The wife and I were looking for something to watch together last night. Scanning our DVD shelf with the mood for a monster movie, I noticed our roughly-alphabetical storage system had the original The Thing right next to Them!

Oh, what a great double-bill that was! The seminal 50s "watch the skies" film followed by the seminal 50s a-bomb mutant giant bug film! And it turns out Mary had never seen The Thing all the way thru, and she loved it.

It didn't even occur to me until I started Them right after The Thing that I'd chosen a James Arness double-bill too! :lol:

The original "TheThing" is a great classic!
The cast gives a great perfomance even in todays standards. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

No doubt about it, two of the great Sci-fi films from the 50's. It still amazes me how well those 2 films still hold up. I must've seen both of them a dozen times a piece, yet I never tire of them. Can't say that about too many current movies.

No doubt about it, two of the great Sci-fi films from the 50's. It still amazes me how well those 2 films still hold up. I must've seen both of them a dozen times a piece, yet I never tire of them. Can't say that about too many current movies.

Can't say that about too many Sci-Fi films from the 50s either. ;)

Both good films...and the John Carpenter remake of The Thing was excellent as well...

Two of my favorites! The Thing makes me feel claustrophobic everytime I watch it. THEM! I just love the scenes at the LA aquaduct and the sound of the Ants!Doesnt get much better than that.

Can't say that about too many Sci-Fi films from the 50s either. ;)

Well, of course it all comes down to personal tastes but I can think of several 50's Sci-fi movies I've seen more than once.

Forbidden Planet
This Island Earth
The Day The Earth Stood Still
When Worlds Collide
Invaders From Mars
War Of The Worlds
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Gojira/Godzilla
Ray Harryhausen's sci-fi films

While that's a small number compared to all the sci-fi films made in the 50's it's still not a bad list for one decade. I can't think of that many sci-fi films from the 80's or 90's that I would watch more than once.

I can't think of that many sci-fi films from the 80's or 90's that I would watch more than once.

Conan
Empire Strikes Back
Aliens
Mad Max 2
Abyss
Dark Crystal
Dune
Predator
Highlander
Wrath of Khan
Terminator
War Games

Those are a few from the 80's of the top of my head.

Both good films...and the John Carpenter remake of The Thing was excellent as well...

Part of the reason for picking the film was that I just read the original story "Who Goes There", probably for the first time, that afternoon.

carpenter's film is MUCH closer to the original story. But it doesn't matter, 'cause the original film is just SO darn good on its own!

Well, of course it all comes down to personal tastes but I can think of several 50's Sci-fi movies I've seen more than once.

Forbidden Planet
This Island Earth
The Day The Earth Stood Still
When Worlds Collide
Invaders From Mars
War Of The Worlds
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Gojira/Godzilla
Ray Harryhausen's sci-fi films

While that's a small number compared to all the sci-fi films made in the 50's it's still not a bad list for one decade. I can't think of that many sci-fi films from the 80's or 90's that I would watch more than once.

I like all the movies on your list. Didn't realise you were referring strictly to "Sci-Fi" when talking about "current" movies.

I like all the movies on your list. Didn't realise you were referring strictly to "Sci-Fi" when talking about "current" movies.

My bad! I was kind of limiting it to Sci-fi since John was mentioning sci-fi films at the start. Yeah, if you look at all films made there are certainly films made in the 60's on forward that I would give more than one viewing.

Makes me wanna drag out my "Them!" project again. An underground diorama of the LA sewer system. I got the Heller giant ant kits and a couple of Jeep kits, and a complex little maze of 4" PVC pipe.

Try these:

1.Day the Earth Stood Still
2. Earth vs the Flying Saucers

1. 20 Million Miles to Earth
2. Tarantula

1. Them!
2. Deadly Mantis

1. Monolith Monsters
2. Die, Monster, Die!

1. Thing from another Planet
2. Beast from 20 Thousand Fathoms

1. This Island Earth
2. War of the Worlds

1. Invaders from Mars
2. It! the Terror from Space

1. Ledgend of Hell House
2. The Excorcist

1. Dracula(Langela)
2. Vampires

1. Alien
2. Aliens

JP - Which release of "Who goes there?" did you read?

My dad had the a hard cover edition that I read while in grade school. It had a blue-green color dust wrap with the Thing having yellow eyes. This version came out when the movie was released, and mentions the movie on the cover. To cap it off, it was autographed by John W. Campbell.
We lost it in a flood in 1972, and I've been looking for it on and off for years now. I had wanted to replace it for him before he died. While I don't have the motivation like before, I wouldn't mind finding a copy at a reasonable price.


BTW, your thread title remined me of the opening song to The Rocky Horror Show, "Science Fiction Double Feature"

Michael Rennie was ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there
In silver underwear
Claude Rains was The Invisible Man
Then something went wrong
For Fay Wray and King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
Then at a deadly pace
It Came From Outer Space
And this is how the message ran...

Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature
Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature
See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show


I knew Leo G. Carroll
Was over a barrel
When Tarantula took to the hills
And I really got hot
When I saw Janette Scott
Fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills
Dana Andrews said prunes
Gave him the runes
And passing them used lots of skills
But When Worlds Collide
Said George Pal to his bride
I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills
Like a...


Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature
Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature
See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show
I wanna go - Oh oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show
By R.K.O. - Wo oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show
In the back row - Oh oh oh oh
To the late night, double feature, picture show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Science Fiction Double Feature", as performed by "the Lounge-O-Leers"

DSL/Cable http://www.loungeoleers.com/soundsfol/ScienceFictionFolder/SciFi1.html

Dial-up http://www.loungeoleers.com/soundsfol/ScienceFictionFolder/SciFi2.html

Dave

JP - Which release of "Who goes there?" did you read?


Actually it's in a recently released collection of SF short stories from Baen. David Weber, David Drake, Eric Flint and Baen got together and collected their favorite pulp stories that inspired them to become writers. It's a great collection of stuff ranging from 1933 thru the 50s. The title of the collection is "The World Turned Upside-Down."

Actually it's in a recently released collection of SF short stories from Baen. David Weber, David Drake, Eric Flint and Baen got together and collected their favorite pulp stories that inspired them to become writers. It's a great collection of stuff ranging from 1933 thru the 50s. The title of the collection is "The World Turned Upside-Down."

Sounds like a fun read for the Summer.

Last month I watched The Thing, and THEM. Both are still scary to me. I prefer the older films, because of the people, and stories. Newer ones are more FX, and shock value.