“Meteors, the shooting stars on which so many earthly wishes have been born.” Not this time my glass-half-full friend. This time things get downright dangerous. A black meteor crashes near a sleepy desert town in San Angelo, CA. The strange meteor rocks grow into the size of skyscrapers when exposed to water. These colossal rocks then tumble and shatter creating a chain reaction which puts everyone at risk of a crushing death. Yet, it’s not just a good smashing that awaits people, it would seem contact with the strange mineral can sometimes cause the human who touches it whilst wet (the rock, not the human… maybe) to petrify. Geologist Dave Miller finds his rock-hard co-worker and realizes something strange is going on. His teacher girlfriend is also experiencing some terror when her student brings home some black meteor from a field trip to the desert, which leads to the destruction of her house and death of her parents. Of course, the little girl is in shock but worse yet, she’s beginning to petrify. They get her to a specialist and Dave seeks assistance from his mentor to save some lives and the world while he’s at it. Monster-less (by my impossible standards) but still excellent Universal sci-fi fun. Small town vibes are in abundance and I’m just mad for the Rockwell feel whenever they pull it off. All the heroes are the whitest of bread but Les Tremayne is there with his mustache and bow tie combo so I’m all for it. Bullshit science, cool effects work and just a neat fucking story make for some primo matinee thrills. Also, there’s some killer dialogue guaranteed to put a smile on your beautiful schlock-lovin’ face: “Coffee. Coffee is nothing but flavored… water!”
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