Devil Girl From Mars (1954)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1954
Running Times: 77 mins
Format:
Ratio: black and white     35mm
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Copyright: © MCMLIV by Gigi Productions Ltd
Production Companies: British Lion Film Corporation Ltd presents Danziger Productions Ltd / Gigi Productions
Produced by: The Danzigers  Edward J. Danziger, Harry Lee Danziger
Production Manager: Jack Martin

SCRIPT
Screenplay by: James Eastwood
From the play by: John C. Mather and James Eastwood

DIRECTION
Directed by: David MacDonald
Asst Director: Max Varnel

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jack E. Cox
Chief Electrician: Louis H. Lavelly

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Brough Taylor

MUSIC
Music Composed and Conducted by: Edwin Astley
Orchestrations by: Albert Elms

SOUND
Sound: Bert Ross and Red Law
Sound Editor: Gerald Anderson
Western Electric Recording

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make-up: George Partleton
Miss Laffan's Costume Designed by: Ronald Cobb

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Director of Special Effects: Jack Whitehead

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Norman Arnold

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Betty Forster
Collection and Restoration: Wade Williams Productions Inc

LOCATIONS
Studio: Shepperton Studios, London, England

CAST
Hugh McDermott (Michael Carter)
Hazel Court (Ellen Prestwick)
Peter Reynolds (Robert Justin / Albert Simpson)
Adrienne Corri (Doris)
Joseph Tomelty (Professor Arnold Hennessey)
Sophie Stewart (Mrs Jamieson)
John Laurie (Mr Jamieson)
Patricia Laffan (Nyah)
Anthony Richmond (Tommy)
James Edmund (David)
Stuart Hibberd (news reader)

PLOT SUMMARY

The patrons of a remote Scottish pub, including an escaped prisoner on the run from the law, are the only witnesses to the arrival of an alien spacecraft. The ship's only crewmembers, the alien Nyah and her robot servant, have come to Earth in search of men to take home as breeding stock.

Never once escaping its roots as a stage play, Devil Girl from Mars is one of the strangest and silliest movies ever made by the British film industry. Never quite hitting the depths of the dire Fire Maidens From Outer Space (1956), it's nonetheless almost entirely terrible – but it's undeniably a lot of fun. Patricia Laffan cuts a fine, fetishistic figure as the invading dominatrix, her cardboard box robot is hilarious and there are actually a few good ideas hidden away among the poor acting, stilted direction and clumsy dialogue. Rewarding enough in its own limited way so long as you don't try to take it as seriously as the cast clearly did.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: London Films (International)

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Spartan Films; Wade Williams Productions Inc
Video Distributor: Englewood Entertainment; MPI Home Video; Nostalgia Merchant; Rhino Video; Sinister Cinema; Something Weird Video
DVD Distributors: Englewood Entertainment; Image Entertainment (ID 8589 CODVD)

1955
April
27: USA – theatrical release

2000
March
21: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment (ID 8589 CODVD))

Invasion from outer space!

The fantastic night of terror that menaced the fate of the world!

Earth Menaced By Fantastic Powers

SEE ALSO
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Bride of Monster Mania (2000)

MAGAZINES

The Dark Side no.47 (July 1995) p.22 (UK)
review (by Allan Bryce)

Filmfax no.51 p.20 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Shock Xpress vol.2 p.92
review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

aliens, dominatrix, escaped convicts, flying saucers, giant robots, journalists, killer robots, martians, play into film, pubs, ray guns, reporters, robots, scotland, ufos

Last Updated: 1 May, 2009