# B grade sci-fi/horror movies-- were they EVER scary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598 "2013-11-23T05:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/41 "2013-11-25T20:12:33Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#): > > I _miss_ “suspense” horror movies. Can’t stand the more modern splatterfests & torture porn. Me too. Turner Classic Movies is a godsend. Good old-fashioned mysteries, noir, family drama. And occasionally some good old horror movies. Back to the OP, we took the kids to a lot of drive-in movies, and that included horror. By the 70’s, monsters had died out. The scares were more personal. My daughter slept in her brother’s room for months after seeing **They Came From Within** and **The Brood** on a double feature, but the kids just laughed at **Motel Hell, Flesh Feast** , and **Blood Mania**. Non-horror movies can be scary. I wish I could get **Open Water** and **The Vanishing** out of my head. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/42 "2013-11-25T20:14:18Z")
> [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](#): > > I’d agree with you, but…have you ever seen a grasshopper run vertically up a stalk of grass? They’re all natural-born stuntmen! Stuntbeings! Stuntinsects!!! > > Plus, they knocked a couple of grasshoppers off the photograph, and they fell to the ground, so gravity was definitely involved. They must have had top-shelf special effects to edit out the grasshopper safety harnesses! Your powers of observation and recollection surpass mine. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/43 "2013-11-25T20:26:01Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > …and the odd little Italian-but-feels-like-its-Mexican _Caltiki the Immortal Monster_ had a couple of moments of genuine scariness as you saw what the creature could do to a human being, in the latter case dissolving off flesh. I wonder if any kids who saw that movie in a theater ever really forgot those three scenes? I sure didn’t. Several years ago, curiosity compelled me to acquire _Caltiki_ on DVD (apparently a 9th generation copy of old tape). Cheesy and silly as it now may be to this jaded old fart, “the scenes” still pack a tiny bit of a gross/disturbing punch. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/44 "2013-11-26T17:40:27Z")
The scuba diver scene in Caltiki scared the heck outta me when I was a kid–it’s one of the most horrifying moments of my B-movie watching career. On the other hand, the dance scene in the beginning is pretty hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/45 "2013-11-26T18:24:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > They scared the hell out of me too. They were genuinely disturbing to a small kid. > > One of the cheesy movies I found really scary when it came on TV was [The Crawling Eye.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDGwCMcLs_M) I was afraid of the flying monkeys as a child, as well. Same goes for most of the B-movie monsters – I was a bit scared of the beasties, but enjoyed watching the movies! ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/46 "2013-11-26T18:53:36Z")
My father tells me [The Thing from Another World](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044121/?ref_=nv_sr_4) scared the hell out of him. He was 13 when it came out. My wife and I watched it about 10 years ago and found it quite dull and not at all scary. You have to remember the 50s were a very different time in America. The Cold War, atomic bombs, missiles in the atmosphere, and even though Sputnik wasn’t launched until 57 there was talk of outer space. It was all brand new to the average American. If the scary Communists could invade then so could scary aliens. Atomic radiation really could be the source of monsters and mutants. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/47 "2013-11-26T20:08:59Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > The scuba diver scene in Caltiki scared the heck outta me when I was a kid–it’s one of the most horrifying moments of my B-movie watching career. On the other hand, the dance scene in the beginning is pretty hilarious. For your viewing pleasure: > **[Caltiki - The Immortal Monster (1959) | MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/caltiki-the-immortal-monster)** > > Archaeologists investigating some Mayan ruins come across a blob-like monster. Meanwhile, a comet is due to pass close to the Earth… ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/48 "2013-11-27T01:05:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > For your viewing pleasure: > > [Caltiki - The Immortal Monster (1959) | MUBI](http://mubi.com/films/caltiki-the-immortal-monster) Here’s another one (Caltiki): _[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIG7v0yzm0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIG7v0yzm0s)_ “The Moments” we’re talking about occur at 0:22:30 (start a minute earlier for proper creepout context; notice btw that the diver is still alive) 0:24:50 1:00:45 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/49 "2013-11-27T06:15:19Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > \ The last part of _The Killer Shrews_ was great nightmare fuel. You HAD to make me remember the killer shrews! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/50 "2013-11-27T06:47:17Z")
The summer of '63, I was eight and living in a hotel suite in Joliet, IL, with my dad and older brother for the summer. For some reason, I was left alone one night until quite late, it must have been, because I watched a '50s flick that had to have come on TV around 10:30 or 11:00: A bunch of archaeologists find a cache of Spanish armor that’s remarkably well-preserved. That night, a bolt of lightning reanimates the corpse of a Conquistador buried in the same remarkable soil. He then proceeds to mutely terrorize the dig camp and nearby village. How they eventually managed to kill him anew, I don’t remember. I DO remember how the movie absolutely scared the living daylights out of me! I was afraid to even get up and turn out the light in the kitchen, because I didn’t know what might be lurking around the corner! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/51 "2013-11-27T17:29:40Z")
I was never terrified by a movie, but there were a few that had a nice creepy-crawly vibe. “Qatermass and the Pit” had a tiny budget, laughable special effects, and a plot premise that did not bear even a moment of inspection, but some good acting and writing managed to overcome those handicaps to produce a definite sense of disquiet in parts of the film. The original “Cat People,” despite a very tiny budget, managed to create a definite sense of creepiness, especially in the swimming pool scene. It did have topnotch cinematography and direction (Val Lawton and Jacques Tournier, IIRC). “Curse of the Demon” also had some very creepy moments, this despite a laughably cheesy monster forced on the director (Jacques Tournier, I believe) by the studio (the movie would have been so much better without it). So, no outright horror, but some good stuff out there. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/52 "2013-11-27T18:02:42Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I was never terrified by a movie, but there were a few that had a nice creepy-crawly vibe. “Qatermass and the Pit” had a tiny budget, laughable special effects, and a plot premise that did not bear even a moment of inspection, but some good acting and writing managed to overcome those handicaps to produce a definite sense of disquiet in parts of the film. > > . Speak not ill of Nigel Kneale! The movie of **quatermass and the Pit** actually came out in the late 1960s, but it had been a BBC TV serial in the 1950s (In the US, the film was realeased as **Five Million Years to Earth** ). I disagree that the plot premise “did not bear even a moment of inspection”, as do a lot of critics. In fact, I thin it’s pretty damned good. The two earlier Quatermass efforts, both TV and movies made in the 50s, were **the Quatermass Xperiment** ("The Creeping Unknown in the US) and **Quatermass 2** (AKA “Enemy from Space” in the US). Both v are definitely worth the watching. I haven’t much cared for later Quatermass efforts. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/53 "2013-11-28T05:56:23Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > It’s true they didn’t care. But should they have, given the technology? > > Given movies extension from staged plays - over the last 3000 years - in which whatever effects needed were rudimentary in the extreme it’s not unreasonable to tell an audience “these are giant ants, just pretend with us”. It only relatively recently that special effects have attempted verisimulitude. > [@](#): > > and I couldn’t believe I had thought it was scary when I was a kid. The gore just looked so fake. Imagine what future generations will say about us: “back in the 21st century, were they _really_ scared by those cheap special effects? Such primitive technology!-- it was just a silly flat screen hanging on the wall—how did they expect it look realistic?” This will be said by people whose home entertainment won’t be a television in a box–it will be a 3D holograph that moves freely around the room. And includes a 3d printer (fabricator) that will use nanontech to produce “real” effects—say,blood that flows along the floor at the murder scene. (and then magically evaporates or cleans itself up, too:) ) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/54 "2013-11-28T06:10:30Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Imagine what future generations will say about us: “back in the 21st century, were they _really_ scared by those cheap special effects? Such primitive technology!-- it was just a silly flat screen hanging on the wall—how did they expect it look realistic?” > > This will be said by people whose home entertainment won’t be a television in a box–it will be a 3D holograph that moves freely around the room. And includes a 3d printer (fabricator) that will use nanontech to produce “real” effects—say,blood that flows along the floor at the murder scene. > (and then magically evaporates or cleans itself up, too:) ) Talk about primitive. Direct neural stimulation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/55 "2013-11-28T14:11:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Speak not ill of Nigel Kneale! > The movie of **quatermass and the Pit** actually came out in the late 1960s, but it had been a BBC TV serial in the 1950s (In the US, the film was realeased as **Five Million Years to Earth** ). I disagree that the plot premise “did not bear even a moment of inspection”, as do a lot of critics. In fact, I thin it’s pretty damned good… Good enough for ‘X-files’ to steal huge chunks of it for its primary story arc. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/56 "2013-11-28T14:56:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Speak not ill of Nigel Kneale! > The movie of **quatermass and the Pit** actually came out in the late 1960s, but it had been a BBC TV serial in the 1950s (In the US, the film was realeased as **Five Million Years to Earth** ). I disagree that the plot premise “did not bear even a moment of inspection”, as do a lot of critics. In fact, I thin it’s pretty damned good. The two earlier Quatermass efforts, both TV and movies made in the 50s, were **the Quatermass Xperiment** ("The Creeping Unknown in the US) and **Quatermass 2** (AKA “Enemy from Space” in the US). Both v are definitely worth the watching. I haven’t much cared for later Quatermass efforts. Yes, giant plastic grasshoppers from outer space are making us all go “crrrrrrraaaazy!” And have done it before. That’s why we hate locusts! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/57 "2013-11-28T17:13:09Z")
Given the low budget nature of these films, they did the best they could. I will always remember the line from the movie “Edward wood”. Wood goes to see the head of one of those “B” movie studios, to see if he can get financing for one of his crazy ideas. the studio boss says to him “look, I make crap…but the crap I make makes money. Nobody will pay to see what you want to make”! And yes, mostly these movies were a cheap way for horny teens to be able to make out in private, for a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598/58 "2013-11-28T17:25:04Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Yes, giant plastic grasshoppers from outer space are making us all go “crrrrrrraaaazy!” And have done it before. That’s why we hate locusts! Well, it’s why _I_ do… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-grade-sci-fi-horror-movies-were-they-ever-scary/674598.md?page=2)