The Monolith Monsters

1957
Approved
1h 17m

IMDb RATING

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Lola Albright and Grant Williams in The Monolith Monsters (1957)

Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

4.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos32

+ 28

Top cast23

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Grant Williams

Dave Miller

Lola Albright

Cathy Barrett

Les Tremayne

Martin Cochrane

Trevor Bardette

Prof. Arthur Flanders

Phil Harvey

Ben Gilbert

William Flaherty

Police Chief Dan Corey

Harry Jackson

Dr. Steve Hendricks

Richard H. Cutting

Dr. E.J. Reynolds
(as Richard Cutting)

Linda Scheley

Ginny Simpson

Dean Cromer

Highway Patrolman

Steve Darrell

Joe Higgins

Claudia Bryar

Mrs.Simpson
(uncredited)

Troy Donahue

Hank Jackson
(uncredited)

Jerry Dunphy

Newscaster
(uncredited)

Paul Frees

Narrator
(voice)
(uncredited)

Chuck Hamilton

Corpse in Back of Pickup Truck
(uncredited)

Kelo Henderson

Police Dispatcher
(uncredited)

Carol Morris

Second Nurse
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
There actually are stones known as "trovants" in Romania, that grow, move, and even reproduce. They take in the minerals from the rain after each heavy downpour, which combine with the chemicals already existing in the rock to produce a reaction and pressure within that eventually causes the stone to grow and reproduce.

Goofs
The town is ordered to evacuate, however when the monoliths reach the bottom of the canyon and someone on a rooftop sees them, you can see there are still many people walking around the town with no indication of evacuation.

Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator: From time immemorial the Earth has been bombarded by objects from outer space, bits and pieces of the universe piercing our atmosphere in an invasion that never ends. Meteors, the shooting stars on which so many earthly wishes have been born - of the thousands that plummet toward us, the greater part are destroyed in a fiery flash as they strike the layers of air that encircle us. Only a small percentage survives. Most of these fall into the water which covers two-thirds of our world, but from time to time, from the beginning of time, a very few meteors have struck the crust of the Earth and formed craters - craters of all sizes, sought after and poured over by scientists of all nations for the priceless knowledge buried within them. In every moment of every day they come from planets belonging to stars whose dying light is too far away to be seen. From infinity they come. Meteors!
[a meteor crashes against the Earth]
Narrator: Another strange calling card from the limitless reaches of space. Its substance unknown, its secrets unexplored, the meteor lies dormant in the night - waiting!

Connections
Edited from Born to Be Wild (1938)

User reviews104

Review

Featured review

7/10

The Rock Monsters from Outer Space

In San Angelo, California, the geologist Ben Gilbert (Phil Harvey) finds a piece of meteorite in the desert and brings it to his office. However the black rock has a chemical reaction with the rain water and on the next morning, Ben´s co-worker Dave Miller (Grant Williams) finds him petrified in the office. Meanwhile Dave ´s girlfriend, the teacher Cathy Barrett (Lola Albright), brings her class to the desert and the girl Ginny (Linda Scheley) takes a piece of meteorite home. When Cathy sees Ben´s rock, she recognizes and she goes to Ginny´s house with Dave and a police officer. They find the farmhouse destroyed, Ginny´s parents dead and the girl in shock with one hand turning into stone. Dave seeks out his former professor Arthur Flanders (Trevor Bardette) to help him to solve the mystery while Ginny is taken to a Medical Research Institute in Los Angeles to the famous Dr. Steve Hendricks (Harry Jackson) to try to find the cure. Will they succeed?

"The Monolith Monsters" is a horror film from Universal with the original story of rock monsters from outer space. The screenplay is well-developed and highly entertaining but the rushed conclusion disappoints. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rastros do Espaço" ("Tracks from the Space")