“He’s a strange man. Sharp as a razor and just about as narrow.”
According to our narrator this is the true story of satellite mission XN-712 returning to Earth from Mars. Biologist Dr. Charles T. Pommer (Paul Frees) is examining samples from the mission in his home lab. When he gets home he finds his former lover, Laura Greeling (Lyn Thomas), and the mother of his son, waiting for him. She is there to get him to relinquish custody of their son to her and her husband. He is not too cooperative. He retreats to his lab leaving her waiting.
He begins to study the rusty red spores or blight samples that came back from Mars. He calls the substance “Blood rust”. He finds the substance reproduces quickly. He theorizes that it is what makes Mars red. He believes he has found life in outer space. He is tape recording his notes as he experiments. He is interrupted in his research by Laura. They argue. He tries to rape her. She smacks him on the head. She leaves in a cab.
Later he makes a frantic call to the research center. He is near death. John Hand (Bill Williams) and Private Joe Rattigen (Robert Elis) drive out to investigate. They find the doctor dead and the lab covered in an oozing fungus blob. They manage to get his tape. Then they burn the house and decontaminate the tape and John and Joe. When they listen to the tape they hear the woman's voice. They realize there is a potential carrier of the fungus out there, somewhere. Now John and Joe are on the hunt for a potential carrier of an alien fungus that could potentially kill everyone on the planet.
“Space Master X-7” was released in 1958 and was directed by Edward Bernds. The screenplay was written by George Worthington Yates. It’s an obscure little movie. It’s reminiscent of one of those infectious disease movies where a virus spreads across the country, only this one is from outer space. Yes Moe Howard is in it. For like five minutes. Of course, being from the 50’s, there is a sort of cold war angle to the film. Ignore that, it’s not important. It starts out as a basic science fiction story; however, it changes into more of a detective story. Paul Frees is not only Dr. Pommer, but he also is the voice of the train announcer. Of course it’s not the first fungus movie. For extremes of that sub-genre just look at “Matango” and “The Blob”.
It’s a fun little piece of film. I really liked this story. It may have started out as a science fiction-alien film, but it quickly morphed into a detective story. Critics talked a lot about the over use of stock footage. I heartily disagree. Yes it was used in the beginning but once the story started to change into a ‘woman on the run story’ it was basically a find the bad fungus before its too late story. Then, guess what, at the end it morphs back into a fungus among us movie.
If you can find a good copy of it, it’s worth getting.