NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (May 2025): Imprint has transferred David MacDonald's Devil Girl from Mars to Blu-ray. Presently, this is only part of Imprint's Tales Of Adventure – Collection 5, which has The 27th Day (1957,) The Night The World Exploded (1957,) This Island Earth (1955,) Devil Girl From Mars (1954,) The Gamma People (1956,) and as a bonus, 1962's The Underwater City in standard-definition. This new 1080P transfer of David MacDonald's Devil Girl from Mars is pretty much exactly the same, video-wise, to last year's Studiocanal edition.

Produced by the Danziger Brothers on an estimated budget of £20,000, the film leverages its theatrical origins and claustrophobic single-location setting - a remote Scottish inn - to create a moody, fog-shrouded atmosphere that amplifies its invasion narrative. The Imprint HD presentation matches the rich black levels of the Studiocanal. It is almost a duplicate in terms of video. Cinematographer Jack Cox (Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, Number Seventeen, The Skin Game,) a veteran of British cinema, balances theatrical clarity with atmospheric tension, using lighting and framing to enhance the sense of isolation and alien menace.

Ditto for the linear PCM audio - it mimics the Studiocanal Blu-ray release. The sound design of Devil Girl from Mars is a functional yet evocative component of its low-budget British science fiction aesthetic, shaped by the technological constraints and cost-saving practices of 1950s B-movie production. Comprising a sparsely used musical score (Edwin Astley, see below), practical sound effects, clear dialogue, and minimal ambient audio the Imprint duplicates the 2024 Studiocanal sound transfer. The Aussie company offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray of Devil Girl from Mars includes a robust set of extras that enhance its value for collectors and sci-fi enthusiasts, offering historical context, critical analysis, and genre insights. Phillipa Berry, a noted film historian specializing in genre cinema, provides a new commentary track for 2025. With Berry’s expertise, the commentary is offers a scholarly perspective, focusing on the film’s historical and cultural context, such as its reflection of 1950s British anxieties, the film's often overlooked or ridiculed status, gender dynamics, and low-budget filmmaking techniques. Berry’s analysis delves into Nyah’s subversive role, the film’s stage-play origins, and its place in the sci-fi canon, supported by archival research or production anecdotes. The commentary should appeal to academic viewers and fans seeking a deep dive. We've enjoyed Phillipa's supplement work on Rock Hudson Collection, Tales Of Adventure – Collection 4, Maria Montez & Jon Hall Collection etc. This 2024 commentary from the Studiocanal Blu-ray edition, featuring horror and sci-fi expert Kim Newman (author of Classic Monsters Unleashed) and genre critic Barry Forshaw (author of "British Crime Film", "British Gothic Cinema",) is still a highlight, offering a lively, engaging discussion (see comments below.) Invasion From Outer Space is a new 11-minute interview with Jon Towlson (Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present,) a film historian and author specializing in sci-fi and horror, is tailored for the 2025 release. Towlson explores Devil Girl from Mars’s place in the 1950s sci-fi landscape, focusing on its invasion themes, British production context, and cultural significance. The short runtime promises a concise, focused discussion, covering Nyah’s gender dynamics, the film’s low-budget ingenuity, or its influence on later sci-fi. Lastly, the 18-minutye interview with Kim Newman, recorded in 2024 is also here. He offers a deeper dive into his perspective on Devil Girl from Mars (see below.) Together, these features significantly enhance the disc’s value, making it a must-have for collectors and sci-fi scholars.

Devil Girl from Mars is notable for its campy, subversive, take on gender roles, particularly through Nyah, a commanding female antagonist who subverts 1950s expectations of femininity. Her dominatrix-like appearance - black leather cape, miniskirt, and boots - and assertive demeanor challenge the era’s domestic ideals, presenting a woman in control of advanced technology and a militaristic mission. Released during the early Cold War, the film taps into fears of external threats and technological superiority. Nyah’s saucer and robot evoke Soviet advancements while her authoritarian control mirrors totalitarian regimes. The isolated Scottish setting amplifies the invasion motif, with the inn as a microcosm of humanity under siege. Unlike American sci-fi, which often emphasized military responses, the film’s British perspective favors civilian ingenuity and moral resistance, reflecting post-war resilience. Nyah, played with icy charisma by Patricia Laffan (mostly minor roles in Quo Vadis, Death in High Heels, I See a Dark Stranger, etc.) is the film’s centerpiece, a commanding presence whose theatrical delivery and striking costume make her both alluring and menacing. Her disdain for Earth’s “backward” society and calculated seduction of the men (particularly Carter) create a complex villain, blending feminist defiance with alien otherness. Laffan’s performance leans into camp, elevating the role beyond the script’s limitations. A perfect addition to Imprint's Tales Of Adventure – Collection 5 boxset. Devil Girl from Mars’s restoration and extras (which advance over last year's Studiocanal Blu-ray) honor its cult status, offering an essential experience for collectors and enthusiasts of British B-movie sci-fi. Devil Girl from Mars is a quirky, ambitious B-movie that punches above its weight with a bold female antagonist, a tense single-location narrative, and a playful mix of Cold War paranoia and gender subversion. The film’s campy charm and thematic depth make this Blu-ray a must-own for many.

***

ADDITION: Studiocanal (Cult Classics) Blu-ray (January 2024): Studiocanal (Cult Classics) have transferred David MacDonald's Devil Girl from Mars to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from "a new restoration". This was on DVD in the US from Image Entertainment way back in 2006, reviewed HERE. We've compared some captures below and this new 1080P looks marvelous. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and the contrast is significantly better layered - mostly brightening the image to show more detail, sharpness tights significantly and there is more information in the frame. There was only one sequence with a slight bit is less-perceptible damage and otherwise this looks fairly perfect - nice texture and the HD presentation was very appreciated on my system.  

NOTE: We have added 66 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Studiocanal (Cult Classics) use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Devil Girl from Mars has loud effects of the 'flying saucer' spaceship, a mechanized robot, freeze-ray explosions, even a good olds fashioned revolver etc. that come through with surprising impact. The score was by Edwin Astley (Visa to Canton Contraband Spain, The Giant Behemoth 1962's The Phantom of the Opera, The Naked Prey) adding some inventive flavor to this sci-fi gem. NOTE: "Astley reused his Saber of London TV series score for this film" and Devil Girl from Mars's sound editor was Gerry Anderson of Supermarionation fame! The audio is clean with consistent dialogue in the uncompressed transfer but can appear out-of-sync*, although I didn't notice it in three viewings - others have. There were similar complaints of the DVD with some suggesting it was a post-DUB issue. Studiocanal (Cult Classics) offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

*NOTE: Studio Canal are offering a replacement disc HERE as they have corrected the out-of-sync audio. (Thanks Gregory!)

The Studiocanal (Cult Classics) Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Kim Newman and writer & journalist Barry Forshaw. They discuss the film for its strong camp reputation, the Danzinger brother producers - "Masters of the get-it-in-the-can filmmaking", their TV work, composer Edwin Astley (Danger Man), the cast; Patricia Laffan, Hugh McDermott, John Laurie, Hazel Court, Peter Reynolds, and Adrienne Corri, as well as comparable film efforts and much more. There is also another 18-minute interview with Newman who I'm in total agreement of his adoration for the film and it's unique alien character and theme that "Mars needs Moms". Discussed is World Without End, where men become listless and unappreciative of the gorgeous women around them. Both commentary and interview are excellent. There is an image gallery and the package has four art cards (see image below.)      

I have always loved Devil Girl from Mars. Nyah's (Patricia Laffan - Quo Vadis, 23 Paces to Baker Street) fetishistic-ally striking costume, as a literal alien dominatrix, has supreme camp value. Part of my huge appeal is the out-of-the-way British Inn / Pub and characters - escaped convict, scientist, journalist, model, barmaid and the elderly couple innkeepers who add a humorous edge. As Kim Newman related this is the only film of its kind made in Britain in 1954. This "B" movie has an erotic undertone with an aggressive leather-clad Nyah demanding strong men to repopulate her planet. You wouldn't guess this was such a low-budget film as the plot is surprisingly ambitious with nods to Robert Wise' The Day the Earth Stood Still. I also see Edgar Ulmer's The Man From Planet X in it. I was thrilled that Devil Girl from Mars came to Studiocanal (Cult Classics) Blu-ray. Perfect. We give this a strong recommendation!

Gary Tooze