I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2020

Gene Fowler Jr.'s "I Married a Monster from Outer Space" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw; original trailer; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Point of contact

The small town of Norrisville. Bill Farrell (Tom Tryon) is about to marry Marge Bradley (Gloria Talbott) and he is enjoying his final hours as a free man together with his best friends. In a local bar, they drink and talk about the good ol’ days as well as everything that awaits Bill as a married man. After a final round of drinks, Bill is the first one to leave. However, moments later he nearly runs over a body laying in the middle of the road which turns out to be a ‘carrier’ for an alien creature. When he comes closer to examine it, the creature quickly and effortlessly takes over his body.

On the following day Bill marries Marge and then the two begin their pre-planned honeymoon adventure. At first Marge links her husband’s awkward behavior to the pressure they both have experienced while trying to have a perfect wedding, but then slowly begins to wonder whether there might be something more to it. Dr. Wayne (Ken Lynch), who happens to be a personal friend, assures her that there is nothing to worry about, but she remains skeptical and shortly after notices that some of Bill’s friends have began changing as well.

Gene Fowler Jr.’s I Married a Monster from Outer Space was released just two years after Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and just like it examines the old scenario about a possible contact with members of a hostile alien race. The main difference between them is in the responses that define the contact.

In I Married a Monster from Outer Space there is a somewhat noble excuse for the invasion -- the visitors are on the verge of extinction, so they hope to use Earth’s women to reproduce and preserve their race. They have to ack quickly too, so the multiplication of the ‘carriers’ is very much a controlled process, not a spontaneous attack. For this reason, the film offers two contrasting point of views while the drama in Norrisville is underway.

If the film was supposed to promote any Cold War era symbolism it clearly failed because once Marge warms up to the alien creature in her husband’s body the it misses a wide range of opportunities to impress as a genre chameleon. There is one particularly good sequence where the creature opens up and explains how it is slowly learning to love like the locals do, but it is not enough to speculate that it is part of a larger and meaningful message with political overtones.

The film’s atmosphere is its biggest strength, though it has to be said that without the random splashes of light humor it could have been even more effective. The sequences where the alien creatures are revealed, for instance, ooze a noirish ambience that should have been emphasized because it makes the film look much bigger and more expensive than it was. Unfortunately, a lot more attention is given to the group exchanges where the character arcs are completed, which leave the exact opposite impression.

The visual effects were done by John P. Fulton, who is remembered for his outstanding work on such classic films as The Ten Commandments, Vertigo, To Catch a Thief, Rear Window, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and One-Eyed Jacks.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, I Married a Monster from Outer Space arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was provided by Paramount Pictures. It is a pretty good organic master, but with two notable weaknesses. First, it looks like it might have been some sort of a reconstruction job because there are a couple of sequences where it appears that footage is coming from different sources. I have provided screencaptures #16 and 17 to highlight the noticeable drop in density, which produces additional discrepancies in terms of delineation and clarity. So, while viewing the film you should expect to see a few areas with noticeable fluctuations. Second, there is a fair amount of tiny dirt spots, flecks, and a few blemishes. I did not find them distracting, but there are plenty of modern tools that could have quite easily eliminated them to make the film look healthier. However, if the master really is a reconstruction job, then someone likely determined that because of the obvious fluctuations the presentation is 'good enough'. The rest is quite nice. The blacks, grays, and whites are balanced very well. Also, image stability is good. Grain can be healthier, but overall it looks rather good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitle are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. The upper register is healthy as well. Can any improvements be made? Perhaps some rebalancing work can be done, but I don't think that the overall quality of the audio will change. I think that it is already really, really good.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Photo Gallery - a collection of productions stills and vintage promotional materials. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw share a lot of interesting information about the era in which I Married a Monster from Outer Space emerged, its production history, critical reception, visual style and special effects, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Via Vision Entertainment.

• Imprint Trailer - promotional trailers for Via Vision Entertainment's recently launched series.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a cheesy element in this film that should have been dropped in favor of a stronger noirish ambience. The spooky footage is done really well and actually makes the film look like a much bigger and more ambitious project. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an older master that was provided by Paramount Pictures. I think that it is a fine master, but there is clearly room for different meaningful improvements. RECOMMENDED.