Film Year: 1958
Genre: Spy, Thriller
Director: Barry Mahon
Starring: John McKay, Monica Davis
MST Season: 2
Featured Short: "The Phantom Creeps: Chapter Two"
The Short
Our heroes manage to escape the sabotaged plane from last week’s installment, though Dr. Zorka’s wife is killed in the crash. Blaming everyone but himself, Zorka returns to his lab to resupply himself with his invisible belt and other sciencey stuff. The good guys show up, leading to a road chase with an invisible man.
There’s already so much more happening in two chapters of The Phantom Creeps than we saw in all eight segments of Commando Cody. I actually wish more serials were like this, because this one is moderately entertaining. There’s still not much to talk about, outside of low budget effects (this invisible man has nothing on the one Universal put in it’s main features). Bela Lugosi continues to be a commanding presence that very few serials have.
The Movie
This cold war propaganda thriller will leave you saying “...help me…” An American spy is sent deep into the Soviet Union to gain intel and/or stop them from launching nuclear missiles at the US. In a Hitchcockian twist, he is gunned down two-thirds into the movie and we watch American residents react to their impending doom for the rest of the movie.
So if you ever want to see helpless infants get nuked, this is your movie!
Rocket Attack USA has a moderately effective idea at its core, as it reminds people that the threat of nuclear retaliation is very real. And for a while it’s even a mildly amusing little spy movie too. I gotta be fair this movie isn’t void of promise. At the very least I liked the way it presented its subject matter more than the comparable Invasion USA.
But Rocket Attack USA is let down by its budget. The movie lumbers like the heavy-handed propaganda piece that it is with little static dialogue playlets that are dull and tiresome. The spy movie could be fun, but it lacks much intrigue as the most heroic thing our main character does is hide in a closet.
Life is much happier for those willing to come out of the closet. THANK YOU! I’LL BE HERE ALL WEEK!
In the finale we’re supposed to identify with little snippets of people going about their daily lives only to be cut short by nuclear holocaust, but unfortunately we don’t care. There’s little to no meat on this film’s bones, and the idea doesn’t really make the film interesting without the execution.
The Episode
“Darn old apocalypse! I just ignore them!”
I’m hesitant about popping episodes based around propaganda pieces like these in for repeat viewing, because I find the movies just don’t seem to invite me back. They’re not that fun to watch, and the riffers need to be on fire to serve such a cold fish to us. As such, Rocket Attack USA is something of a surprise to me. I’ve never given the episode much thought, but forcing myself to have an opinion on it right now I find that it is actually a pretty strong effort. The movie lulls the crew a bit down with it at points, but they always seem to bounce back. I’ve found myself throwing my head back with a huge laugh more than once during this episode, which is always a welcome sign. That’s without taking The Phantom Creeps into the equation, but adding it in I find the episode continuing to maintain consistency (“Stunned? He took six bullets!”). Creeps so far is a far superior serial effort over Commando Cody.
Outside the theater, the first thing we’re greeted to is Tom Servo’s now “haircut,” which is an experiment on giving the bot a skinnier head. The bubble we all know and love will be back in a few episodes, so don’t get too upset (but yeah, it looks horrible). Other than that the host segments maintain a goofy flow, providing a breaking counterbalance to the dour movie. Mike Nelson’s cameo as Joel’s Russian counterpart is hilarious (and prophetic, as Mike would eventually take the reins of this series), while I also quite like the Nuclear themed game show and the Charlie McCarthy Hearings. The Invention Exchange delights with a Water Polo Foosball Table and the Candy Ribbon Adding Machine.
Other than Servo’s new head, Rocket Attack USA is best known today as being the first episode with a “stinger,” that little clip they show at the end of the credits that’s usually just an odd moment from the movie. I’m left leaving this episode thinking it probably should be known for more than that, because it is pretty funny at the best of times. This one is a sleeper surprise for me, and it is now on my radar.
Good
The DVD
Rocket Attack USA was launched at us in Shout Factory’s Volume XXVII set. Audio and video were swell while the only special feature was Life After MST3K: Trace Beaulieu. This brief featurette features Trace recounting what he’s been up to all these years, including a writing stint on America’s Funniest Home Videos, guest spots on The West Wing and Freaks and Geeks, and the video game
Darkstar.
The Phantom Creeps was featured as a part of Shout Factory's bonus Serial Variety Pack, released exclusively through Shout Factory's website on Volume XXVII.
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