The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966)

Operation Deep Freeze, a scientific expedition to Antarctica discovers unusual tree specimens. When specimens are shipped out for further study, the trees are accidentally introduced to a ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael A. Hoey

Writers:

Michael A. Hoey (screenplay), Murray Leinster (novel),

Stars:

Mamie Van Doren, Anthony Eisley, Billy Gray

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mamie Van Doren	...	Nora Hall
Anthony Eisley	...	Lt. Charles Brown
Billy Gray	...	CPO Fred Twining (as Bill Gray)
Bobby Van	...	Ens. Rutherford Chandler
Pamela Mason	...	Marie - Scientist
Walter Sande	...	Dr. Arthur Beecham
Edward Faulkner	...	Bob Spaulding
Phillip Terry	...	Base Doctor
David Brandon
Kaye Elhardt	...	Diane
Taggart Casey	...	Warrant Officer Holly Hollister
Russ Bender	...	Chief Warr. Off. McBride
Mike Sargent
Del 'Sonny' West	...	(as Del West)
Biff Elliot	...	Cmdr. Arthur Simpson

Storyline

Operation Deep Freeze, a scientific expedition to Antarctica discovers unusual tree specimens. When specimens are shipped out for further study, the trees are accidentally introduced to a south seas Navy base, soon revealing themselves to be killer, acid-secreting monsters that live by night.

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Plot Keywords:

monster | antarctica | killer plant | attacked by a plant | nurse | 

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Taglines:

All-Devouring Carnivorous Trees That Move On Their Own Roots!

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monsters of the Night

Box Office

Budget:

$178,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Standard Club of California Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the movie had completed shooting a producer added the scenes of the island being destroyed by military bombers. There also were close-up shots of the creatures showing off how low budget the effects were.

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Goofs

The airplane heading to the island is a C-47 Skytrain, the military version of the civilian DC-3. The film of the plane crash-landing on the runway is that of a C-46 Commando.

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Quotes

Nora Hall: It's hard to imagine. Carnivorous trees that move on their own roots.
Dr. Arthur Beecham: Not carnivorous. Omnivorous. All-devouring. Our bogey has no class at all. He'll eat anything, even other trees.
Bob Spaulding: What would create a monster like that?
Dr. Arthur Beecham: Antarctica. A place where the nights are six months long.

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Connections

Featured in Svengoolie: The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (2006)

User Reviews

One movie that would have been better in black & white

The Navy Vs. The Night Monsters is basically The Thing From Another World Meets Day of the Triffids. If you like either of those movies, you might like this one...or you might hate it even more for stealing plot elements from both those movies and executing them badly. A plane carrying a load of specimens from the Antarctic crashed on a South Seas naval base and a horde of long-dormant killer plants is released.

My biggest complaint is that this movie would have been better in black and white. The monsters are basically a dark black color anyway, and a lack of color has never hidden Mamie Van Doren's...umm...charms...before. I think black and white would have improved whatever atmospheric quality the director was reaching for as well. The way it stands, the film reminds me of something Sid Pink directed.

The movie has all the standard and rather-cliched characters you would normally find in a 1950's monster movie. Unfortunately, this film was made in 1966. No explanation or reasoning is ever given for the homicidal and suicidal fits that the pilot is prone to...he spends most of the movie laying in a hospital bed or choking people.