Invisible Invaders (1959) User Reviews

Incredibly dumb, but I love it

[KillerCadugen · 6/10 · 17 March 2003]

This is one of the dumbest movies ever made - but I still get a kick out of watching it over and over again. First - John Carradine is vaporized in an atomic lab explosion and yet an invisible invader (which somehow has to drag its feet in the sand as it walks) can still take over the body. Second - if someone got on the P.A. at a hockey game today and said the world is about the end, some of the guys in the cheap seats would go up there and beat him up instead of running away. Third - how many times can they use the same scene of the zombies stumbling down the hill outside the army bunker? This movie is so stupid, it's frightening, but for some reason I love it.

Bulletin: Aliens take over dead bodies to attend a hockey game.

[copper1963 · 5/10 · 20 October 2006]

Spooky little horror film that had tentacles which reached far and wide. Many other filmmakers may have taken a dip in this cinematic pool. Don't snicker. Checkout the walking stiffs in business suits staggering around the countryside. Remind you of anyone? The last survivors--holed up in some sought of army bunker--predict a future bird flick. The clash between scientists, civilians and the military is always a staple of the action genre. There may be others, but I would have to watch it again. I first saw this on Creature Feature back in the 70's. It spooked me out to the degree that I swore off this type of movie until Chiller Theatre came on later that night. I came across it again about a dozen years ago when it turned up on New Year's Eve. Weird. Someone's idea of a joke? Recently, I bought it in tandem with another John Agar film called Journey to the Seventh Planet. John Carradine stumbles around as one of the corpses and does very well. Some of the extensive stock footage defies logic. A plane crashes into a marked bulls-eye on a hillside. It looked like a military training ground. The invaders are defeated with the simplest of weapons. They usually are.

"We cannot be defeated. We have never been defeated!"

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 24 July 2015]

Invisible aliens stationed on the moon have had enough of Earth's atomic tomfoolery. So they use reanimated dead bodies of humans to let the nations of the world know they mean business, delivering an ultimatum that Earth better surrender to them or else! Now a group of people gather together in a bunker laboratory to work on a way to defeat the invisible invaders while zombies lurk outside.

Edward L. Cahn directed this campy and cheap sci-fi movie with a muddled anti-nuke message. The special effects are poor with an overuse of stock footage and a monotone narration (one of the staples of no-budget sci-fi flicks back in the day). Still, Cahn produces a reasonable amount of atmosphere and it kept my interest throughout. The short runtime helps. It stars washed-up stars John Agar, John Carradine, and Robert Hutton, along with Jean Byron (of Patty Duke Show fame) and venerable character actor Philip Tonge. Other reviewers have pointed out that the movie might have inspired Night of the Living Dead. Whether that's truly the case or not, I don't know, but it is certainly something for movie buffs to chew on. Not a particularly good picture but fun in its way. Fans of '50 sci-fi will like it more than most.

The movie that inspired both George Romero and Edward D. Wood, now THAT'S scary.

[reptilicus · 24 March 2001]

Invisible invaders arrive in invisible spaceships and warn Earth they can and will take over the planet in three days. To do this they take over the bodies of the recently dead. Sound familiar? Well hold on because this 1959 thriller got here before PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE (1959), LAST MAN ON EARTH (1962), and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). John Carradine picked up a quick paycheque playing Dr. Karol Noymann, a scientist killed in a lab explosion who becomes the first one resurrected by the aliens. (Interesting enough "Karol Noymann" was also the name of a scientist in the 1957 sci/fi'er THE GIANT CLAW directed by Fred F. Sears. Coincidence?) Air Force officer John Agar and spineless scientist Robert Hutton spend way too much of the 66 minute movie fighting over who gets to fall in love with femme physicist Jean Byron. The briefly seen alien invaders look suspiciously like the title monster in IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE; and since Edward L. Cahn directed both pictures it is highly likely that he did not want to waste a chance to re-use the costume. Many movies ask us to suspend our disbelief but this one demands we leave all logic outside before we enter the cinema. The aliens, via Mr. Carradine, inform us that they invaded the moon 20,000 years ago and destroyed the civilisation living there. They have also managed to make everything on their planet invisible, which probably means they spend a lot of time bumping into things. The destruction of Earth is accomplished by stock footage from action serials and newsreel footage of real life disasters. B-movie fans will note that Hal Torey, playing a farmer killed by Agar in self defence and then returned to life as an invader, proved such a memorable figure that MTV exploited his image in commercials and on t-shirts for much of the late 1980's. Also showing up briefly is Chuck Niles who played the mad hunchback in Jerry Warren's memorable TEENAGE ZOMBIES. John Agar had fought monsters before in TARANTULA, THE MOLE PEOPLE and many others. He finally became a monster himself in the rarely seen 1962 thriller HAND OF DEATH. Robert Hutton would soon meet up with THE MAN WITHOUT A BODY (1959) and THE SLIME PEOPLE (1963). For all it's low budget short-comings this is a fun film; just the sort to make a Saturday afternoon enjoyable.

Classical Camp From Carradine

[bkoganbing · 2/10 · 1 January 2007]

We don't see too much of John Carradine, but we sure hear a lot from him as the disembodied voice of the Invisible Invaders coming to a planet near you.

Carradine's a scientist who is killed in a lab explosion. His cadaver is then used by a group of aliens who are invisible to communicate with fellow scientist Phillip Tonge. Tonge's a Linus Pauling type, wanting the world to disarm before Armeggeddon. Of course one encounter with the invisible crowd and he's seen the error of his ways.

The aliens attack, opening the cemeteries and letting loose a gang of zombies on the world. Humans retreat to the underground and in one such bunker is Tonge, his daughter Jean Byron, fellow scientist Robert Hutton and John Agar to lend some military muscle to the project of finding the weapon that will destroy the invisible fiends.

Though it's not quite as campy as Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Invisible Invaders is right up there. If I had to make a guess as to which player appeared in more garbage in his career, the answer would be John Carradine. His film career lasted over 50 years and a voice that gave life to Shakespeare was used for science fiction at it's worst.

I think Carradine just liked the paycheck and he also probably just loved hamming it up in parts like these. He made a lot of these awful films somewhat endurable.

Robert Hutton and John Agar were a couple of once promising players who had seen their best days and now were scratching out a living in science fiction. Jean Byron though would shortly see her career part as Patty Duke's mother in the Patty Duke Show.

But I'll bet she never saw sights in Brooklyn Heights like these invisible ones.

"I want to believe that I'm out of my mind John, but I can't."

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 1 January 2007]

Oh boy!, this is one of the best bad movies you'll ever see, with elements of horror and sci-fi blending together to produce a cult classic. It's got one of those 'warning from outer space' themes, complete with invisible aliens who make their point with Earthlings by taking over dead bodies and wreaking havoc and destruction all over the world. The influence on 1968's "Night of the Living Dead" is unmistakable, but made comical by what looks like an army of zombies fresh from a Raymond Burr look alike contest.

I got a kick out of the aliens' first warning - one of the invisible invaders takes over the corpse of a pilot that crashed into the side of a mountain; there was a huge '+' target on the side of the mountain when it hit! Apparently, the aliens had a penchant for American sporting events, as they interrupt a hockey match and an event at a large stadium to make their televised threats to mankind.

Say, do you think their space ships could really have been made out of crumpled aluminum foil?

The goofy story line is remarkably enhanced by some of the best lines in a sci-fi flick ever. The one in my subject line is a favorite, and how about when Phyllis Penner (Jean Byron) warns Major Jay (John Agar) about leaving the bunker to trap an alien - "There's enough radiation out there to kill you, please be careful". Armed with a contamination suit, a shovel and a rope, Major Jay traps an alien by luring one of those walking corpses into an acrylic pit - "Looks like we caught ourselves an invader". (I just write 'em, I don't explain 'em, you'll just have to see it).

Ultimately, the 'vast scientific knowledge' of Professors Penner (Philip Tonge) and Lamont (Robert Hutton) lead to the alien defeat, but not before their military bunker that can withstand a direct A-bomb blast is incapacitated by a smashed beaker of chemicals. This is one flick you'll be sorry to see end, believe me.

The most clever bit - a newspaper front page with the caption - 'First Photo of an Invisible Invader' - it was blank. Beautiful!!!

Invisible enemy threatens the world

[chris_gaskin123 · 7/10 · 26 January 2005]

I have seen Invivisble Invaders a couple of times now and found it rather enjoyable, despite reading some bad reviews about it.

Invivisble aliens plan to take over the world by taking over dead bodies, that make the humans zombies. A small group of scientists go to hide in a cave to find a way to defeat these aliens and they eventually succeed by making a device that makes high pitched sounds, which is the aliens' weakness. After killing several of these in this way, their flying saucer appears and is destroyed and the world is saved.

The special effects are not too bad for a low budget movie and the music score is rather eerie.

The movie stars sci fi regulars John Agar (Tarantula, The Brain From Planet Arous), Robert Hutton (The Colossus Of New York, The Slime People), horror star John Carradine (The House Of Frankenstein, The Black Sleep) and Jean Byron as the love interest.

This movie is worth seeking out, especially for fans of 1950's science fiction like myself.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

SEE John Carradine blow up! SEE John Agar wish he'd blow up! SEE why Plan 9 From Outer Space ISN'T the worst movie ever made!

[cutter-12 · 1/10 · 1 January 2007]

Carradine exploding in his lab at the start of this thing truly is a hilarious moment, and the film threatens constantly to tell us its tongue is in its cheek, but in the end the producers and director keep it within the boundaries of dour seriousness and quite possibly the worst movie of all time is the result. Mind bogglingly stupid on a mind bogglingly low budget with once respectable actors whose careers mind bogglingly came to this kind of pathetic dead end. A cult classic this should be for its kitschy awfulness and quotable bad lines. Plan 9 from Outer Space and Ed Wood unfairly get the rap for worst movie ever made. There are worse out there, Earthings. Keep watching the skies!

fun movie

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 5 October 2007]

Eddie Cahn's "Invisible Invaders" is a fun film despite its extremely low budget, especially for fans of the genre, thanks to an interesting premise and memorable performances from genre stars John Carradine and John Agar. Despite a few comments here, the film did not inspire Ed Wood's famous (or infamous) "Plan 9 From Outer Space" – in fact it was almost certainly the other way around. "Plan 9" was completed 3 years earlier and remained unreleased until shortly after "Invaders" made it to the screen. I would urge people to consider the connections between Ed Wood, AIP, and Edward Cahn. It's difficult or me not to believe that word of Wood's film had reached Alex Gordon and Cahn.

It might seem odd to say that Wood's concept was good enough to copy, but although "Plan 9" does lack something in terms of production quality, the idea of alien invaders to attack Earth was exciting and new. Wood used the premise to combine science fiction with visual elements of Gothic horror but Cahn's film is more straightforward – his zombies attack in broad daylight en masse. The similarity to a military situation is probably not accidental; after all these "zombies" are actually the invisible invaders themselves, and this is their army. They are doing battle, likewise, with army people including Major Jay (Agar). This contrasts, again, with the more old-school Wood graveyard confrontation with detectives – Wood's fascination with combining detectives with the undead probably stems from Tod Browning's "Mark of the Vampire" which Wood certainly saw in the mid 1930s, but Cahn is interested in depicting the undead in a startlingly non-Gothic style in this film in strong contrast to other Cahn zombie films like "Zombies of Mora Tau." The way the zombies were done here had an obvious influence on the most influential zombie film of all-time, George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." One could also make an interesting contrast between the 2 films based on the military angle – in Cahn's film Major Jay is initially depicted as a bit gun crazy but eventually he becomes the hero, while Wood's film mocks the military by portraying them as even more confused and reckless than the goofy aliens.

What else can I say about the film? It's worth watching to me just to hear John Carradine's cavernous voice chanting lines like "The dead will kill the living" while a giant globe spins on screen. Agar is fun in this film like he pretty much always is, and Jean Byron is an unusually engaging female protagonist. It does seem to take her character far too long to figure out what a cad Robert Hutton's scientist character is, however. Most of the film was shot in Griffith Park around the area of Bronson Canyon a.k.a. "Robot Monster Cave," so that provides some additional interest for fans like me who've made the pilgrimage to the famous spot (used in such films as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "It Conquered the World"). A lot of comments on here complain about the use of stock footage but I thought it enhanced the production value of the film beyond what it otherwise would have been. It's a reasonably professional film with fun actors and an exciting premise so to me it's a bit of a minor classic.

Atomic Age aliens create army of the walking dead to conquer Earth! Cue the retro sci-fi Cheese-o-tron!

[Death_to_Pan_and_Scan · 5/10 · 1 August 2006]

I have to admit this was fun to watch despite how ridiculously silly it was or maybe because of that. This isn't a zombie movie in the modern sense, but a sci-fi alien offshoot of the mind-controlled zombies out of the voodoo genre. It's a big slice of black & white American cheese all the way which seems to use a lot of disaster stock footage for invasion scenes that involve conventional sabotage, but it manages to be pretty entertaining anyways.

The director also made 50's sci-fi movie "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (which helped inspire lots of trapped on a spaceship with a creature film, including "Alien") and the swimming zombified sailors guarding buried treasure film "Zombies of Mora Tau" (which I still haven't seen yet as of writing this review).

THE PLOT: A scientist ditches out on his gov't job because he opposes nukes. A fellow scientist killed in an experiment walks up to his house and has a chat with him, but its not his friend. It's an alien who is none too happy with where out technological advancements are headed (reaching nuclear technology and space travel) and the threat they could pose to their outer space alien race and they want us to surrender or die (this was a common sci-fi plot thread back in the day). They are apparently invisible as are their spaceships awaiting us at their hidden base on the moon and the aliens can take over corpses and walk around in them sabotaging our planet. It's a race against time for the scientists to find a method to combat the alien menace before the walking dead breach the military bunker.

It doesn't have a lot of the elements of modern zombie films like gut munching or turning from being bitten (though the aliens will inhabit your body if you are killed), but it's kinda fun and has some good silly quotes. So bad you might think it's good 50's sci-fi fun.

Grandfather of Night of the living dead

[furlough1 · 8/10 · 15 July 2005]

Shuffling reincarnated zombies.. reanimated by Invisible invaders? If you call your self a zombie fan then you HAVE TO SEE THIS...

STRANGE.. BUT Interesting... on a double bill with "fiend without a face".. it freaked out movie goers by the thousands..

i find it a very interesting movie,,, flawed.. but without a doubt... very very much worth a viewing...

"THE DEAD WILL KILL THE LIVING" so sayeth John Carradine!!

Adam Tanner.. you have had your warning..

the zombies walk just like the zombies in NOTLD, the make-up is very much the same as NOTLD and the eeriness is also obviously borrowed 10 years later as a basis for NOTLD... I cant believe John Russo or George Romero have never admitted to this fact. In much the same way that ALIEN was based on IT! The terror from Beyond Space!!

Attack Of The Alien No-See-Ums

[ferbs54 · 6/10 · 8 December 2017]

Offhand, I can think of few actors (other than perhaps Richard Denning) who have gone up against so many 1950s sci-fi horrors and monstrosities as Chicago-born John Agar. From 1955 - '58 alone, the former husband of Shirley Temple battled The Creature in "Revenge of the Creature," a giant arachnid in "Tarantula," a lost subterranean race in "The Mole Men," a floating alien cerebrum in "The Brain From Planet Arous," and a mad scientist in "Attack of the Puppet People," all of which I had hugely enjoyed. There WAS one film of Agar's from the late '50s that I had never seen, though, to complete this list of sci-fi menaces, and that film is "Invisible Invaders." Fortunately, I have at long last caught up with this one, and can report that it is yet another fun (although undeniably shlocky) outing to add to Agar's roster. The film was released in May 1959 and thus has been stunning and amusing audiences for over half a century now. And although the editors at the "Maltin Movie Guide" predictably call the film "cheap, silly and boring," I would argue that though they might be correct as far as those first two accusations go, the film itself--fast moving and clever as it is, at a breakneck and compact 67 minutes--is never boring.

In this one, an eminent nuclear physicist, Dr. Karol Noymann (the great John Carradine), is killed in a lab explosion. At his funeral, his friend and colleague, Dr. Adam Penner (Philip Tonge), stands in sorrow next to his pretty daughter, Phyllis (Jean Byron). But soon after, imagine Dr. Penner's surprise when the corpse of Dr. Noymann appears at his door, standing erect and seemingly alive, and issuing a warning. It seems that the deceased's body has been revived by the invisible invaders of the film's title--aliens who have been observing us Earthlings for centuries from their hidden base on our moon. Penner is told that Earth must surrender within 24 hours or the invaders will begin their forceful conquest of our planet. Penner, through his friend and fellow atomic scientist Dr. John Lamont (Robert Hutton), passes the word along to Washington, and is understandably disbelieved and mocked. While Penner awaits word from D.C., the film treats us to its most somber moment, perhaps, as the aged scientist stands at a window and whispers "Dear Lord, I pray that I am insane, and that all that happened is only in my mind. I pray that tomorrow the sun will shine again on living things, not on a world where only the dead walk the Earth." Soon enough, however, the conquest begins, with the invisible aliens resurrecting the dead and using the reanimated corpses to destroy dams and carry out assorted mayhem. The Feds, now fully convinced, decide that Penner, Phyllis and Lamont are to be sequestered in a hidden mountain bunker so that they might figure out a way to combat the unseen invaders and their invisible mother ship, and thus Major Bruce Jay (Agar, who finally makes his initial appearance almost a full 1/2 hour into the film) is tasked with getting the trio to that bunker. But can the group both hold off the advancing zombie hordes AND come up with a way to defeat the aliens, as the clock ticks?

"Invisible Invaders" was directed by Edward L. Cahn, who also had a most impressive track record of '50s horrors, including such films as "Invasion of the Saucer Men," "Curse of the Faceless Man," "It! The Terror From Beyond Space," The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" and "The Creature With the Atom Brain," and indeed, the business suit-wearing cadavers in the film in question, with their effective zombie makeup, DO resemble the reanimated corpses of the "Atom Brain" picture. "II" also features fairly competent acting from one and all, and as I mentioned up top, the film is extremely streamlined and fast moving; indeed, the aliens begin their conquest of planet Earth within the first 20 minutes of the opening credits! The special FX on display are quite decent enough, considering the film's obvious low budget, and the picture is a bit surprising in that its love triangle remains nicely UNresolved by the close. And, as has probably been pointed out elsewhere, those zombies banging on the walls of our quartet's mountain bunker can surely be seen as precursors of the great touchstone zombie film of almost a decade later, "Night of the Living Dead." To be perfectly honest, though, the film's ending DOES feel a bit rushed, and the omniscient narrator who tells us what's going on as events proceed eventually becomes annoying, useless and obtrusive. And how silly is it that despite the widespread radiation that surrounds the aliens, Lamont is deemed safe in his pickup truck's cabin, even when Major Jay opens the truck's passenger door to the open air?!?! And that trick of placing a noose at the bottom of a camouflaged mantrap and expecting a fallen alien to be tied up in it...how convincing is that? But these are quibbles. From the sight of the cadaverous John Carradine issuing the aliens' pronouncement at the movie's beginning, to the sight of John Agar going up against a horde of lurching zombies and the alien mother ship at the end, the film delivers good old-fashioned, matinée-style fun. It is a perfect film to see with your favorite 8-year-old, munching popcorn at your side. And yes, it is another winner from '50s stalwart John Agar!

Invisible Invaders

[estabanb2002 · 4/10 · 2 July 2007]

Obviously, a cut above "Planet 9 from Outer Space". It has good suspense and adequate production quality for the time, genre, and apparently the film's low budget. I would have loved it at the Saturday coke-bottle-top matinée as a 10 year old. It probably inspired many a producer/director's subsequent "zombie" movie. All in all, a tedious 1950's "good U.S. earthlings versus the heartless alien invaders" movie, which can be appreciated only as campy fun. Unfortunately, todays alien invaders are more insidious, not so identifiable, but just as deadly. Sad to see John Agar, who was a pretty good actor given his prior work, in such a stinker.

Typical 50's Fare But A Notch Above The Rest

[modrock62 · 4 June 2000]

This is typical 1950's B movie fare but I think it is a few notches above the rest. Ok, the acting is a bit hammy and campy even with the talents of John Agar, John Carradine and Jean Byron. The idea of the film is unique. Aliens, invisible to humans land on earth, inhabit the bodies of the dead to take over the planet. There are some stretches of boredom as frantic scientists and military personel try and figure out a way to combat the "invisible invaders", but at certain times this movie can give off a few chills. The reason for this is because at certain times, the movie resembles "Night Of The Living Dead" some 9 years earlier. The scenes of the "invaders" rumbling around as the recently revived dead are quite effective. The dead are almost as convincing as they were in "NOTLD". They roam around seemingly with no purpose though they do have one, arms outstreched, emotionless faces with darkened eyes. Quite effective and chilling in certain areas. Rest assured this movie is not "NOTLD" and pretty much is typical B fare but it does provide glimpses of a soon to come clasic and can give you a chill or two. I'd say rent it or better yet, buy it for your collection. It's fun!

Get ready for some major foot dragging

[samuraihannity · 1/10 · 22 January 2010]

This movie is about some invisible, foot dragging aliens. Which is odd because once they take over the bodies of the dead, they seem to know how to pick up their feet, at least a little. However, once they are invisible, they drag their feet, in such a heavy way it causes them to have extremely labored breathing. No wonder they prefer fighting humans in the bodies of the dead. They don't breathe heavily in the bodies of the dead. I guess being a zombie is less work intensive than being an invisible alien.

The aliens are fighting the whiniest weenies on the face of the planet. Adam Penner seems to be in an obnoxious whine about something throughout the entire film. John turns from true blue friend to a lovely shade of cowardly yellow. The only person in the film that seems to have any ca hones is John Agar. That alone tells you something about the film.

There's only one woman in the film. I don't even see any female zombies. (Oops, did I use the forbidden "Z" word, again?) It's no wonder the only woman in the film falls in love with John Agar. He's the only "hero" in the film, deserving to wear pants.

It's no surprise, this film is one of my favorite films to put on at bedtime. While I'm awake, I can laugh at this film. If I fall asleep, who cares! If I make it through the entire film, I know I better make an appointment with my doctor for insomnia.

This film is a much a labor to watch as the labored breathing of the invisible aliens. I'll never know why MST3K didn't get a hold of this little gem of awfulness. It certainly deserves the MST3K treatment. No foot dragging, whatsoever, in saying that.

Almost really awful!

[JohnHowardReid · 2/10 · 21 February 2014]

What a bright idea! How to save thousands of dollars on your "B" movie adventure: Make your invaders invisible! As implied, this is an extremely low-budget, sci-fi horror melodrama from the Robert E. Kent—Edward L. Cahn pill-box. The screenplay by Sam Newman (obviously penned in his lunch hour at CBS TV), begins with some ineptly padded introductory scenes before switching to an enormous amount of stock footage which turns out to be considerably more interesting than the movie itself. Indeed, when the movie itself resumes and director Cahn takes the reins, entertainment flies out the window. Mr. Cahn's painfully inept direction gleans only a minimum of atmosphere and tension from some quite promising Newman material. Admittedly, Cahn is not helped by his fourth-rate cast. The stars, John Agar, Jean Byron and Robert Hutton are particularly weak. Available on an excellent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer DVD.

Should Have Stayed Hidden.

[AaronCapenBanner · 1/10 · 17 October 2013]

Edward L. Cahn directed this incredibly inept film about (you guessed it) invisible invaders from the moon who announce to the world their intentions of mass conquest, and give an ultimatum: the Earth is to unconditionally surrender, or die. Needless to say, they resist, so the aliens use the bodies of the dead(!) to attack the living. John Agar plays an Army major who leads the fight against them. Woefully under-budgeted for its ambitions, since the plot has the earth being decimated, yet none of this is seen on screen, but instead told in voice-over and newspaper headlines! The viewer can see well dressed corpses shamble around trying to kill our heroes, with no success... A total BOMB.

Invisible Invaders

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 11 July 2015]

Admittedly, I expected this to be far worse than it turned out. I imagined that in far less capable hands (Ed Wood, as an example), "Invisible Invaders" could have been a disaster to laugh at. However, in the competent directorial reins of Edward L Cahn, this turns out far better than it has any right to be. This little, 68 minute B-movie sci-fi effort from United Artists has an alien invasion, cloaked intentionally in invisibility, purposely plans to overthrow and dominate the earth for their own colonization. Taking the bodies of the dead, the invisible alien invaders emanate a radioactivity that reads their presence in the area, producing a way of warning for the heroes holed up in a secret military bunker (which can withstand an atomic blast as intended) designed for them to have equipment and devices to be used for experimentation. Collected in this bunker are Major Jay (resident in the B-movie universe, John Agar), the soldier/protector of the group, scientists, Dr. Penner (Philip Tonge) and Lamont (Robert Hutton), and Penner's daughter, Phyllis (Jean Byron). Penner was head of a nuclear program, associated with a renowned and dead scientist, Noymann (John Carradine). Penner resigns after Noymann accidentally kills himself in a nuclear blast that destroys his lab. Penner is the first to be "greeted" by an alien invader, taking Noymann's body as a host to forewarn the world of what awaits them. In the bunker, the group will be tasked to come up with a way to stop the invisible invaders as the world is toiling in apocalyptic chaos. Will they be able to find an answer at saving the human race?

To think that the fate of humanity lies in four people inside a small bunker in some Podunk rural locale hidden from society at large. Small-scale in as far as the setting, but large-scale in the overall story of how a minute band of characters will have to conceal their anxieties of the current nightmarish situation and the claustrophobic entrapment of the bunker in order to find the weakness (the kink in the armor, so to speak) of the global-threatening enemy, hoping to exterminate the invisible invaders. Carradine fans shouldn't expect to see a great deal of him; this was a way to use (exploit?) the assets he does bring to a film. I mean, he is on the cover of prints for the film. The makeup work is essential to the creepy factor this movie has going for it. The farmer himself is an ideal model for the zombie design that came into form a decade later. When Carradine emerges inside the house of Tonge, it is quite an introduction! The way the makeup lines Carradine's face and his foreboding voice: this sets up the invasion plot neatly. Tonge is so damn good, he actually elevates the plot, and let's face it, this has quite a bill of goods to convincingly sell to an audience. Hutton gets saddled with a part that many might consider a "cowardly nuisance in scientist's clothes", but he does what he can despite of how it undermines him. Byron has the love triangle beauty that courageous and authoritative military man, Agar, and ready-to-pee-in-his-pants, "let's go ahead and surrender" scientist, Hutton, vie for. I think the sight of the undead, either walking the countryside or on the monitor in the bunker, has a nicely unsettling look. The "sound device" is an interesting method of defeating the enemy, using sound waves as a means to circumvent their ascent. The use of movie and stock footage to recognize the alien invasion's success is quite effective; this is using resources imaginatively and cleverly when stuck with a minuscule budget. The resignation of Tonge, as he wishes for Washington to recognize what the H-bomb did to the air we breath, and even perhaps the atmosphere of earth, is an interesting precursor to the global warming debate of today.

Dull and cheaply made--like a slightly better version of an Ed Wood flick!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 22 January 2007]

This is an amazingly crappy 1950s sci-fi film. While not the worst sci-fi film ever made, it does come pretty close! In fact, you know the film MUST really stink since the plot is a re-working of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE! Like PLAN 9 (once voted the worst movie ever made), this film is all about an evil plot by aliens to reanimate the dead and use them to attack and destroy the living. However, while PLAN 9 probably cost about $49.37 cents to produce, this one had much better production values (probably at least $100 was spent on acting and sets alone!).

So, aside from a re-hashed plot, what does this film have to offer? Well, like PLAN 9, it also is jam-packed full of stock footage that takes the place of original content. Some of this footage is totally inappropriate--such as the one showing a test B-17 flying into a hill. While it was supposed to be caused by the evil aliens, the footage is of some military test, as it impacts onto a giant painted 'X'! The acting was pretty bad, but not as bad as Ed Wood acting. John Carridine (who would appear in ANY film for a buck--thank goodness there were few porno flicks made back then) appears in a small role where he overacts--even though he is a zombie! And the "King of low-budget films", John Agar is the star. Frankly, he looks pretty old and tired--probably because he must have hated the movies he was forced to act in late in his brief career. As for the rest, they generally were sub-par, but only a few were so bad that you laughed as they read their lines.

So what's my favorite part of the film? Well, Agar is in a fight and if he loses, a crazy scientist will let a murderous creature out to kill them all. So what do the other two actors do while this fight occurs?! Yep,...just stand there and let it all happen! The bottom line is that this film is only for people who like to watch and laugh at bad films (I am one of them). Otherwise, don't waste your time--it's THAT horrible!

The Earth is under attack.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 20 August 2008]

Low budget Sci-Fi directed by Edward L. Cahn. The Earth is being attacked by mysterious invisible invaders. Due to the Earth's atmosphere the attackers are invisible and must reanimate into bodies of the dead. Dr. Noymann(John Carradine) tries to warn of the impending attack, but is killed and his corpse will be used to urge his scientific partner Dr. Adam Penner(Philip Tonge)to forewarn the world of its doom. Major Bruce Jay(John Agar)is put in charge of shuttling a concerned group to a top secret research center, where an ultra-sonic gun is developed to combat the attacking aliens utilizing rotting corpses.

This black & white feature only runs about 67 minutes, but is worth watching. The primitive special effects are part of the fun watching. Don't expect more than mediocre acting. Other players: Jean Bryon, Robert Hutton and Paul Langton.

Looked like Moles under the Ground

[whpratt1 · 4/10 · 1 January 2007]

This film was a nice try at making a sci-fi picture but the film was a low budget film with veteran actors looking for a quick buck. John Carridine Sr., played a role of actor and narrator along with John Agar,(Maj.Bruce Jay); Jean Byron,(Phyllis Penner) and Robert Hutton,(Dr. John Lamont). Zombies walked around as the Living Dead and people through out the United States were having their bodies stolen like in other pictures called "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". There were many experiments performed with very little success until they discovered a very simple method of destroying these Invaders of our planet from the Moon. You will notice the ground moving in this picture so beware, the moles just might get you too. Try to Enjoy

An enjoyable 50's sci-fi/horror outing

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 1 December 2008]

Evil invisible aliens resurrect the dead in order to take over the Earth. It's up to an intrepid handful of folks to figure out a way to stop them before it's too late. Competently directed by Edward L. Cahn, with a steady pace, a roaring melodramatic score by Paul Dunlap, a reasonable amount of spooky atmosphere, a pleasingly tight 67 minute running time, nifty and acceptable low-fi special effects, crisp black and white cinematography by Maury Gertsman, a nice sense of mounting dread, and cool moments of mass destruction, this modest, yet effective affair makes for an entertaining quickie romp. The sound acting from an able cast helps a lot, with especially praiseworthy work by John Agar as the rugged, no-nonsense Major Bruce Jay, Philip Tonge as the weary, disillusioned Dr. Adam Penner, Jim Hutton as the stalwart Dr. John Lamont, and Jean Byron as Penner's fetching daughter Phyllis. The ubiquitous John Carradine only appears briefly as the ill-fated Dr. Karol Noymann, but both his gaunt, cadaverous face and deep, gloomy voice are put to satisfyingly creepy use. Moreover, the central plot serves as a neat precursor to "Night of the Living Dead;" the shots of pasty-faced zombies trudging across the landscape are pretty eerie and impressive. A fun fright flick.

A Crazy Fun Sci-Fi

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 18 April 2016]

This is one of those crazy but really fun science fiction films from the 1950s. Invisible Aliens are giving the Earthlings 24 hours to surrender or they will take over the planet! They will kill people and take over their bodies! The the thing I found the funniest is, when they captured the invisible alien - why didn't they try throwing paint, mud, powder or something on it to see it? They were wanting to see the one they captured... try a good paint that is hard to take off the skin to throw on him or it. OK maybe it would not work because he can take over the bodies of dead humans but it would have been worth a shot. It would not kill them but at least you might be able to see the one in the cell. LOL.

Over all this one just crazy, corny, cheesy fun. AND this one has John Carradine as an Alien - but you won't "see" much of him. LOL.

7/10

The dead will kill the living, and the people of Earth will cease to exist!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 21 February 2022]

The man who as a father produced one of the vengeful nerds, a kung fu artist and the Broadway star of "Will Rogers Follies" also produced a career with well over 300 theatrical movies and television appearances, and in spite not being in the league of Karloff, Lugosi, the Chaneys or Price as far as horror movie stardom is concerned, he's always a welcome fixture in a cheesy Z grade programmer. Here, he utters those Immortal words in my introduction, brought back from the dead to inform doctor Philip Tonge that the world needs to surrender to an impending attack from outer space. But earthlings are stubborn and refuse, leading to destruction all over the globe, and throughout the world as one reporter announces, the dead are leaving their graves to attack the living. All of this occurs within the first 25 minutes of the film.

John Agar, Jean Byron and Robert Hutton star in this Z grade science fiction film that utilizes the cliched dramatic narration to move its plot along, always a rather corny structure, yet one that aides in keeping the audience interested. The special effects are pretty good, especially shots of footprints moving along the dirt that clear off graves so the dead can rise. Carradine only has a tiny part, but you do get to hear his voice throughout oh, so he's like the alien Greek chorus. There's plenty of stock footage to provide destruction of major locations from around the world, so they didn't have to go far outside the studio to get this completed. A fun counterpart to "Plan Nine from Outer Space" because it's a very similar storyline, although here, you only see the aliens in human form, thus the use of the title "Invisible Invaders". The alien motive? Fury over the knowledge that a program plans on sending humans into space, something a decade ahead of its time.

Agar and Carradine in Action

[Michael_Elliott · 31 October 2013]

Invisible Invaders (1959)

** (out of 4)

Incredibly silly film about an invisible alien who comes to Earth to once again try to wipe us all out. Thankfully for us humans Maj. Bruce Jay (John Agar) is on hand to try and save us. INVISIBLE INVADERS has the reputation of being one of the worst films ever made but I think that's a tad bit too harsh for a number of reasons. The biggest for me is that it's hard for a 66-minute movie to be the worst ever made because the filmmakers are at least smart enough to not keep giving us stuff to make the movie run longer than it should. The 66-minutes actually go by rather fast for the most part and this is always a good thing. Another thing this film has going for it is that we're given some familiar names that cult and "B" movie fans are going to know. Agar certainly looks a bit tired here but maybe he just wasn't feeling good during the production. He's at least entertaining and has no problem carrying the film. John Carradine appears briefly at the start of the picture and while he's certainly not reaching the levels he did in THE GRAPES OF WRATH, it's still fun seeing him. Jean Byron plays the female/love interest and does a nice job as well. Robert Rutton is also in the cast and adds some charm. The special effects are pretty bland as usually we just gets piles of dirt "moving" to show us the invisible creature or we get branches moving. These certainly aren't groundbreaking but at the same time they could have been a lot worse. There's some stock footage used throughout with the funniest bit happening when a plane crashes, due to the aliens, but the stock footage is from a test run and you can see the "X" mark to where it's supposed to hit.