By James Whittington, 29th January 2023
THE VINTAGE VAULT continues to light up Sunday nights with its popular classic genre double-bills so here's what we have planned for you:
On Sunday the 5th we begin with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. John Putnam (Richard Carlson), an amateur astronomer, is looking at the skies with his fiancee, schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. As events unfold, various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien 'duplicates'. As the townspeople become aware of the danger, the likelihood of bloodshed becomes apparent. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury. This is followed by a sequel which will have you cowering with fear, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE. Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists, John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, managing to abduct the heroine and carry her off. Intense underwater photography and practical effects make this a horror classic.
A Channel Premiere starts the double on the 12th, THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 FEET. When a postmortem finds that a murdered fisherman was exposed to unusual amounts of radiation, Dr. Ted Stevens (Kent Taylor) decides to investigate. He meets Lois (Cathy Downs), whose father, Professor King (Michael Whalen), runs a local marine biology lab. Ted discovers that the Professor's secret experiments with atomic energy have resulted in the creation of a murderous aquatic beast, and he must act fast to prevent more needless deaths.
A truly classic creature feature follows, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA. While on a routine mission, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast.
Terror from above starts the Vintage Vault on the 19th, EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS. UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. This classic has stunning effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. Then we go underground for our next movie, THE MOLE PEOPLE. John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.
Our final double of the month is on the 26th with the cult classic THE GIANT CLAW. When a strange flying object is spotted, it is believed to be a UFO. However, it turns out to be an extraterrestrial bird made of anti-matter which leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake. We end with a monochrome masterpiece from Hammer, THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. An adaptation of a drama by Nigel Kneale, creator of the Quatermass series, this horror fantasy stars Peter Cushing as scientist John Rollason, who, ignoring his wife's objections, joins an expedition lead by brash American Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker). They are searching for the legendary yeti in the high Himalayas - a quest with deadly consequences
Related show tags: THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS, THE GIANT CLAW, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, THE MOLE PEOPLE, THE PHANTOM FROM 10000 FEET MORE FEATURES Fairbrass, Diesel and Stallone are ready for action this July on Legend Posted on 30th June 2026
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