. I guess his logic is if the alien got from Jupiter to earth, then the cops can’t outsmart him. Then Anne announces she’s made an appointment with Medra ("Smith", the alien, the Night Caller… confusing, huh?) tonight so the police can get him. Dr. Corstain is against this plan. She says he’s not the boss of her. She doesn’t think Medra will hurt her. The cops are all for it, too, cause they can sit back and watch her get killed.
The cops surround the bookstore. Then we have a strange scene where Hartley and Corstain are in an apartment room. Hartley looks out the window but Corstain just stands there smoking till Hartley calls him over. You’d think he’d be interested in watching. Anyway, Anne enters the bookstore and we get our first scary image. Thorborn lies dead, unseen by Anne, in a room off the side of the entrance. It’s a pretty disturbing site. And we get treated to a close up of it later. Then Medra calls out to Anne and asks why she asked for the interview. She says she was interested in the ad. He asks if she’s a professional model. She says yes. But he doesn’t believe her.
Back in the apartment, Corstain says he’s giving her three minutes but then he doesn’t do anything. You’d think he might have learned something when Dr. Morley died, but no. This is one slow scientist. Back in the shop, Medra’s on to Anne. He gets her to admit everything. She says they believe he’s so smart, he’s not really violent. He says his people have suffered from violence just as we have. He says the problem of life is there’s always an enemy. He’s afraid of her because she’s as smart as he is. Then he slashes her face and strangles her. Then, there’s a an unintentionally hilarious cut to Dr. Corstain saying "Okay, let’s go." When Corstain and the police storm the bookstore, they find Anne dead.
So, back to the drawing board. Dr. Corstain thinks Medra’s the first of an invasion. He figures out a way to find out where Medra’s headquarters are through silly pseudo science. I must say I totally lost interest at this point. So I’ll just list the formulaic scenes that lead to the inevitable shot of Medra leaving earth forever. The police put an announcement out on TV not to answer any Medra ads.
Hartley goes to talk to Medra’s last victim. The police raid Orion Enterprises and find the place abandoned. Hartley spies on Medra's last victim and watches her leave her flat. He follows her. Corstain figures out where the sphere is. He and the Yard head out.
Everyone meets at a burnt out building. Medra steps out of the ruins in front of the sphere. He tells them he’s leaving. He says a thousand years ago they came to earth but couldn’t live there, yada yada yada and he’s keeping the women he abducted. Then he disappears and the sphere takes off. The end. So, in summary, what could have been a smart, Twilight Zone-type of sci-fi thriller was pretty much botched by bad writing and poor FX. Next month we’ll take a look at a film with a similar story line, but one that gets just about everything right: The Cosmic Man. See ya then. Thanks, Jeff. It's true that this film does have a problem with that rubber hand...a little clever makeup on an actual hand would have been loads less risible. And there does seem to be some disconnects in the plot...everyone waffles 'way too long and people get killed needlessly. But it does have a refreshingly matter-of-fact approach to the fantastic about it, almost a documentary feel, and the intelligent but ruthless alien creates a sense of dread, especially when he proves so elusive. So, Night Caller From Outer Space is a mixed bag as a sci-fi monster flick--worth a look, but not worth special mention. Article copyright © Jeff Beres |
