Old Crazy Sci-fi

I'm on a craving of old (1930s-1980s) Sci-fi films. Looking for crazy, weird, offbeat films that shows outer-space, spaceships and planets explosions. Yes!! Strange, low budget explosions are the best. Explosions in space Anyone knows oldies with such extravaganza? Any recommendation from fellow cinephiles?

A.

 

The old Flash Gordon serials are cheesy, with tons of low-budget special effects.

Planet of the Vampires is way creepy, and might be what you desire. (It's from the 1960s, and in color. I saw it on TV as a kid and have never forgotten its eeriness.)

If you're open to TV shows, I'd recommend "Space: 1999". It has an impossible premise (nuclear waste stored on the moon explores and sends the 311 people of Moonbase Alpha on outer-space adventures). There are lots of explosions (high-quality ones, though), but the episodes are rife with bad science (i.e. oxygen atmosphere = Earth-like gravity; sounds traveling through the vacuum of space). The first series of the series has a unique feel and a wonderful music score (courtesy of Barry Gray), which makes the bad science easier to stomach.

If you do sample the series, I'd suggest starting with the episodes "Breakaway" (the first episode), "Dragon's Domain" (a horror episode that is quite unforgettable), and maybe "Mission of the Darians". [Most first season episodes have at least something going for them, but these three are good if you want to see if the show suits you.]

 

Saturn 3.
Farrah Fawcett,nude?
No, but Kirk Douglas is.

 

If you are not adverse to anime, I'd recommend Gal Force - Eternal Story. It involves a millennium-long war between the Solonoids (all female clones) and Paranoids (basically sentient liquid that can be reshaped as needed). Lots of shooting, a number of explosions, and a very quick-moving story (it seems like they put 120 minutes of story into a 90 minute movie).

I will see what else I can come up with.

 

I highly recommend the late '70s Italian-made "Star Wars" knock-off, "Star Crash," starring former Bond Girl and Hammer Horror babe Caroline Munro and a young David Hasselhoff (yes, really!) in one of his first major roles.

Director Luigi Cozzi is a lifelong sci-fi fan who'd been trying to tackle the genre for years, but Italian movie studios kept telling him that such films were too expensive to make, or nobody would be interested ... until "Star Wars" came along, of course. Then it was like "Hey, Luigi! Here's your chance! Go nuts!" ...so he did.

If you put "Star Wars," "Barbarella," "Flash Gordon," and about a dozen other old sci-fi movies and serials into a blender and hit "puree" you'd have this movie.



Great Bad Movies: "Starcrash" (1978) <-- Shameless plug for my review of this flick at my blog

"Star Crash" was my introduction to the weird, wild world of European "B"/exploitation movies when I was in my early teens and it's been a perennial favorite ever since. It's terrible, but it's awesomely terrible!

 

"The Purple Monster Strikes"

 

Look again.

 

John Barry.

 

Has the OP heard Frank Zappa's Roxy & Elsewherel/I]? Because clearly, he needs a little more "Cheepnis", please!

 

Good thread !!!

 

Damnation Alley

 

with those..don't wanna spoil it...not very nice insects.

 

End of the world.laserblast.The day time ended.

 

Forbidden Planet. Great color and score with a plot based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. And Robbie The Robot!

 

You might want to check out a couple 50 movie box sets by Mill Creek full of old sci-fi/space stuff. There is one called Nightmare Worlds with some movies like The Day the Sky Exploded (1958), Attack From Space(1964), Purple Death From Outer Space (1940).

Another is the 50 movie Sci-Fi box. It includes Assignment Outer Space, Menace From Outer Space, The Galaxy Invader, Planet Outlaws, Cosmos:War Of the Planets and others.

All are public domain, most are old B&W, and quality varies. Definitely watchable and best of all these boxes can be found cheap. A good bargain I think.

 

just don't watch The Nest!

 

The Angry Red Planet

 

Flash Gordon (1980)
Barbarella (1968)
THX1138 (1971)

 

Google John Agar...

 

Robot Monster features an "explosion" in "space" that is so cheap it needs to be seen to be believed.

 

Great deep cut recommendation. Mario Bava tried his hand at just about every genre and really nails this sci-fi horror hybrid.

I love the vintage sci-fi genre. Here are a few other recommendations, all personal favorites:

The Brain From Planet Arous - John Agar gets possessed by a horny alien who wants to blow up the world. Awesome! As someone else said, John Agar is pretty much the king of this genre. He even makes crap like 'Monster from Piedras Blancas' worth watching.
The Black Scorpion - One of the best of the giant insect movies. Honorable mention: 'Them' and 'Beginning of the End'.
Astounding She Creature - Voluptuous glowing babe from outer space kills with her touch.
The Brain that Wouldn't Die - More horror than sci-fi but must be seen to be believed. Pure schlock at it's best.
Rocketship X-M - One of the better Humans in Rocket blasting into space movies with Lloyd Bridges!
Fiend Without a Face - Another giant brain parasite invasion flick. Can't have enough of these.
It Conquered the World - Probably my favorite of the Roger Corman cheapie sci-fi's but 'Attack of the Crab Monsters' and 'Not of This Earth' are also right up there.
Incredible Shrinking Man - Simply one of the best sci-fi movies ever.

This is a huge genre with a zillion titles. Some are truly great, some are so bad, they're good and some are just bad and torturous to sit through, but it's a worthy effort keeping these films alive.

 

Another great informative post for the op(perhaps left .....the planet).

 

The Green Slime is a fun watch (and great theme song). Robinson Crusoe on Mars is another good one. Perhaps First Men in the Moon too.

 

Mystery Science 3000 the Return on Netflix did this film. I've seen it before and loved it for all its awfulness, but it's still entertaining to watch them poke fun at stuff with it.