The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962) (film review).
Now the 1962 film ‘The Day Mars Invaded Earth’ is just plain quirky. Scientist David Fielding (actor Kent Taylor) is responsible for a spacecraft landing on Mars and losing contact with its mobile robot about 6 minutes after an energy surge. After doing his reports, he returns to his family home in California, not seeing a doppelganger of himself sitting in his chair.
Fielding and his wife, Claire (actress Marie Windsor), aren’t exactly sleeping together, as he tends to be away a lot but somehow keeps it from his children, late-teen Judi (actress Betty Beall) and a little younger Rocky (actor Gregg Shank), who kept up the yuletide decorations until he got back.
The thing is, both parents seem to have duplicates pop up, and each is seeing the other coming from the wrong direction. Fielding calls his fellow worker Web Spencer (actor William Mims) down.
In the meantime, Judi’s boyfriend, Frankie Hazard (actor Lowell Brown), sees her in the middle of the driveway as he leaves and kills himself in a crash avoiding her. While in bed, Judi wakes to see her doppelganger, and escaping, she calls her parents, but it’s gone by the time Fielding checks her room.
When Spencer arrives, they engage in a discussion, during which Fielding appears blank in his office. While Spencer waits for a call, Fielding figures whatever is causing it might be at his wife’s family house nearby. Investigating, he discovers his own doppelganger, who explains that he’s there to prevent Man from going to Mars. They’re perfecting their duplication before replacing them.
Fielding explains to his family and Spencer what’s happening, but they have to spring the front gate. Spencer goes ahead to open the gates and almost literally runs into the doppelganger family. The remainder is a spoiler, but if you watch the trailer, you’ll realise it’s essentially a synopsis of the plot.
This film is more suspense than science fiction. Its elements could work as a horror or ghost film just as easily. It’s also rather compelling viewing on a small budget, which did surprise me.
GF Willmetts
December 2024
pub: public domain. 70 minute film.
cast: Kent Taylor, Marie Windsor, William Mims, Betty Beall, Gregg Shank
