Not all of the rampaging monsters of the sci-fi thrillers and horror films of the fifties A-bomb era were mutant insects, oversized lizards or gigantic humans. Some were uniquely original and a credit to their creators such as The Monolith Monsters (1957) – growing towers of meteor crystals that absorbed moisture from humans – and the square-shaped robot with cylindrical legs known as Kronos (1957), a giant alien robot that smashed everything in its path. The Magnetic Monster (1953) belongs in this latter group and is an intriguing and intelligent sci-fi thriller, despite its limited budget, modest production values and the occasional serious scene that plays better as comedy.