NOT OF THIS EARTH (1957)
Article #280 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 12-21-2001
Posting date: 5-6-2002

An alien from another planet masquerades as an earthling in order to get the blood he needs to survive.

This is an efficiently directed, well-written variation on the vampire theme directed by Roger Corman and written by Charles B. Griffith. It holds up quite well with time, keeping the interest level throughout, and it is filled with excellent performances, including a scene-stealing bit by Dick Miller as a vacuum cleaner salesman. Paul Birch plays the alien, Beverly Garland his nurse, and Jonathan Haze his servant. It’s a shame this one has never had an official release on video; it’s one of Corman’s best early efforts. In contrast, the latter day remakes of this film are all too easy to find.