Hand of Death (1962) / Are We Alone In The Universe (1978)

This was an early 60’s sci-fi horror about a scientist whose experiments result in him accidentally transforming into a toxic monster.

Alex (genre actor John Agar) is working on developing a new bio weapon, a nerve gas that paralyzes those it comes into contact with. This will cause the victims to remain in a hypnotic state for weeks afterwards. He's hoping he can use it as a weapon that will replace bombs to reduce war casualties. After working all weekend, attempting to get the formula right, he accidentally spills some on himself. The chemicals get absorbed into his body, resulting in him instantly killing anyone whom he touches. His flesh also darkens and swells, taking on the appearance of a deformed beast. His colleagues and fiance race against time to try and find an antidote that will reverse the effects of the chemicals in his body.

With a runtime of about an hour, it's just enough time to set up the story and then move things along. The soundtrack is goofy, with the type of high pitched notes that were often found in old horror movies to signify suspense. The script, despite keeping things straightforward for most of the runtime, does manage to include some humor here and there. The monster, however, is where the scares fail, as he looks like a shriveled raisin, more laughable than scary. At times he reminded me of The Creature from The Creature Walks Among us, only with a darker, more swollen face. Still, the flick manages to be fun and entertaining. I streamed it on YouTube.

The other flick I watched was a late 70’s documentary that ponders whether the Earth has been visited by extraterrestrial life in the past.

The movie is basically a collection of footage and clips, with narration. The topics discussed are ancient drawings and carvings that depict odd vehicles, of men dressed in clothes that look like space suits, old civilizations, surgeries, etc. It ponders whether these ancient relics reflect things that these people actually saw, or were they simply flights of imagination. It also features photos of real alleged UFO’s, and footage from old sci-fi movies and series such as Lost In Space and Invaders From Mars.

This doc ended up being an unfocused mess. It rips off those other 70’s ones such as In Search of Ancient Mysteries and Chariots of the Gods, basically covering the same topics. It even also shows clips from another one called Mysteries From Beyond Earth. While it starts out ok, it ultimately goes all over the place, talking about undersea exploration, dinosaurs, and even repeats information, such as discussing the Nazca lines twice, and spending a good 20 minutes focused on undersea exploration that really goes nowhere. The soundtrack at times sounds like archived music used at the beginning of Night of the Living Dead. I had a few alcoholic beverages while watching that helped to get through the dullness, but even that was stretching it. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, but not nearly as fun as others out there. I watched this one on YouTube.