Directed by Roger Corman, War of the Satellites is a fast-paced, low-budget sci-fi thriller that capitalized on the post-Sputnik space race and Cold War anxieties. Released by Allied Artists in 1958, the film was famously rushed from concept to theaters in just eight weeks—a testament to Corman’s legendary speed and resourcefulness.
Plot Summary
The United Nations is attempting to launch satellites into space, but each mission is mysteriously destroyed by an invisible force field. An alien race sends a warning: Earth’s contamination must not spread beyond its atmosphere. Undeterred, scientist Dr. Van Ponder (Richard Devon) plans another launch—only to be killed and replaced by an alien double. As the mission proceeds, crew members Dave Boyer (Dick Miller) and Sybil Carrington (Susan Cabot) begin to suspect something is wrong. The climax unfolds aboard the spaceship, where sabotage, identity reveals, and interstellar stakes collide.
Cast Highlights
- Dick Miller as Dave Boyer — one of his few heroic leading roles
- Susan Cabot as Sybil Carrington — cool and analytical, with robotic undertones
- Richard Devon as Dr. Van Ponder — both human and alien impostor
- Michael Fox, Robert Shayne, and Bruno VeSota in supporting roles
- Roger Corman himself appears uncredited as a ground control technician
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film’s control panels were repurposed from WWII B-17 bomber autopilots
- The Project Sigma spaceship footage was reused in later Irwin Allen productions like Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel
- The car driven by Dr. Van Ponder is a 1957 Lincoln Premiere convertible—a rare luxury touch in a B-movie
- Much of the film’s final third takes place in a 10-foot stretch of corridor, reused repeatedly to simulate the spaceship’s interior
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