Zontar, The Thing from Venus
Encyclopedia
Zontar, the Thing from Venus also known as Zontar: The Invader from Venus is a 1966
, made for television, science fiction film
, directed by Larry Buchanan
and based on the teleplay
by Hillman Taylor and Buchanan. It is a remake of Roger Corman
's It Conquered the World
(1956), and also featured an alien from Venus, much like its predecessor.
) meets an alien from Venus, who claims to have come to the earth to solve its problems. But Zontar has different ideas. He begins causing worldwide blackouts and controlling people's minds. Taylor now knows that Zontar is seeking world domination. The power failures Zontar causes make cars stall.
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
, made for television, science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, directed by Larry Buchanan
Larry Buchanan
Larry Buchanan was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a "schlockmeister". Many of his titles have landed on "worst movie" lists, but all at least broke even and many made a profit.Buchanan was born in Mexia, Texas. He was orphaned as a baby, and was raised in Dallas in...
and based on the teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
by Hillman Taylor and Buchanan. It is a remake of Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
's It Conquered the World
It Conquered the World
It Conquered the World is a 1956 American science fiction film about an alien from Venus trying to take over the world with the help of a disillusioned human scientist. It was directed by Roger Corman, written by Lou Rusoff , and starred Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Sally...
(1956), and also featured an alien from Venus, much like its predecessor.
Plot
Dr. Curt Taylor (John AgarJohn Agar
John George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
) meets an alien from Venus, who claims to have come to the earth to solve its problems. But Zontar has different ideas. He begins causing worldwide blackouts and controlling people's minds. Taylor now knows that Zontar is seeking world domination. The power failures Zontar causes make cars stall.