Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
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Villain(s)
Alien, giantess from exposure
Actor(s):
Allison Hayes, William Hudson, Yvette Vickers, Roy Gordon
Brief Description
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) is an independently produced American science fiction horror B-movie directed by Nathan Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz) and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson, and Yvette Vickers. The cult classic blends mid-century sci-fi alien invasion tropes with a domestic drama fueled by feminist rage and marital infidelity. Despite its incredibly low budget and criticized special effects, the film became a celebrated pop-culture landmark for its unique subversion of the giant-monster genre.
Plot:
Nancy Fowler Archer (Allison Hayes) is a wealthy socialite with a history of alcoholism and emotional instability. She is trapped in a miserable marriage to her sleazy, philandering husband, Harry (William Hudson). Harry only remains with Nancy for her $50 million fortune while openly carrying out an affair with the town "floozy," Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers). Together, Harry and Honey scheme to drive Nancy back to the asylum so they can steal her wealth. While driving through the desert night, Nancy encounters a massive, glowing UFO satellite and its passenger—a 30-foot alien giant who reaches out to steal her massive diamond necklace. She escapes and flees to town, but due to her history, the local sheriff and townspeople dismiss her claims as a drunken hallucination. Hoping to use her "delusions" to his advantage, Harry agrees to go back into the desert with Nancy to search for the alien.
When the giant humanoid reappears, Harry panics, shoots at it, and flees, abandoning Nancy to be captured by the creature. Believing Nancy is dead, Harry goes to celebrate with Honey. : Nancy is found alive but unconscious on the roof of her pool house, suffering from radiation poisoning. While resting in her bed, the exposure causes her to balloon into a vengeful 50-foot giantess. : Nancy breaks free from her chains, tears the roof off her mansion, and marches into town wearing a makeshift toga made of bedsheets. She tracks Harry and Honey to a local bar, rips the roof off the building, and crushes Honey to death with a falling beam. She scoops up Harry in her massive hand. As she walks away, the sheriff fires a shotgun at a nearby power transformer, electrocuting Nancy and killing her along with Harry.