Hollywood in the Atomic Age - Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!

Following WWII, the Cold War with the 'red Menace' and the threat of nuclear war persuaded Hollywood to create any number of sci-fi / horror films. Some were classics, some were hits and many were awful.

This documentary makes little attempt to really get under the skin of what made these films so popular. Instead, largely in chronological order through the fifties into the early sixties, the trailers are shown and then actor, director or technician from the day talks about the films, with some providing amusing anecdotes. Whilst some films get mocked eg The Killer Shrews, for the most part these people clearly adore them, and it is clear towards the end that they think America in the fifties was as good as life got. It's fun to hear about these films, but as a documentary it is poorly structured / edited and lacks direction.