INVASION OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE (1959)

     INVASION OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE (1959) was shot in Sweden and in English with international release in mind. The film was called RYMDINVASION I LAPPLAND  in Sweden and is known in Europe as TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN. The film has also been released under that last title on the video / DVD home market.
     The film was directed by American director Virgil W. Vogel  who directed the B movie THE MOLE PEOPLE and the screenplay was by American Arthur C. Pierce.
     Director / Producer Jerry Warren bought the U.S. rights to the movie and when he released it to the movie theaters he had butchered  it like he did many other films he imported into the Untied States. He cut the about 70 minute film down to 55 minutes including about about ten minutes of footage added by Warren which includes footage and narration by John Carradine the Shakespeare of 3rd rate movies.
     When Warren sold the movie to TV he re cut the film again and added back the footage he removed the first time around and kept the footage he shot for the American released and now the film is 80 minutes long. I have not come across the 55 minute theater version but I would like to see it to compare it to the Swedish and the U.S. Television print. SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO put out a DVD that has both the Swedish cut of TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN and Warren's INVASION OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE television cut version.
     Many people attacked Warren's version saying that he had re cut the film in a manner that caused it  to make no sense. I have seen both version and the Swedish version also makes no sense.
     In the Swedish version a space ship lands out in the middle of nowhere in Lappland and some bald headed space men in black robes hang around in the ship. Along comes a group of scientist to investigate the ship and out of no where comes a giant shaggy ape man  like monster who walks around up right and carries around a woman who needs help until a group of villagers attack and set fire to the monster in a badly does scene using a large burning prop that barely look like the giant monster even in long shots.
     In the Warren version the woman the monster would encounter is sent to a mental hospital after an encounter with unseen aliens that causes her to go briefly insane and the police have to pick her up for her own safety.
     You can find the un Warren version of this movie at the Internet Archives ( http://www.archives.org/ ) under the title of TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN. Their print is missing the very short shot of a bare butt woman in the shower. The print from SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO is uncut and has an interview with the producer of the film who tells a lot of good stories about the making of the movie.

A worm eye view of the monster from INVASION OF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE