Quicksand In Popular Recreation Area

Above, Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and Dr. Niemann (Boris
Karloff) in quicksand in House of Frankenstein (1944). Universal Pictures.

When I was a kid, it seemed like a lot of movies of that era had a fixation on quicksand. One in particular was not really quicksand, but rather a way to trap humans into an alien spaceship. That movie was Invaders From Mars (1953). It was creepy.

The National Park Service has issued a warning about quicksand at a popular recreational area.

RV Travel posted the following:

The National Park Service is warning travelers heading to public lands in the Southwest about a potential hazard they may not expect: quicksand. Officials at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans the Utah–Arizona border, say quicksand has recently been found near shorelines and in drainage areas throughout the park. Be careful!

Watched "Invaders From Mars" (1953)

Above, this shot of Bob Shayne was taken from my television screen with my camera. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This evening, I watched the restored Invaders From Mars (1953) from Ignite Films on Blu-ray.

The movie scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a kid. Now I just laugh at how cheesy it is. Still, it was entertaining.

I can look past the mutants's back zippers on their costumes (there was even a fat one) and the stock footage of tanks to pad the running time.

The movie looked great. They did a great job in its restoration. The extras also made buying the Blu-ray worthwhile. They include observatory scenes shot about a year later for European audiences and an alternate ending. Also included is an interview with actor Jimmy Hunt. There were other extras. 

Although low budget, the movie had a German expressionism look by director William Cameron Menzies.

I spotted three actors of the Adventures of Superman television show. Robert Shayne, John Eldridge and Janine Perreau. Barbara Billingsley of Leave It To Beaver was also in it as a secretary.

Interestingly, in the underground passageways, there are round balloon-like things on the walls. Those turned out to be hundreds of condoms bought at a drug store,. It was said that the druggist mused that "someone is going to have a great night" or something to that effect.

The Blu-ray was a bit pricey at $45, but it was worth the cost. If you like 1950s flying saucer science-fiction movies, you'll have fun watching this one.

"Invaders From Mars" (1953) Blu-Ray Home At Last

Above, after opening the package. 

Finally, I was able to get my Blue-ray of Invaders From Mars (1953) from the post office.

Either it snowed too much to risk the drive to the post office or the post office clerk didn't show up for work. 

The clerk has been terminated for too many "no shows".

Today, I was able to pick up the package and will watch the movie tonight during dinnertime. I think the last time I saw the movie was back in the early 1990s while I was working the graveyard shift at Indian Springs (formerly where the Iverson Movie Ranch was located). 

The movie scared the bejeezus me when I was a kid. When I saw it 30-something years ago, I laughed as the Martian costumes had visible back zippers showing. Now, with this Blu-ray and the new restoration, we can see the zippers a lot better.

"Invaders From Mars" (1953) Blu-ray

A couple of days ago, I blogged about the restored Invaders From Mars (1953) using the original film negatives.

After posting, I looked around to see where I could get a copy. That was a daunting task, it seemed that neither eBay nor Amazon had it.

But last evening, I saw an ad for it on Facebook from Ignite Films. 

Here it is (screen capture):

$55.00?! That's pretty pricey for an old movie! 

Then, I used the ad's drop-down widget and found that the Blu-ray is $45.00. That's a little better. But considering the extras that come along with it, I decided to buy it.

If $45.00 doesn't scare you away, you can order it by going here.

"Invaders From Mars" (1953) Restored

This movie scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a kid. It is nice to know that it was lovingly restored...and with the original negatives to help accomplish that!

Black Hole Movies posted on Twitter:

The long overdue restoration of William Cameron Menzies’ Invaders from Mars (1953) looks and sounds incredible. Have loved the film for years, but its presentations have always been poor. I didn’t know that the original camera negatives were still around to make this possible.

We can now see the zippers on the backs of the Martians a lot clearer! 

The last time I saw this movie was around 30 years ago. I'll have to get a copy!