The Magnetic Monster *** (1953, Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron) – Classic Movie Review 9555

‘This one man stands between the earth and DOOM!’

Beware the terrors of the magnetic monster, accidentally caused by a radioactive isotope developed by a scientist, Howard Denker (Leonard Mudie), now dying of radiation poisoning. He confesses to experimenting with an artificial radioactive isotope, serranium, which he bombarded with alpha particles for 200 hours, and now his so-far microscopic creation has assumed a life of its own.

The new isotope absorbs energy from its surroundings every 11 hours, each time doubling its size and mass, and releasing deadly radiation and intense magnetic energy, the monster growing ever larger and more destructive.

Richard Carlson stars in the first of his series of science fiction and horror films as A-Man agent Dr Jeffrey Stewart), who first finds a strong magnetic field has magnetised every metal item in a local hardware store, and later calculates they have only 24 hours to destroy the serranium element. King Donovan plays Stewart’s sidekick partner Dan Forbes and Jean Byron plays Connie Stewart.

The answer appears to be a Canadian experimental power generator, the Deltatron, being built in a cavern under the ocean. This is good news! Because, for this, the film-makers use 10 minutes of stock footage of the atom smasher from the 1934 German science fiction thriller Gold, helping to keep the budget down to $105,000.

Directors Curt Siodmak and Herbert L Strock’s likeable Fifties Sci-f B-movie The Magnetic Monster (1953) is surprisingly effective for its time, with plenty of lively ideas, strong scenes and a dramatic finale at an experimental power station. Carlson makes a serious, solid hero.

It still works if you don’t expect any of today’s polish or special effects.

It is the first film in producer Ivan Tors’s Office of Scientific Investigation trilogy, followed by Riders to the Stars (1954) and Gog (1954).

Also in the cast are Byron Foulger, Harry Ellerbe, Strother Martin, Leonard Mudie, Leo Britt, Michael Fox, John Zaremba, Lee Phelps, Watson Downs, Roy Engel, Frank Gerstle, John Vosper, John Dodsworth, Charles Williams, Michael Granger, William Benedict, Kathleen Freeman, Douglas Evans, Jarma Lewis, Elizabeth Root and Juney Ellis.

The Magnetic Monster is directed by Curt Siodmak and Herbert L Strock (uncredited), runs 76 minutes, is made by Ivan Tors Productions [A-Men Productions], is released by United Artists, is written by Curt Siodmak and Ivan Tors, is shot in black and white by Charles Van Enger, is produced by Ivan Tors and George Van Marter, is scored by Blaine Sanford and is designed by George Van Marter.

The music is performed by Korla Pandit.

The Los Alamos MANIAC computer and the UCLA differential analyzer are shown to give a scientific atmosphere.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9555

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