Movie review – “War of the Satellites” (1958) **

Roger Corman quickie best known for being knocked off in record time to cash in on the Sputnik launch. It’s got several of his late 50s sci-fi hallmarks – a credit sequence with an animated picture, some familiar names (Susan Cabot, Dick Miller, Richard Devon – the slab of wood from The Undead); a scene where teenagers making out in a car come across a fallen thing from space; dodgy sets.

The plot has aliens telling humans to stop exploring in outer space; the UN goes “f*ck you” and goes ahead with exploring anyway. Devon is taken over by the aliens into a zombie, which suits his acting. Most of the story consists of Devon going around being naughty on the space ship – it’s kind of like a forerunner to Supernova. There’s some laughably sparse sets, particularly within the spaceship, and lots of nifty black outfits.

 The story actually isn’t too bad – Corman used the concept of a scientist being possessed before in It Conquered the World. Cabot suits the story - she's very pretty with these striking sunken eyes -but Miller doesn’t quite work as a hero (just like he didn’t in Sorority Girl). It races along and has plenty of energy.