The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema

305 Pages·2005·64.491 MB·English

by  Mark C. Glassy

The Biology of
Science Fiction Cinema

The Biology of Science
Fiction Cinema
M C. G
ARK LASSY
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
The present work is a reprint ofthe illustrated case bound
edition of The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema, first
published in 200¡ by McFarland.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Glassy, Mark C., ¡952–
The biology ofscience fiction cinema / Mark C. Glassy.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7864-2604-7(softcover : 50# alkaline paper)
¡. Science fiction films—History and criticism. 2. Biology in
motion pictures. I. Title.
PN¡995.9.S26 G56 2006
79¡.43'656—dc2¡ 200¡030076
British Library Cataloguing data are available
©200¡ Mark C. Glassy. All rights reserved
No part ofthis book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover art ©2005 Wood River Gallery
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
To Jason, Matt, and Dawn,
my three Nobel Prizes.
My sons made me a father
and my daughter made me a daddy.

Table of Contents
Introduction ¡ Proteus(¡995) 83
Scientific Principles: An Overview 7 Species(¡995) 86
The Relic(¡996) 92
¡. Cell Biology 23
3. Pharmacology 99
The Man Who Lived Again(¡936) 23
The Man with Nine Lives(¡940) 25 White Zombie(¡932) 101
Donovan’s Brain(¡953) 27 The Undying Monster(¡942) 103
Indestructible Man(¡956) 29 Zombie(¡980) 105
Giant from the Unknown(¡957) 31 The Serpent and the Rainbow
The Blob(¡958) 33 (¡987) 106
The Blob (¡988) 36 I Come in Peace(¡997) 108
The Flesh Eaters(¡964) 38
Atom Age Vampire(¡963) 40
4. Endocrinology 111
Frozen Alive(¡964) 43
The Creeping Flesh(¡972) 44 Island ofLost Souls(¡933) 112
Deep Red(¡994) 48 The Island ofDr. Moreau(¡977) 115
Zombie 6:Monster Hunter(¡995) 50 The Island ofDr. Moreau(¡996) 117
The Ape(¡940) 120
2. Molecular Biology 55 The Ape Man(¡943) 121
Bride ofthe Gorilla(¡95¡) 123
The Monster That Challenged
The Wasp Woman(¡959) 125
the World(¡957) 55
The Leech Woman(¡959) 129
The Fly(¡958) 59
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde(¡97¡) 131
The Fly(¡986) 62
Project Vampire(¡992) 133
Humanoids from the Deep(¡980) 65
The Thing(¡982) 67
5. Surgery 137
Watchers II(¡990) 70
Carnosaur (¡993) 72 The Monster and the Girl(¡940) 139
Jurassic Park(¡993) 76 The Creature Walks Among Us
Moonchild(¡994) 80 (¡956) 141
vii
viii TABLE OF CONTENTS
Frankenstein’s Daughter(¡958) 145 Ticks (¡993) 215
The Head(¡959) 148 Skeeter(¡993) 217
Terror Is a Man(¡959) 150 Mosquito(¡994) 218
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die Mimic(¡997) 221
(¡962) 151
Astro-Zombies(¡967) 153 11. Shrinkology 225
The Devil-Doll(¡936) 226
6. Hematology 157 The Incredible Shrinking Man
House ofDracula(¡945) 157 (¡957) 228
Not ofThis Earth(¡957) 162 Fantastic Voyage(¡966) 233
Not ofThis Earth(¡995) 166
Blade(¡998) 169 12. CULFology 237
The Killer Shrews(¡959) 237
7. Microbiology 173 The Crawling Hand(¡963) 240
Man Made Monster(¡94¡) 173 Island ofTerror(¡966) 242
The Brain Eaters(¡958) 177 Sssssss(¡973) 245
The Angry Red Planet(¡959) 179
“Space Brain” episode of 13. Life Cycles 249
Space:¡999(January ¡976) 184 Alien (¡979) 249
Dark Breed(¡996) 187 Aliens (¡986) 249
8. Virology 189 14. Reanimated Brides 255
Last Man on Earth(¡964) 189
Bride ofFrankenstein(¡935) 256
Horror ofthe Blood Monsters
The Bride ofthe Re-Animator
(¡972) 193
(¡989) 259
Outbreak(¡995) 195
15. Synthetic Skin 265
9. Biochemistry 201
Doctor X(¡932) 266
The Devil Bat(¡940) 202
Darkman(¡990) 269
20 Million Miles to Earth (¡957) 205
Appendix: Accuracy of
10. Entomology 211
Laboratory Sets 273
Them!(¡954) 212 Index 291
Introduction
My love a›air with science fiction Though at first blush science fiction
started in ¡956 when I was four years old. and science may seem diametrically op-
Prior to that I had a fairly mundane child- posed (and in some cases they certainly
hood. That changed abruptly when I saw are), after a closer analysis they present
Earth vs. the Flying Saucersat the Adler The- many elements in common, chiefofwhich
ater in Marshfield, Wisconsin. When I are creativity and imagination. It is the
walked (or floated) out ofthat theater, the glue ofimagination which holds them to-
power of the imagination had taken me gether. The best science and the best sci-
over, infused in me a sense ofwonder and ence fiction are the most creative and
awe, and left me craving more. The seeds of imaginative. A scientist may know many
my imagination were well fertilized by that facts, read many books, cite volume, chap-
wonderful film and I have thanked my par- ter, and verse of every scientific paper
ents numerous times for taking me to see it. within his or her field of specialty—but
Since that fateful viewing I have tried what matters most is novel thought, orig-
to see just about every SF film available, inal ideas, and creativity. The most im-
and read countless books and short sto- portant activity we humans can do is use
ries, as well. More often than not compro- our imaginations, to think and ponder.
mises had to be made to accommodate Without it nothing would change. In this
what was going on in my life so I could see respect, Einstein was correct when he said
the film du jour. Even through the 20 years imagination is more important than knowl-
I spent in school I allocated enough time edge.
to satisfy my film habits. After I married, I am a professional scientist with ex-
I took my wife to SF movies, and as our tensive study in biochemistry and molec-
three children arrived, we brought them ular immunology. My specialty is human
along, too. This habit or life style has con- antibodies, especially in their application
tinued during my tenure as a faculty mem- to cancer therapeutics, i.e., human mono-
ber and in my involvement in the bio- clonal antibodies to cancer. And so my
medical companies I established in cancer life’s work has involved both extensive sci-
therapeutics. Irrespective of how busy I entific knowledge and its imaginative and
was, I always made time for SF. creative application.
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