The 1955 film, The Beast With A Million Eyes, has three credited directors and reportedly, Roger Corman also stepped in and took over the direction as well, even though he received no screen credit.  That’s a lot of directors for a relatively simple sci-fi/horror film.  Reportedly, the problem with the directors came from the fact that The Beast With A Million Eyes was a non-union production and, after one day of production, the unions threatened to picket the set and basically shut down production unless the entire cast and crew signed up for the guilds.  The unions eventually got their members and their money but all of the drama set production so far behind that Roger Corman stepped in, fired award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby, and proceeded to finish up the film himself.

As for the film itself, it takes place in the California countryside.  Allan Kelly (Paul Birch, who was one of the first guys to get killed in The War of the Worlds and later played the dying alien in Corman’s Not Of This Earth) has no use for modern society and he has moved his family to a ranch in the California desert.  His family is not particularly happy about this.  His wife, Carol (Lorna Thayer), hates being isolated from the world.  Their teenage daughter, Sandy (Dana Cole), is lonely and has a strained relationship with her mother.  The only thing that makes Sandy happy is her boyfriend (played by Dick Sargent, who would later take over the role of Darin on Bewitched) and her dog.  Perhaps the worst part of living out in the desert is that their handyman is a weirdo known as Him (Leonard Tarver).

Now, I should mention that, when I was growing up, my family moved around a lot.  I spent a while living on a few farms that were owned by my aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  Even after we finally settled down in Texas, I would still frequently visit their farms.  I enjoyed visiting the farms, even though I’m pretty much a city girl at heart.  I can say that The Beast With A Million Eyes definitely captured the isolated feel of country life.  Watching the film, I could feel the heart of the unforgiving sun.  I could feel the feeling of tall grass against my bare legs.  And, at times, I could even remember the sound of roosters in the distance and crickets and grasshoppers chanting in the night.

Fortunately, my family was never bothered by aliens while we were on the farm.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the family at the center of The Beast With A Million Eyes.  An alien decides to test its invasion plan on the family.  First, the animals turn against the family, including the poor family dog.  (This is probably not a film to watch if you feel about dogs the way that I feel about cats.)  Then, the handyman suddenly turns against the family as well.  The alien is taking over the minds of the living beings around, starting with animals and then moving on to humans.  Can the family defeat the aliens?  And will nature ever be the same?

Hey, I liked The Beast With A Million Eyes!  Usually, when the film has a lot of directors, it results in a disjointed mess but The Beast With A Million Eyes actually had an interesting story and a lot of country atmosphere.  As opposed to the stereotypically perfect 50s family, the family at the center of The Beast With A Million Eyes is believably dysfunctional but, in the end, they have to come together to save the humanity.  I just hope the rest of the world would be willing to do the same.