B-movies had existed before the 1950s, but this was arguably the decade where that whole genre/type of movie really hit its stride. Low-budget films from this decade that tell stories without too much excess by way of runtime, and usually within the horror or sci-fi genres, still have a certain charm when watched today. There’s also a little more innocence to the B-movies of this era, compared to the also great butsometimes sleazy B-grade movies of, say, the 1980s.
The following titles aim to show the wide range of what can be considered a B-movie, starting with some slightly trashy yet iconic cult classics and ending with some legitimately great genre movies that transcend the typical confines of the B-film.These can all count themselves as some of the best B-movies of the 1950s, with the better ones coming close to A-grade quality (lines get blurred sometimes).
10’Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1957)
Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Plan 9 from Outer Spaceis a film with a certain amount of notoriety attached to it, to say the least. It’s low-budget enough to make most other B-movies look positively A-grade, and is also known for being the final film that screenlegendBela Lugosiever (sort of) appeared in. It’s also a narratively ambitious movie, trying to tell a story that involves people being raised from the dead, an alien invasion, and a universe-threatening conspiracy.
It never really comes together, but anyone going intoPlan 9 from Outer Spacedecades on from its release will be well aware of that, and may be able to get some enjoyment out of it.It’s a novel film and an iconic one as far as low-budget horror movies go, and that makes it, in a way, an important part of film history (similarly notable isthe 1994 biopicEd Wood, about the titular director and with a particular focus on the making ofPlan 9 from Outer Space).
Plan 9 from Outer Space
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9’The Giant Claw' (1957)
Director: Fred F. Sears
Viewed one way,The Giant Clawcould be called one ofthe worst giant monster movies of all time, but viewed in a similar way to the aforementionedPlan 9 from Outer Space, it can be kind of fun. The most striking thing about it is just how odd the giant monster at its center is,looking like a turkey/vulture hybrid that’s dealing with the worst hangover known to mankind (or birdkind).
It’s worth watchingThe Giant Clawjust for those scenes with the big weird bird, because they kind of have to be seen to be believed. And sure, everything outside that can be kind of boring, butThe Giant Clawis thankfully mercifully short, at just 74 minutes, so you don’t have too much to lose by giving it a shot.
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8’House on Haunted Hill' (1959)
Director: William Castle
Alright, now thatPlan 9 from Outer SpaceandThe Giant Claware out of the system, here comes the 1950s B-movies that are genuinely/unironically good.House on Haunted Hillis up there as one ofthe most enjoyable horror movies of its decade, with a simple premise: there’s a spooky house, and a group of people have been told that if they can survive an entire night in said house, they’ll walk away with a decent cash prize.
It’s basically the perfect premise for a B-grade horror movie with a limited budget, given all the action takes place inside the one location and there’s not really any need for a large cast.House on Haunted Hilldoesn’t necessarily exceed expectations, but it does deliver what you’d hope based on its title and premise, and that ends up being enough.
House on Haunted Hill
Frederick Loren has invited five strangers to a party of a lifetime. He is offering each of them $10,000 if they can stay the night in a house. But the house is no ordinary house. This house has a reputation for murder. Frederick offers them each a gun for protection. They all arrived in a hearse and will either leave in it $10,000 richer or leave in it dead!
7’A Bucket of Blood' (1959)
Director: Roger Corman
One reason the 1950s is considered a strong decade for B-movies is that it was whenRoger Cormanbegan producing and directing low-budget movies, making his start here and continuing to do so (producing more than directing as the years went on)for decades to come. Some of his initial efforts are a little rough, to say the least, butA Bucket of Bloodstands as a highlight of his early years in the film industry.
A Bucket of Bloodbenefits fromcombining a horror-heavy storyline with some dark comedy, and the fact it doesn’t take itself too seriously makes it easier to enjoy. It follows an accident-prone artist as he begins to find certain violent acts improve his success as an up-and-coming sculptor, with the plot doing a surprisingly good job at tracking his moral descent while being very funny and quite entertaining.
A Bucket of Blood
6’The Blob' (1958)
Director: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.
Nowadays,Steve McQueenis probably best known for being part ofa great escape inThe Great Escape, not to mention drivingalmost as fast as a bullet inBullitt, but his breakout role came a little earlier, in 1958’sThe Blob. Even outside the fact that a future legend was a lead character here,The Blobis still enough of a curiosity to check out, and it certainly contains a unique movie monster.
That titular monster is indeed referred to as the Blob, and it terrorizes a small town by spreading, expanding, and growing, engulfing all the things and people that it comes into contact with.The Blobhas a premise so simple it might well sound stupid, but it has fun with the concept andprovides solid entertainment value for those who like their horror quick, simple, and with something of a sci-fi sheen.
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5’The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms' (1953)
Director: Eugène Lourié
1954 was the year giant monster movies changed forever, thanks to that being when the first of manyGodzillamovies was released. However, one year before that film, there wasThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which also involved atomic weapons and a giant monster. Here, though, it’s an atomic bomb blast that awakens – rather than creates – a frozen dinosaur, and New York City ends up being in danger, rather than Tokyo.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathomsis pretty no-nonsense, simply following various (comparatively) small people as they plan how to take down this new threat. Thespecial effects work for the time is all pretty strong, and there’s a good deal of entertainment value to be found here.Though it didn’t start a decades-long franchise,The Beast from 20,000 Fathomsstill shouldn’t be overlooked or forgotten about.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
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4’The Fly' (1958)
Director: Kurt Neumann
The Fly’sremake in 1986 is probably more well-known than this 1958 original. Indeed, that one packs more of a punch, beinggenuinely gross and a great deal more disturbing. But the originalThe Flyis still a solid sci-fi/horror movie for its time, and has a comparable premise, following the disasters that befall an inventor who’s working on a matter transportation device.
Just like in most movies revolving around experimentation, something goes wrong, and the scientist begins to change gradually in ways that suggest he’s becoming a fly.Again, it’s not nearlyas scary as David Cronenberg’sThe Fly, but it’s possible to imagine this 1958 version unsettling audiences at the time, and it’s still creative and well-paced enough to satisfy modern-day fans of this era’s horror movies.
Industrialist François Delambre is called late at night by his sister-in-law, Helene Delambre, who tells him that she has just killed her husband, André. Reluctant at first, she eventually explains to the police that André invented a matter transportation apparatus and, while experimenting on himself, a fly entered the chamber during the matter transference.
3’Them!' (1954)
Director: Gordon Douglas
Keeping the insect theme going,Them!might not have flies likeThe Fly, but itdoes have giant ants causing havoc and death. That’s really all you need to say to sell the movie, with these gigantic ants being such a severe threat that the story involves the U.S. Army being called in to deal with the lot ofThemin the desert before they can travel far enough to destroy populated areas.
Also worth mentioning from the 1950s isTarantula, which – you guessed it – has a giant tarantula as the key creature that needs to be stopped, but Them! is probably the best of the giant insect movies released this decade.It’s funny how bothThem!andTarantulaalso have future well-known actors in small unnamed roles; inThem!,Leonard Nimoyappears as “Army Sergeant,” while inTarantula,Clint Eastwoodappears as “Jet Pilot.”
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2’The Incredible Shrinking Man' (1957)
Director: Jack Arnold
The Incredible Shrinking Manhas a title that might suggest cheesiness awaits those who choose to watch it, but the film’s actually surprisingly good, being one of those movies with B-grade energy that exceeds expectations and transcends boundaries. The title tells you pretty much all you need to know narratively: there’s a man, and he gradually decreases in size more and more as the film goes along.
As a science fiction movie,The Incredible Shrinking Manis genuinely very good, and there’s always a sense of escalation as the world becomes larger and more dangerous for the central character with every passing scene.Special effects are used creatively to illustrate this journey, and a good deal of the film holds up well, making it one of thebest movies of its kind released during the 1950s.
The Incredible Shrinking Man
1’Forbidden Planet' (1956)
Director: Fred M. Wilcox
A good many B-movies were immortalized in theopening song ofThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, andof them, there’s an argument to be made thatForbidden Planetis the best. It’s the sort of film that kind of feels like a B-movie, but is also of such a high quality that there’s a certain amount of guilt that comes with labeling it as such.
It’s asci-fi film inspired byShakespeare,starring a youngLeslie Nielsen, and revolving around a mind-bending search for a scientific expedition that’s been missing for 20-ish years. It has a kind of style that has come to represent science fiction from the 1950s, having a great deal of charm while also just telling an interesting story and being surprisingly strong from a technical perspective.Forbidden Planetis a well-oiled machine of a movie, and, if it counts as a B-film, it’s the best one of its decade.
