Popcorn Crunchers, Reel 99 Trivia Quiz

Answer: a carnivorous tree

The mad scientist in "The Woman Eater" brings a carnivorous tree back to England from the Amazon jungle. The tree is reputed to produce a serum which can bring the dead back to life. For this to happen, a woman (no men!) must be sacrificed to the tree, which wraps its "arms" around her and "eats" her flesh.

The beat of ceremonial drums entrances the female victims so that they may be "willingly" sacrificed. The original tree prop was destroyed in an accidental fire on the set (prefiguring the end of the movie, no doubt) and the monster makers had only a few days to cobble together a replacement which, they said, was less satisfactory than the first.

Answer: The Beast that Would Not Die

"The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953) is an American motion picture based on a short story by Ray Bradbury called "The Fog Horn" with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. "The Beast with a Million Eyes" (1955) is an American motion picture based on a script called "The Unseen" by Tom Filer with special effects by Paul Blaisdell. "Man Beast" (1956) is an American motion picture which credits B. Arthur Cassidy as the screenwriter but was more likely written by the director Jerry Warren. No one is credited for doing the make-up nor special effects.

Some people, especially avocado farmers who lost their homes and their groves, refer to the Thomas Fire in Southern California in December of 2017 as "The Beast That Would Not Die." Others refer to the beast described in the Book of Revelation 13:15 by the same name. Author Megan R. Engelhardt wrote a short story titled "The Beast That Would Not Die" published in the "Zombie Kong Anthology" (Books of the Dead Press, 2012).

There is no record of a film in the 1950s by this name.

Answer: He is set afire and falls off a cliff.

The big hairy monster kidnaps the very beautiful Diane Wilson. The scientists, military and local people go in search of her. The Sámi are all carrying burning torches. When they approach the creature, it puts Diane down (rather like the gorilla puts Fay Wray down at the conclusion of "King Kong" (1933)). The men throw their torches at the monster whose hair catches fire. He backs up and falls over a high icy precipice and dies.

Answer: John Carradine

Dr. Karol Noymann, an atomic scientist played by John Carradine, is the first to appear in "Invisible Invaders." He is promptly blown to bits by an accidental explosion in his laboratory. Shortly after his funeral, he appears at the home of Dr. Adam Penner dressed in a suit and looking unscathed.

He explains that he is not Dr. Noymann but rather an alien who has occupied the deceased scientist's dead body. [This is all well and good but what accounts for him not being in little tiny gory pieces?]

Answer: The sheriff is in league with Dr. Myra.

The sheriff, played by Mike Concannon, is in cahoots with Dr. Myra, supplying her with "drunks and prisoners" on whom to experiment. When Morrie and Dot go to him and tell him their suspicions about their missing friends, he shrugs it off because of his complicity with Dr. Myra. He accompanies Morrie and Dot to the doctor's home and turns them over to her as further experimentation subjects. When he expresses reluctance to extending the net to include teenagers, rather than just drunks and convicts, one of the Eastern secret agents kills him.

Answer: Yes

Larry Buchanan (1923-2004) declared himself to be the "schlockmeister" because of the B-movie horror and science fiction films he produced. Many of these ended up on "worst" lists produced by critics. Titles include "Zontar, the Thing from Venus" (1967), "Curse of the Swamp Creature" (1968), "It's Alive!" (1969), and "Mars Needs Women" (1968).

He remade "Invasion of the Saucer Men" in 1967 and titled it "The Eye Creatures." The original was in black-and-white; the remake was in colour. It went straight to late-night television.

Answer: the Moon / Mars

The RX-M maneuvers to avoid its jettisoned first stage, and maneuvers again to avoid a meteor shower. Then the rocket's engines quit and require in-flight repair. When they are reignited with a different fuel mixture, the spaceship accelerates too rapidly, bypasses the Moon and is on a course for Mars instead. The crew changes their plans and land on the Red Planet instead of Luna.

Answer: directing

Fred C. Brannon (1901-1953) directed over forty motion pictures between 1945 and his death. The American film director was well known for bringing serial pictures in under budget and on time. His films included "The Purple Monster Strikes" (1945), "King of the Rocket Men" (1949), "Radar Patrol vs. Spy King" (1949), "The Invisible Monster" (1950), "Flying Disc Man from Mars" (1950), "Lost Planet Airmen" (1951), "Radar Men from the Moon" (1952), "Zombies of the Stratosphere" (1952), "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe" (1955), "Missile Monsters" (1958), and "Satan's Satellites" (1958).

Answer: a beach in California, USA

"The She-Creature" is set on an unidentified Pacific Ocean Beach in California. It was filmed primarily at Paradise Cove, 28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA. At the beginning of the film, Dr. Carlo Lombardi enters a beach house. This is the same beach house used to film another AIP movie, "Beach Party" (1963), with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.

Answer: All of these are true.

There had previously been some romance between Briteis and Moore but his jealousy at her promotion over him nullified it. This thawed while they were stranded alone together on the Moon and love was rekindled. The couple was married in a two-way television transmission with Earth. To his great surprise, Major Moore was promoted to general and placed in command of the moonbase (and both of its personnel).