The Monolith Monsters (1957) Saturday Monster Movies

One of the earliest memories I have of these “Saturday Monster Movies”—the one that led me to think of them this way—was this movie that I saw on TV, on a Saturday…

In The Monolith Monsters, a meteorite crashes in the desert near a small California town, breaking into black, crystalline fragments. When these fragments come into contact with water, they grow into towering monoliths, eventually toppling over and shattering—spreading further and continuing the cycle of destruction. Geologist Dave Miller and local schoolteacher Cathy Barrett begin investigating after a young girl is found petrified after exposure to the fragments. As the monoliths expand and threaten to consume the town, Dave and his team race to find a solution. They eventually discover that a saline solution can neutralize the rock’s growth. In a desperate attempt, they flood the desert with saltwater, stopping the monoliths before they can wipe out the town.

Similar to another 50s sci-fi horror film, The Blob, The Monolith Monsters presents a threat that is not a monster in the traditional sense but a mindless, unstoppable natural disaster—one that cannot be fought, only mitigated. As it came out a year earlier, perhaps it influenced The Blob.

There is an obvious, Christian parallel to the Monolith Monster. Just like the alien monoliths in the film spread uncontrollably, corrupting everything in their path, sin in the human heart is a force that grows and consume lives. Only the right "antidote"—God’s grace—can stop its devastating effect. The monoliths start as small fragments but, when exposed to water, grow into massive, destructive structures. Sin often begins subtly but inevitably expands and hardens hearts (James 1:14-15). Just as a small compromise can lead to greater destruction, unaddressed sin spreads throughout a person’s life, affecting relationships, choices, and even entire communities. Just as the right solution was needed to stop the monoliths, only Jesus' sacrifice provides salvation from sin (Romans 6:23) and answers to the needs of the human heart that sin falsely promises to fulfill. Many search for temporary fixes—good deeds, morality, philosophy—but only Christ offers true redemption.