Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Am I Missing Something?

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Watching THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES, one can't help but feel for the star, Paul Birch: he's given very little to do and he does very little with what he's given... The fact that the "beast" of the title looks like an old-fashioned coffee pot doesn't help. NOT OF THIS EARTH, however, restores one's faith in Birch: he's excellent as the leader of a race of vampire aliens come to Earth in search of- you guessed it- Human blood. The cataract-white contacts he wears throughout are most effective, lending his character that Otherworldly aspect so necessary for an "alien" to come across as other than Human; even when he's wearing his sunglasses to hide said orbs, he's convincingly alien. Dick Miller makes a brief appearance as a vacuum-cleaner salesman, but it's the beautiful Beverly Garland who steals the show as Birch's Earthling nurse. NOT OF THIS EARTH is another of those genuinely FUN Creature Features from the '50's- The Golden Age of Science Fiction Films.

Roger Corman "classic" cheapie about a blank-eyed alien (Paul Birch) who comes to Earth because his planet Davanna is in desperate need of blood after a nuclear war. So he uses his mind control powers to force a doctor to give him a blood transfusion to keep him alive while he kills people and sends their blood back to his planet via some kind of transporter.Paul Birch is good in the lead role, despite reportedly feeling this movie was beneath him. Beverly Garland plays the nurse Birch's character hires to take care of him. I'm not sure why he didn't just mind control her, too. It would've saved him a lot of grief later. Jonathan Haze (Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors and other Corman movies) is the lowlife Birch hires as his driver. This type of character (dark hair, rough manner, vaguely Brooklyn) appeared in many Corman movies, for some reason. Another Corman regular, Dick Miller, has an amusing role as an annoying vacuum cleaner salesman who becomes Birch's first victim. Best part? Could be the doctor's hilarious death scene or the part where Birch tries his mind control powers on a guy but, because he's weak, it doesn't work as well so the guy runs away from him and you get a funny telepathic exchange between the two. But maybe the highlight is when another alien from Davanna shows up and demands Birch give her a blood transfusion. He does but he accidentally gives her some human blood infected with rabies! They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks. From the opening crawl to the closing scene, this is one of those great old sci-fi/horror flicks that has some interesting ideas but is so cheesy it's hard to take seriously. The cheesiness is what makes it so special, though. Love the sci-fi gadgetry, such as the machine Birch uses to communicate with another alien back on Davanna. It's all very low budget and cheap but also undeniably enjoyable.

Yes, folks, it's a "vampire from outer space" story, nicely devised by Mark Hanna and frequent Corman collaborator Charles B. Griffith. It's snappy & witty stuff, with particularly fun banter between co-stars Beverly Garland and Jonathan Haze. Despite being somewhat heavy on dialogue, it isn't boring (the very short running time does help), and producer / director Corman is clearly having a good time with this material. The actors are a treat to watch and there are effectively creepy moments along the way.The alien bloodsucker in question is blank eyed "Mr. Johnson" (Paul Birch), who needs the red stuff to replenish the dying population of his war-ravaged home planet, Davanna. After coming to Earth, he retains the services of amiable slimeball Jeremy (Haze, who would gain his greatest fame playing Seymour in Cormans' "The Little Shop of Horrors") as well as those of nurse Nadine Storey (the lovely Ms. Garland), whom he hires to live with him and provide regular blood transfusions. Those with the potential to thwart Johnsons' mission are Nadines' boyfriend Harry (Morgan Jones), a cop, and her understandably perplexed boss, Dr. Rochelle (William Roerick).Garland is certainly easy to watch, and rocks a one piece bathing suit in one sequence. Birch is amusing as the very cold and reserved villain. Haze is a real hoot in his role. Best of all is the cameo by longtime Corman regular Dick Miller, who's hysterical as a vacuum cleaner salesman. Filmed for the approximate sum of $100,000, this diverting little concoction has some fine moments where Johnson is communicating with associates back on Davanna, but the most freakish moment comes when a character is eliminated by a monster that resembles a lampshade; it's unnerving no matter how low tech the effects may be. And that ending is most enjoyable.Remade three times so far.Eight out of 10.

The ultra-creative Roger Corman directed quite a few horror and sci-fi movies in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They almost all had low budgets, short running times, lots of action and plots that moved like lightning. Some were duds (just see "Viking Women and the Sea Serpent") but many were pretty good. "Not of This Earth" is one of the best Corman films from this period, with a great cast, good script and fine direction.A white-eyed alien named Paul Johnson (Paul Birch) comes to earth in order to collect human blood for his home planet Davanna, which is experiencing a horrible war. Johnson's eyes emit some kind of lethal powers when he takes off his sunglasses. He is hires nurse Nadine Storey (Beverly Garland), who administers blood transfusions and a personal assistant Jeremy (Jonathan Haze). He communicates with his leader and sends blood home via a matter transmitter. He is defeated at the end by Storey's boyfriend, a policeman who discovers that the alien cannot tolerate loud noises (such as police sirens). Along the way, there's an interesting subplot about the arrival of a female alien (Anna Lee Carroll) from Davanna, and some unusual blood research by a local doctor (William Roerick).Birch is just excellent in the title role, playing a menacing, sunglasses-wearing alien with great flair and restraint. Garland, as the threatened heroine, is good as usual and her role gives her plenty of opportunities to scream. The best performance is provided by Dick Miller, who hilariously plays an over-aggressive vacuum cleaner salesman who unwisely conducts a demonstration in the alien's basement. The demonstration is followed by footage of the salesman's blood being drained and his body being stuffed into an incinerator. (This was a clever touch by Corman—how many times have we all been annoyed by door-to-door solicitors? I'm not endorsing incinerating anyone, but the scene was amusing.) Corman's direction and the fine cast set "Not of This Earth" apart from lots of other sci-fi B-movies of the late 1950s. If you like these kinds of films, it's really fun to watch and it moves at warp speed.