Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Robot Monster

  • 1953
  • Approved
  • 1h 6m
IMDb RATING
3.0/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
Claudia Barrett and George Nader in Robot Monster (1953)
The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter.
Play trailer1:33
1 Video
76 Photos
Dark ComedyComedyFamilyHorrorSci-Fi

The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter.The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter.The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter.

  • Director
    • Phil Tucker
  • Writer
    • Wyott Ordung
  • Stars
    • George Nader
    • Gregory Moffett
    • Claudia Barrett
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.0/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Phil Tucker
    • Writer
      • Wyott Ordung
    • Stars
      • George Nader
      • Gregory Moffett
      • Claudia Barrett
    • 171User reviews
    • 74Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:33
    Trailer

    Photos76

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 70
    View Poster

    Top cast8

    Edit
    George Nader
    George Nader
    • Roy
    Gregory Moffett
    • Johnny
    Claudia Barrett
    Claudia Barrett
    • Alice
    Selena Royle
    Selena Royle
    • Mother
    • (as Selena Royale)
    John Mylong
    John Mylong
    • The Professor
    Pamela Paulson
    • Carla
    George Barrows
    George Barrows
    • Ro-Man the Monster…
    John Brown
    • Ro-Man
    • (voice)
    • …
    • Director
      • Phil Tucker
    • Writer
      • Wyott Ordung
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews171

    3.05.6K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    FranklinTV

    Must be watched once in your lifetime with your closest friends

    How can you approach a recent repeat viewing of a movie you first saw 20 years ago in a double feature with 'Plan 9 from Outer Space', which to this day is still the most joyous, funniest cinema experience you have ever had. Without these two films, I would never have been seduced by the wonderful Golden Turkey Awards books, nor started my secret, indulgent near obsession with enjoying bad movies.

    And as bad movies go, Robot Monster is simply wonderful.

    Its almost pointless to go about what is in store for the unwary viewer, except that they will encountering a cinematic experience they will still be talking about in 20yrs time. However, I cannot complete this review without mentioning my two most favourite magic moments.

    The first magic moment is this wonderful scene at the grave of the recently buried little brat girl (who thankfully is terminated extremely efficiently by Ro-man). Suddenly, in the top left corner of the screen is this small dot. Which starts slowly getting larger and larger. You eventually realize it's a shirtless George Nader running to the graveside. George keeps jumping rocks and branches as he eventually makes his way to the grave. Keep running George. Eventually, he finally gets to the grave, to tell the parents that Ro-man has their adult daughter. At which point, he instantly collapses, and is immediately pronounced dead. The timing is so exquisite, you will rewind the film, just to see this wonderful setup and delivery, again and again.

    The second magic moment is a touching piece of prose which I feel has been ignored by scientists / engineers around the world as a personal incantation when confronted with a crisis. Basically, Ro-man doesn't want to kill the girl because he is having 'strange feelings' towards her (much like the strange feelings my neighbors dog had for my leg when I visited a few days ago). Alas, his superior wants her (and everyone else) killed. We then have this lovely 'to camera' moment, when a creature, consisting of the body of a gorilla, and the head of a deepsea diving helmet plus antenna, laments to the viewer:

    'I cannot, yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do must and cannot meet? Yet I must. But I cannot'.

    If only Macbeth and Hamlet had consider life as deeply, they might not have died.

    Robot Monster is definitely recommended viewing – just don't do it alone. Invite around your closest friends, and you will be bonded with enough 'But what about when …' experiences for the next two months. And how many modern films can claim to be able to do that.
    darkwebonlinedotcom

    The last family on Earth have to contend with man-eating dinosaurs, a food shortage, and a space helmet-wearing gorilla from outer-space who wants them dead!

    Fans of bad movies probably know all about this film. However, if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing this infamous laugh-riot, allow me to explain...

    The film opens with an arrangement of Sci-fi pulp magazines behind the opening credits, so you're obviously expected to throw your common sense radar switch firmly to the off position before viewing commences. Then we're introduced to a family, for some reason having a picnic in a quarry.

    The young boy takes a tumble, and when he recovers, he finds Ro-man, conquerer of Earth and destroyer of mankind, hiding in a cave.

    Ro-man. Now how would you describe Ro-man? How about a man (George Barrows) in a gorilla suit, probably left over from the forties, wearing an old-fashioned diving helmet with the visor blacked out, and a TV ariel sticking out of the top of his head? There are many legends of course about director Phil Tucker running out of cash and, unable to finish off the spacesuit, simply used an old leftover Gorilla custom. Let's face it however, would 'Robot Monster' be the cult favourite it is today if he had found the funds to finish the costume?

    We discover the truth soon after our first encounter with Ro-Man; that Earth was attacked by the alien simian, who wiped out all but eight members of the population. We know this because Ro-Man's gleefully reveals the plot to his superior - 'The Great One' (also George Barrows in the same costume) - over a super hi-tech communications device. I write hi-tech communications device, but what what I actually mean is an old 1940s radio on a wooden table attached to a bubble-making machine.

    Somehow, in the aftermath of Ro-man's destructive rampage, prehistoric creatures were unleashed (yes, it's the old 'One Million B.C.' (1940) footage reeled out for about the 1,500th time; and there's even footage from the antiquated 'Lost World' of 1925!). Thankfully, our poor family are helped in their struggle to survive by their doctor friend and his anti-everything serum, which protect them from Ro-man's deadly Calcinator Ray.

    If you think this all sounds rather childish, well you're right, but this is fused with some quite unexpected adult themes. Ro-man murders the doc's child daughter, and then plans to mate with her older sister. You'd think that the intelligent and beautiful heroine of the piece (Claudia Barrett) would shudder from this evil, and probably smelly, beast, but she doesn't exactly shun him, even remarking 'Oh Ro-Man, you're so strong' as he drags her across the barren wastes to his cave.

    Despite all this, 'Robot Monster' does seem to drag a little in the middle (not an easy accomplishment for a film only just over a hour long!), especially after the novelty of old fish-tank head wears thin. But if you love/like/can tolerate bad movies, you really do owe it to yourself to see this; it lacks quality of any kind.
    codmon

    B Movie... that's capital B

    Sure, this movie is bad. If, however, you have seen tons of movies, including tons of bad movies, you can appreciate just how bad this one is. This film is much more entertaining than any of the Ed Wood films I've seen. This is one of the best of the B classics. If you happen to watch this movie with altered brain chemistry, say you have a fever, it takes on a surrealistic vibrance that parallels a religious experience. every line of dialog has multiple hidden meanings and carry a tone you might associate with a divine manifestation. I felt like people from the future, or from another planet had gone back in time to make this film and bury it in the subconscious of our culture.
    Infofreak

    The movie that gave the world the term "psychotronic". Long live Ro-Man and all who smirk at his awesome calcinator death ray!

    If you could pick one single movie which fueled the bad sf/horror movie cult popularized by The Golden Turkey Awards and 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' then 'Robot Monster' would be it. Ed Wood's 'Plan Nine From Outer Space' is probably better known to mainstream audiences, especially since Tim Burton's fantastic Wood biopic, but 'Robot Monster' is just as good/bad, and the image of a lumbering goon in an over-sized gorilla suit with a diving helmet and antenna has become an iconic symbol of z-grade sci fi. Even people who don't know Ro-Man's name recognize his likeness and giggle. 'Robot Monster' isn't as inept technically as Wood's worst movies (especially his astonishing 'Glen Or Glenda'), but the script is as dumb as they get, the actors are wooden at best, and the not-so-special effects are laughable. What really makes this movie legendary is the "robot monster" himself, Ro-Man (George Barrows). You can help smirking every time you look at him, and when he pontificates on life and love the movie enters a new dimension of trash par excellence. And just dig that bubble machine and the unexpected (and totally irrelevant) use of stock dinosaur footage! Plus a score from (can you believe it?) Elmer Bernstein. 'Robot Monster' is a movie I never tire of watching. I still get a big kick out of it every time I see it. To say that it is absolutely essential viewing for anybody interested in cult movies is the understatement of the century! 'Robot Monster' is after all the movie that gave the world the term "psychotronic". Long live Ro-Man and all who smirk at his awesome calcinator death ray!
    3Leofwine_draca

    Not the worst film ever made...but maybe one of the silliest

    ROBOT MONSTER is often heralded as the worst movie ever made, although I've seen plenty that are more boring than this zero-budget effort, which is enthusiastic if nothing else. The nutshell plot of the film sees a family struggling to survive in the aftermath of an apocalypse, where they're menaced by the titular alien.

    The film features an anything-goes, shot-in-your-own-backyard feel which makes it hard to take seriously. I'm a huge fan of '50s sci-fi, but this has more in common with the dodgy offerings of Ed Wood than a real film. The acting is sub-par, the script even worse, and the attempts to enliven things by shoving in stock footage are simply helpless.

    Things aren't quite so bad as all that, though. ROBOT MONSTER is a film that it's easy to laugh at, which counts for a lot, and Ro-Man is quite an entertaining menace...at least, he's highly amusing, whether it be his bizarre look or the way he talks in that portentous voice. As a movie, it's also very short, which makes things easier to take. Watch it as an unintentional comedy and you might even find yourself enjoying it.

    More like this

    The Deadly Mantis
    5.2
    The Deadly Mantis
    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
    2.8
    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
    20 Million Miles to Earth
    6.3
    20 Million Miles to Earth
    Hillbillys in a Haunted House
    2.8
    Hillbillys in a Haunted House
    Rocketship X-M
    4.9
    Rocketship X-M
    The Three Stooges in Orbit
    5.6
    The Three Stooges in Orbit
    Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge
    5.2
    Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge
    The Babe Ruth Story
    5.2
    The Babe Ruth Story
    The Happy Years
    6.8
    The Happy Years
    The Terror of Tiny Town
    3.9
    The Terror of Tiny Town
    Gamera vs. Zigra
    3.7
    Gamera vs. Zigra
    Tobor the Great
    5.2
    Tobor the Great

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was one of the most lucrative movies of its day, with a box office of more than $1 million on a budget of $20,000.
    • Goofs
      Obvious hand holding the rocket ship flying to earth.
    • Quotes

      Ro-Man: I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot!

    • Crazy credits
      Automatic Billion Bubble Machine by N.A. Fisher Chemical Products, Inc.
    • Alternate versions
      The version released to television by Medallion TV adds an unrelated pre-credits sequence with battling dinosaurs (actually stock footage from One Million B.C. (1940)). This version was released on home video in the 80's by Admit One Video Presentations, and runs 66 minutes.
    • Connections
      Edited from One Million B.C. (1940)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ

    • How long is Robot Monster?
      Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El monstruo de Marte
    • Filming locations
      • Carson's Canyon, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Three Dimension Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $16,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 6 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Claudia Barrett and George Nader in Robot Monster (1953)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Robot Monster (1953) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.