Once again, I’m taking a look at some of the movies that made Monsters Vs. Aliens possible. Today’s selection is the 1958 version of The Fly, which is the inspiration for Dr. Cockroach Ph.D.

Andre Delambre is an engineer with a dream to create a matter-transference device for the good of all mankind. Unfortunately, the most insignificant of creatures interferes with his plans, plunging his entire family into a frenzied nightmare.

The beauty of The Fly is that it takes the standard monster movie plot and concentrates on only a few key aspects to the exclusion of everything else. Usually the creation of a monster results in some sort of uncontrollable rampage, but instead The Fly centres solely on the first half of that equation, allowing a discomforting depth to be added to the transformation from the human to the inhuman. There are no villains and the only violence committed is out of pity, not rage. No wonder I didn’t like this movie as a kid.

The absence of violence may seem to indicate that The Fly doesn’t have any scares, but it does serve up a steady atmosphere of dread and desperation throughout its running time. Little touches like the afflicted sending his wife out of the room so he can eat from a bowl of sweetened milk, with accompanying sound effects, are as pathetic as they are grotesque. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t more pronounced terrors, most of which are still effective despite being so familiar over 50 years later.

The thing I was struck most by was the romance of the movie. Not the jubilant type usually seen in the cinema, but rather a mature relationship built on loyalty and self-sacrifice. It was refreshing to see the two leads make tough decisions that depended upon their deep and abiding love, while that selfsame commitment made their choices so much more difficult to live with.

The Fly is the polar opposite of the previous entry in this series, The Blob, which was released in the same year, though they’re both excellent in their own way. I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed what amounts to a medical drama, albeit one that deals with a very unique condition. It certainly wrings a lot of suspense and horror out of limited sets and a small cast of characters. If you’re in the mood for a character-driven alternative to the standard creature feature, The Fly is an excellent place to start.

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