Review of Teenagers from Outer Space (1959) by John M — 01 Jul 2010

Great, bad movie! Producer, director, writer, editor, actor and prophet Tom Graeff crafted this exuberant, laughable spectacle as the '50s came to a close and a new era unfolded. Inspired by Roger Corman's work ethic, Graeff assembled cast and crew and twenty grand to complete his vision, originally conceived as The Boy from Out of This World. And this movie really is out of this world.

The bad acting, ridiculous dialogue and wacky premise regularly amounts to outright dismissal of Teenagers From Outer Space, but there is such a earnestness to the film that it cannot be denied or forgotten. From the opening philosophical scene of astronomers reflecting on the lonely, existential state of our place in the universe, Graeff takes us on a personal, subtextual, ludicrous journey.

Searching for a distant planet to raise their herd of Gargon (lobsters on steroids), alien scouts land on planet Earth. One sensitive soul, the alien Derek, tries to convince his fellow aliens that Earth would not be a good choice as the intelligent life would soon be overtaken by the growing Gargon. He flees the group and is hunted down by the agressive Thor as the others return to their planet to bring back the Gargons.

Derek meets a young woman and her grandpa and finds the love he lacks on his home planet. Extended chase finds Thor continually just missing Derek and taking his frustrations out by blasting the flesh off of the Earthlings who happen to cross his path. The final scene depicts a self-sacrificing Derek rising Christ-like above the ashes in a vision that brings smiles and awestruck wonder at what came before.

Reviews of Teenagers from Outer Space often make comparisons to the so-bad-it's-good movies of Ed Wood and they do have one thing in common -- Harvey B. Dunn. Harvey B. Dunn appeared in four Edward D. Wood, Jr. films: the TV pilot Crossroad Avenger, Bride of the Monster, Night of the Ghouls and The Sinister Urge. His character here is the loveable sap, Gramps Morgan, and he provides one of the better performances. Tom Graeff himself appears as the inept reporter who fails to register connections between the flying saucer sightings and the new arrivals in strange suits bearing ray guns. Being a gay man, Graeff also fails to register chemistry with his supposed girl friend.

Also like Ed Wood, Graeff's personal life went in a downward spiral after finishing his most widely known work. While he was able to sell the distribution rights to Warner Brothers, who renamed it to cash in on the teenage monster craze and paired it with Gigantis, the Fire Monster (Godzilla Raids Again) for the drive-in circuit, the soul-crushing reviews of his masterpiece resulted in a nervous break-down. He placed classified ads in the L.A. Times claiming he was officially changing his name to Jesus Christ II and sought peace talks with Kruschev. Six days before Christmas, 1970, he committed suicide at the young age of 41. A documentary film about his life is in the works.

Teenagers from Outer Space can be enjoyed on multiple levels. The photography is good; it's in focus; the library music tracks are well-chosen and spooky; it's surprisingly effective at times in its violence and quirky, unexpected twists; it's hilarious when seen with a group of friends and if you know of Tom Graeff's tragic story, it is also a rather heart-wrenching fable of a strange man trapped in a strange land.