Instead, we'll foist this promo-clip/trailer/teaser for the modern-day B-Movie on you: Atomic Brain Invasion.
Not a classic.
Nope.
But kinda fun in a post Plan 9 sort of way.
Atomic Horror is a sub-genre all on its own, sort of like Disaster Films are, mostly because of concerns over radiation contamination or space cooties. Or cheesy sets, bad costumes, and lousy scripts--and no budget. Or bad acting. Something like that. Like say Atomic Space Bug? Just wanted to make sure that it was clear that people are still making these kinds of movies. Sort of like reviving old board games or rp--
Ahem.
If the idea of super-sized heavily irradiated insects, lizards, astronauts returning from outer space (the ones who don't melt that is...), shrewish housewives or seafood sounds vaguely appealing to you, or you're just a little curious, then a great place to start is the Atomic Monsters site. They also do Atomic TV as part of their Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. Fun stuff. Oh and right now they're doing a special on The Deadly Mantis, which means that they must be in telepathic communication with Trey or something equally diabolical and/or pseudotechnological, like maybe via some sort of interocitor from This Island Earth perhaps? Whatever. He'll undoubtedly deny it. Wouldn't you?
Who needs the internet when you can shoot disintegrator beams from the monitor on demand?
Atomic Horror is a fun genre in its own right. It hasn't aged particularly well, but at least it hasn't descended into the depths of angsty teenage vamp--oh--sorry, yeah, I forgot. These movies practically invented some of those teenaged angst tropes, or at least tried to milk them for all they were worth decades ago. Okay. Just take a look at The Beginning of the End, a real prize specimen of the best/worst of the Atomic Horror movies all in one convenient entity. If that doesn't do it for you, go dig around in the list of 1950s Horror Movies at Wikipedia.
If I hadn't missed-out on the whole Hot Elf Chick thing, I'd probably have posted the poster for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, like the one below.
Oh, and be sure to go see what Talysman is doing with Atomic Horror over at The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms. That is going to be Rad--I mean Cool, really, really cool.
You can also find some more Atomic Horror RPG-crap over at Netherwerks where we've set the dreaded Atomic Table A-One-A loose upon the countryside to inflict mutations based on posts here at Old School Heretic. Bet you didn't think this stuff was contagious. It is.
Achoo.
And now, a little Atomic Monsters Live in Tokyo: