807-Terror from the Year 5000

Film Year:  1958
Genre:  Science Fiction
Director:  Robert J. Gurney Jr.
Starring:  Ward Costello, Joyce Holden, John Stratton, Salome Jens, Fred Herrick
MST Season:  8

The Movie

A group of scientists create a time machine that transports a radioactive statue to modern day from over three millennia in the future.  Given the questionable nature of the experiment, the head scientist shuts the project down.  But not everybody thinks the experiment should stop, as a disgruntled assistant continues in secret and accidentally transports a mutant woman from the future.  The woman wishes to take a normal man from the past in an attempt to cleanse genetic mutations through mating.  In other words, mutant POOM!

Terror from the Year 5000 has an interesting premise on its side, at the very least.  It's a very drawn out production though, as it stretches its premise to it's limit before finally unleashing the title creature on our heroes, who have to stop her.  It's not all bad, at least the acting is okay.  It just takes forever to get to its destination, and even then there isn't much "Terror" happening.

Once the Terror finally unleashes, we find her being played by the youthful actress who would eventually play the head female changeling in Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine.  You would think her role would prepare her for all that makeup she wore on Trek, but it looks like they got a witch nose at a novelty store, some upside-down buck teeth, and wrapped her in bubble wrap that was painted black.  She steals a nurse's face and it turns out all she wants is some POOM!  She has interesting motivations if nothing else, making her a fairly strong villain in this dreary sci-fi.

That's really what I keep falling back on, certain things are interesting, but the movie itself is just bland.  There's probably a great movie inside Terror from the Year 5000 that probably could have been compared to The Day The Earth Stood Still, but nobody had the money or talent to make that version.

The Episode

Terror from the Year 5000 has a bit going against it.  Watching it in the context of season eight, it has a tendency to blend in a bit and not stand out while us viewers find ourselves a little beaten down with the "sameness" of a lot of these early season eight films.  This is also probably the blandest movie the series has shown in a while, which makes the prospect of watching it not very enticing.  Luckily the riffing maintains a spunky attitude to make it constantly seem like something is happening even when the movie gets stuck in the mud.  Then just as the titular Terror begins to terrorize, the episode rolls up its sleeves and delivers the hilarity (I especially enjoyed the Mission:  Impossible riffs when the Terror peels a nurse's face off and puts it on).  In the meantime, enjoy their playful mocking of a tepid love triangle and 50's sex.  Once again, POOM!

The host segments are all delights, including the lovely song "When I Held Your Brain in My Arms" by the Observers.  Other amusing Observer bits include the Observer's forcing Pearl and Bobo to fight while failing to make Mike and the Bots do the same and also their evolved food in pill form (which honestly tickles me to no end).  Meanwhile, Crow acquires a time machine and uses it to woo Mike's ex-girlfriend Ginger Sssssssssssssssssnapop and the Terror, as played by Beez McKeever.

It's easy to overlook Terror from the Year 5000.  I've done it myself at times.  It's also a crime against nature, so don't do it.  Terror is a very funny episode and it deserves to be seen and remembered.

Good

The DVD

Due to film rights complications, this episode is one of the eleven that never hit DVD.  It's host segments however were compiled on a disc called Satellite Dishes, which featured the host segments of all the unreleased episodes.  This disc was featured on Shout Factory's Volume XXXIX set.