Invasion of the Animal People (1962)

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

For background information, try reading Michael Elliot's review--it's pretty helpful. He explains how this original film was chopped to pieces and new scenes in English were added. You wonder if what the original film actually is about--perhaps it's a very different story!! I've seen a few other films that were pieced together like this--American-International did this a lot in the 1960s.This is really a single film marketed by Something Weird Video. Despite saying on the box that it's a "Swedish Double Feature", the two titles on the cover are the same film that has been chopped up two different ways--one with John Carradine narrating. Perhaps they didn't intend to fool the viewer, but there is only one full-length film and a few tiny special features. If you do watch it, try "Invasion of the Animal People"--it's unintentionally funnier--though the print is poorer. Also, this version lacks the nudity of the other one--making it more family-friendly.As I watched this film, I was amazed how incredibly slow this movie was. So much of the film seems to have NOTHING to do with monsters or anything remotely scary. Instead, you see people skiing and a gratuitous nude scene that has absolutely nothing scary about it! In fact, after the initial scene of a crappy looking ship crashing in the snow, NOTHING seems to happen related to this until about 27 minutes in the film when you see a bunch of carcasses of reindeer. This made the film very slow and a bit dull...no...a LOT dull--even with the nude scene. In fact, this lady sure seemed to like to take off her clothes!! However, you don't get to really see the extremely silly monster until about 55 minutes into the movie--by which time you are dying for it all to end! Up until then, you only catch bits and pieces--a hairy arm her, the back of the head there and the like. Coming from Something Weird, I was amazed how non-weird and listless the film was--usually the films they carry are laughably bad--not dull! Or, they are chock full of sex--which this one isn't, either.A dull flute sound track, a confusing and dull story, a monster who is silly looking but not worth the interminable wait, aliens that look like the Angel of Death from "The Seventh Sign" and an amateurish look to the entire production, this one isn't of interest to bad movie buffs like myself who enjoy films like "Plan 9" or "Eeegah!"--it's just boring and not worth bothering to see. If you do see it, skip to the last 12 minutes--at least this part is enjoyable for it's kitsch value!

I'm from Sweden, and they don't make many horror/sci-fi movies here, so it's really nice to finally have this classic on DVD!Sure, it's really cheap and a bit slow sometimes, but it's still entertaining, especially if you're Swedish and recognize some of the famous guest stars.I have to say that I also like the monster design, it's quite unique, and the whole mountain setting gives the movie a great atmosphere.The acting is quite good too. I especially enjoyed the beautiful Barbara Wilson. Swedish actor Gösta Prüzelius also appears in the movie. He is best known for his role as Reidar in 1990's soap opera "Rederiet".By the way, famous Swedish singer Brita Borg, the girl singing in one of the scenes, passed away last night. She was eighty-three years old.

Can't actually rate this movie, it's so bad that it's good. It's either one or ten. The Swedish actors are talking really bad English, you can't believe it. For example "Who are you?", meaning "How are you." Microphones are visible sometimes. And at the "Royal Academy of Science", it's a handwritten paper sign pinned to the door. Very funny. In one scene, the hero leaves the heroin and is skiing downhill for a couple of minutes. Then the monster arrives at the girls place. She screams, and the hero hears it. Turn around and continue skiing downhill back to were he left her! And yes, "Lapplanders" live in Sweden, but they name themselves "Saami", "Lapplanders" are the inhabitants if the Swedish county "Lappland". And yes Saami hang around in funny hats, but not all the time.

"Invasion of the Animal People" is yet another classic Jerry Warren work, up their with "Creature of the Walking Dead"(1965). Warren took existing footage and added an intro with John Carradine rambling on about nothing and some scenes with Warren regular Fred Hoffman. The plot involves some cloaked aliens landing in Lappland and a huge Animal Person who roams about. The Animal Person (not People) special effects are excellent and the aliens are cool. Plenty of Jerry Warren atmosphere in this great low-budget sci-fi flick (just beware the occasional script flaws). Perfect for a snowy afternoon.