Popcorn Crunchers, Reel 45 Trivia Quiz

Answer: cocoons them and drinks their bodily fluids

It is not immediately clear what happens to people when they fall into the "hands" of the "Beast from Haunted Cave". The beast attacks and carries off Natalie the barmaid. Marty Jones, one of the gang of robbers, later discovers her, barely alive, wrapped in a cocoon.

The same thing happens to Imelda still later in the show. All of the human captives are depleted of the fluids in their bodies.

Answer: Mars Invades

"Flying Disc Man from Mars" (1950) is an editing together of twelve parts of a Republic Pictures serial. "Invaders from Mars" (1953) is the one with a green person's head inside a fishbowl. "Red Planet Mars" (1952) stars Peter Graves, who also starred in TV's "Mission: Impossible" (1967-1973, 1988-1990).

There is a wonderfully zany 1996 motion picture called "Mars Attacks!". There does not appear to be a 1950s motion picture called "Mars Invades".

Answer: two giant robots

The Mysterians release a giant robot named Moquera when they first land on Earth. It is capable of burrowing under the ground and emitting rays which destroy anything in its path. After this robot is destroyed, it is determined to have been made of extraterrestrial materials.

Much later in the film, a second similar robot is deployed by the invaders. It attempts to emerge from underground but is quickly disabled by a weapon which can turn its destroying rays back on itself.

Answer: Christopher Lee

British actor Christopher Lee played Dracula ten times in both Hammer Productions and other films. "Horror of Dracula" was the first and, for him, a definitive role. It was the first Dracula motion picture to be filmed in colour and took full advantage of the shock value of blood and gore.

His book "Tall, Dark and Gruesome" (1977) details his development of the character Dracula over the extent of his career.

Answer: Icarus or Angkor

According to the original USSR version of the motion picture, the spaceship landed on the asteroid Icarus. In the American re-edit of the film, the asteroid is named Angkor. In reality, Mars is orbited by two planetoid moons named Phobos and Deimos (Greek for "fear" and "panic") which were the names of the horses which pulled the chariot of the Greek god Ares. From this asteroid, whatever its name, the astronauts remark that it affords them an amazingly beautiful view of Mars which no man has ever seen before.

Answer: the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

Issues of plagiarism and unfair use swirled around the release of "Stranger From Venus" (1954). The premise of the film is remarkably like that of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951). This is amplified by the casting of Patricia Neal in the female lead of both films. Irish writer-composer Desmond Leslie, the author of the story, and German writer-producer Hans Jacoby, the writer of the screenplay, denied any connection.

The Internet Movie Database says, however, that the latter is a remake of the former.

Answer: Dracula plays no role whatsoever.

There are two allusions in this film to the Dracula legend. The chemistry teacher has an amulet, which she claims comes from Carpathia, can both heal and destroy, and releases frightening powers. Investigating the murder of the student Nola, the coroner reports puncture wounds to her jugular vein and her body emptied of blood.

His assistant, Mike, says he shared a room in medical school with "an exchange student from a small town in the Carpathian Mountains", who told him stories about vampires there.

Other than those two tenuous connections, "Blood of Dracula" has zilch to do with Dracula.

Answer: acting

James Whitmore (1921-2009) was a highly-successful American actor who collected a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and two Academy Award nominations. Science fiction and horror roles were a very small part of his acting history.

He played Police Sgt. Ben Peterson in "Them!" (1954) as well as roles in "Planet of the Apes" (1968) and "The Relic" (1996).

Answer: Riverdale, Illinois

The City of Riverside, Iowa, claims that it will be the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk on 22 March 2228. The City of Riverbank, California, is the home of an annual cheese and wine exposition held every October. The name Skookumchuck River is tautological.

In the Native American Chinook Jargon from which it comes, "skookum" means strong or powerful and "chuck" means river or running water, thus the literally translated name is "Strong River River". "The Brain Eaters" identifies itself as occurring in Riverdale, Illinois.

The narrator begins, "A few weeks ago Riverdale, Illinois was just another quiet, small town." Mayor Cameron, the father of Glenn Cameron in the film, is identified as the mayor of Riverdale.

Answer: 3.452 miles; 5.556 kilometers

6,076 feet, 2,025 yards, 1,852 meters is a nautical mile. 5,280 feet, 1760 yards, 1.609 kilometers is a statute mile. 16.5 feet, 5.50 yards, 5.029 meters is a rod. 3.452 miles, 5.556 kilometers, 3 nautical miles, is a nautical league. Therefore, the distance in the title of "The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues" is equal to 34523.38 miles ... which makes no sense whatsoever, except that it sounds vaguely archaic, slightly nautical, and a bit Vernian.