Robot Monster (1953)

Almost as infamous as Plan 9 From Outer Space as perhaps the worst sf film of all time - but, like Plan 9..., there are qualifications to such an extreme claim to infamy. Most of the film, after all, is a representation of a child's dream - that of a small boy - and many of the elements in this one are eerily appropriate when viewed in such a context. The film begins in a quasi-reality, with a small family on a picnic. They all decide to take a nap. That's when it goes off-kilter, as the boy wanders to a nearby cave where lurks the awful Ro-Man, conqueror and destroyer of Earth's population. We are now in the boy's dream - unless we haven't figured that out. And, the weird tale fits in with a small boy's conception of what an invasion of Earth would be like - all revolving around his family and the immediate area (mostly filmed in Bronson Canyon, where many low budget efforts were filmed). Why the film is still somewhat lame - things were already weird before the dream, including the uncomfortable spot where they all decided to nap for some reason.

However, as a dream, it mostly works: people in reality become different in their relationships in the dreamworld. A mere acquaintance in reality - a professor - is now the father in the dream. Mother and daughter wear the exact same dresses - the daughter looks a lot better. There are very odd perspectives - a young man and woman work on an electronic transceiver and all we see are their hands as they work and speak, with the woman dominant and in charge. The young man is played by studly George Nader, who gets shirtless just as Ro-Man puts the kibosh on him - as the just married couple begin their honeymoon. Ro-Man has already killed the little girl by this point - maybe this is not for the squeamish. Then, the near rape. But, the Great Guidance suddenly puts an end to the plot by ravaging the Earth even more with his electric rays and stock footage. So, Ro-Man never gets the girl (who might have acquiesced eventually - she found Ro-Man to be very strong). Then, the dream becomes reality.  Apes in diving helmets, bubble machines, incredible dialog and monologues... surreal; it was in 3-D, too. BoG's Score: 2 out of 10