A much under-rated sci-fi film! People assume just because Roger Corman produced it, that it is automatically B-movie schlock. Nothing could be further from the truth! It's a genuinely creepy and and imaginative take on the usual "bug-eyed monster" films so common in the Fifties. It presents a an alien that is TRULY alien, and some very unusual and unique ideas on what an alien civilization could be like, and the threat it could present to Earth. Add to this a gutsy female heroine, and it is a movie that any aficionado of Sci-fi should watch!Black and White film was perfect to setup the eerie atmosphere of this story. Forget about the silly 1988 rip-off of the same name, starring ex- porn star Traci Lords. They makers of that may have had 10 times the budget and much more movie technology, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Another classic Sci-fi /Horror genre from the Fabulous Fifties. Roger Corman does it again by drawing curiosity into his audiences imagination. Our story begins with a twisted tale of a Bespectacled rap-around sun glassed Paul Birch as the Alien Mr. Johnson. Johnson has a problem Iron poor blood. How poor? VERY POOR!! Your imagination runs wild as you see the pupil less eyed Mr. Johnson sitting in his easy chair telepathically communicating to his superior on the wall. So many questions hit your mind and the opening credits didn't even appear on the TV. Off to the Doctor's office for some blood and company. Enter the young blonde and vivacious Beverly Garland as Nadine the inquiring Nurse. Johnson is evasive in his explanation of hemoglobin issues. The Nurse passes the buck to her employer Dr. Rochelle played by William Roerick. Johnson uses mind control to have the Doctor fill his every need discreetly. Nurse Nadine has her trepidation about working exclusively for Mr. Johnson at any price. Johnson minus his pupils(EYES), takes it upon himself to drive around town disobeying traffic rules mainly parking Philadelphia style (any direction). Nurse Nadine's boyfriend Harry (Morgan Jones) who happens to be a cop was ready to write out a summons or two to the ailing Mr. Alien but Nurse Nadine comes to his rescue and tells him,"To put the book away, "Mr. Johnson is a sick man." Off to the mansion enter the chauffeur Jeremy (Jonathan Haze)who at first appears uncomfortable in his uniform but questions his bosses strange habits. Nurse Nadine gets comfortable in her new dwelling taking a dip in the pool but notices smoke coming from the house chimney on a 90 degree day. Her curiosity draws her to the basement furnace. Little does she know that Johnson just cremated a Vacuum salesman moments earlier. Speaking of vacuum salesmen, (Dick Miller) does a fine job of acting. Loses the sale and his life but Johnson keeps the vacuum. Throughout this movie Johnson kills his victims and takes their blood. One more tidbit is the umbrella monster that flies through the neighborhood and lands on the poor Doctor.The rest is up to you. In my estimation Paul Birch gave a strong performance in his only leading role. Beverly Garland shows how she landed parts in Hollywood by flaunting her looks. Just a classic from the vault of 50's Horror schlock films.

Roger Corman managed to produce and direct a ton of films that made the most of his very small budgets. Only one of his films failed to make money (and, oddly, it was one of his better films) and he managed to produce some very good films while making a picture in only one or two weeks in some cases! Now I am not saying they are all great art--some (like this film) had their cheesy moments. But they were very entertaining and fun."Not of This Earth" is a film about a bizarre alien who has come to this planet to try to cure his people from their blood disease caused by the 1950s horror, nuclear radiation. While his purpose for coming here is noble, the guy has no emotions and things nothing of experimenting on people or draining them of their blood to keep him alive. And, the way he does it with those cool eyes is something you'll need to see for yourself--as well as the ultra-cheesy creatures at the end of the film.The movie manages to elicit some good tension and chills and the leading man (Paul Birch) manages a weird other-worldly performance that worked very well. He was pretty darn scary. Plus, seeing him dispose of the bodies (such as perennial Corman actor Dick Miller) was pretty intense. Worth seeing--even if it might make you giggle from time to time.

Having only seen this film on TV and in bootleg videos with poor quality, it is great to know that Shout Factory will be releasing the original 1957 Not of This Earth on DVD in January 2011! Great campy fun with the scream queen Beverly Garland at her best. We recently lost Ms. Garland, but she will always be known as Roger Corman's favorite leading lady. Also in the cast as the alien is Paul Birch who also was in the campy Queen of Outer Space and Corman's earlier classic sci-fi film The Day the World Ended as the professor and dad to pretty Lori Nelson. Roger Corman as director really knew how to stretch a budget with Not of This Earth and the black and white photography and score serve to enhance the building suspense. This movie scared me when I was a little kid at the Union Theater in Union, NJ on a double bill with Attack of the Crab Monsters (also on this upcoming DVD). For those fans of Roger Corman's work, I recommend Not of This Earth and for those who wish to discover a little gem of a sci-fi classic, this is the one. Now if they could only get around to It Conquered the World (also with Garland) and a pristine print on DVD of The Wasp Woman that would be great. It's fun to view these 50s sci-fi films which were made on a shoestring but have becoming cult classics all these years later.