When Scott Derrickson's remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was released on December 12, 2008, not a few knew that Hollywood producers would revisit the B science fiction classics that were shown during the 1950s and 1960s. Alas, the Marvel superheroes have other plans. One or two were remade (and released) in the years to come.
B pictures were nothing more than so-called appetizers to the main picture. It won't have a running time of more than 75 minutes. (90 times would be too long.) The production design was kept at a minimum, but it shouldn't mean that the production crew were Communists. They would work on a minimum budget, and the plot would reflect the Cold War jitters. And it wasn't hard to ignore the title. "Fire Maidens from Outer Space", "I Married a Monster from Outer Space", "Battle in Outer Space". Many renowned filmmakers have found inspiration in B films, which weren't considered for an Academy Award nomination. "The Brain from Planet Arous", for instance, featured a brain-shaped creature who wanted to bend the world to his will. This might be Tim Burton's reference for "Mars Attacks!". (It turned out that a nauseous country song was the aliens' Achilles heel.) But let's go back on track.
What other B sci-films might be remade soon? Don't mention Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires", which had striking similarities to Ridley Scott's "Alien". Here's a short list:
Them! (1954) by Gordon Douglas. Gigantic irradiated ants populated the sewers of Los Angeles, and it would be a matter of time before they reach the surface and include the Californians in their food chain. It was a by-product of a nuclear explosion at the desert, which wasn't far from L.A. This was one of the notable pictures that warned viewers about the nuclear age if the Cold War would continue to escalate. Those who lived long to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall would be delighted to call Douglas and company a crazy bunch. But look again. There was another (subtle) message on man's repeated attempts to tamper nature's course, even if this would be done for a good cause. This could be a nice premise for a remake.
Tarantula (1955) by Jack Arnold. There would be millions of people who are scared of spiders, particularly the huge, hairy ones. What if they could kick off the Statue of Liberty from her place? Computer generated imagery (CGI) could make it more terrifying than this black-and-white feature.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) by Fred F. Sears. Not a few would cite "Independence Day", which could prompt Fred F. Sears to roll on his grave. Then again, he might be pleased with comparisons with "Battlestar Galactica". But imagine an interplanetary version of the Great War. It would drive the space geeks crazy.
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) by Nathan H. Juran. A creature from Venus would terrorize Rome. There could be enough data to produce a documentary on the said planet, but there would be one missing detail. Was there life on Venus? Perhaps Marvel Studios might consider it as a subplot in one of their upcoming (Marvel) pictures.
The Angry Red Planet (1959) by Ib Melchior. Those who have read too many political commentaries on the Cold War would figure out what the screenplay (by Ib Melchior and Sidney W. Pink) was trying to tell the audience. You must be prepared for Armageddon in case you don't have a clue. Then again, it wasn't hard to imagine hostile aliens not far from where we were living.
