The Strange World of Planet X (U.S. title: Cosmic Monsters) is an independently made 1958 British second feature ('B')[2] science fiction horror film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Forrest Tucker and Gaby André.

[3] It was adapted by Paul Ryder and Joe Ambor from the 1957 Rene Ray novel of the same name, produced by George Maynard and John Bash and distributed in the UK in February, 1958[4] by Eros Films.

[citation needed] A monomaniacal scientist creates ultra-sensitive, disruptive magnetic fields, which have unexpected side effects, while also attracting unidentified flying objects from outer space.

Strange things begin to happen, including a freak storm, blasts of cosmic radiation that penetrates the Earth's normally protective magnetic shield, and insects and spiders mutating into giant flesh-eating monsters.

They are performing a series of advanced and dangerous experiments with magnetic fields, while using massive amounts of power in equipment never designed to carry such loads.

He is accompanied by a woman computer expert, Michele Dupont, who helps to solve Laird's power problem, but not the larger risks inherent in his experiments.

It soon becomes clear, however, that enemy agents are the least of the dangers around Laird's project: The hyper-magnetic fields that he has generated have been affecting the ionosphere, causing unnatural weather patterns, threatening ships at sea hundreds of miles away, and also weakening the magnetic shield that protects the surface of the Earth from cosmic rays.

Later, Graham explains to Dupont, Murray, and Cartwright that "Mr. Smith" is actually an alien emissary from a "Planet X", while also informing them that Laird has gone mad and plans to continue his dangerous experiments.

"[5] In his January 1, 1959 review in The New York Times, film critic Richard W. Nason did not mention the double feature's top-billed player, Forrest Tucker, and opined that "...The Crawling Eye and The Cosmic Monster do nothing to enhance or advance the copious genre of science fiction.

However, the odd ones did slip out and here Forrest Tucker is the obligatory square-jawed imported American out to stop irradiated bugs taking over the world.