Not Of This Earth (1957)

Starring Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Morgan Jones, William Roerick, Jonathan Haze
Directed by Roger Corman
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An alien dependent on consuming blood for his survival poses as an invalid while using his abilities to capture new victims and make plans for an invasion of the Earth.

One of Corman's most efficient sci-fi thrillers doesn't need to utilize many special effects, using Birch's slow-talking performance and eerie contact lenses to convey the menace more than adequately.  Birch, who I've heard had conflict with Corman on the set and had to be replaced with a double, is nonetheless a favorite actor of mine with a memorable voice and delivery, making his alien villain more than watchable.  He's joined by several Corman regulars, Garland as the spunky nurse, Haze as Birch's ex-con chauffeur, and Dick Miller as an ill-fated vacuum cleaner salesman.  Composer Ronald Stein adds some eerie themes and driving chase motifs for the climax of the picture, Charles Griffith and Mark Hanna hand in a screenplay with a solid premise and engaging characters, and Corman assembles an entertaining thriller with a deadly serious tone.

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Starring Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris, William Roerick, Michael Mark
Directed by Roger Corman
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The aging executive of a cosmetics company trusts in a scientist's injections of a queen wasp's royal jelly that transform her into a youthful beauty, but they have an unforeseen side effect.

This low-budget monster movie from Roger Corman has a surprisingly clever story by Kinta Zertuche, commenting on the dark side of the quest to recapture youthful looks by women and their cosmetics alike, as well as a fine performance by Cabot in the title role.  Although the monster scenes are too darkly lit and the creature makeup is a bit too minimal, it's an entertaining enough film with an interesting score by Fred Katz, and is one of my favorites among Corman's sci-fi entries.  Michael Mark is memorable as the eccentric scientist, as is William Roerick as Cabot's cynical staff member with an ever present smoking pipe.