Swamp of Horrors Swamp of Horrors was a low budget black - and - white science fiction B - movie released in 1957 . It was directed by Walter Fanik and produced by Artificial Light Studios . It starred Adrian Cooper as Professor Derek Spire and Sheena Sown as his beautiful assistant Melody Malone . The film was shot in New York and Hammerston , Louisiana . Its tagline was " The Animal Kingdom declares war on humanity ! " Artificial Light was initially reluctant to release the film without significant re - editing as they believed that its political message was subversive . However , Fanik stood his ground and the film was released unedited , partly because Artificial Light was not willing to allow a film with " such stunning special effects " escape its grasp . The groundbreaking special effects of " Swamp of Horrors " and all of Fanik ' s subsequent films were provided by Ann Allen , an extremely reclusive woman with a hunchback who refused to reveal the secrets of her technique . The Sixth Doctor and Melanie Bush were investigating UFO sightings in the proximity of Hammerston and became involved in the production of the film after attacking an actor in a rubber alien suit whom they mistook for a genuine alien . The Doctor , who used his common alias " Dr . John Smith " , and Mel were assumed to be uncredited actors playing fictional characters by film critics . The film ' s storyline involved Spire and Melody searching for the Fountain of Youth in the Louisiana bayou . While there , they discovered that giant animals - including snake s , alligator s , eagle s , locust s , turtle s and snow leopard s - were terrorising the people of Hammerston . Spire and Melody assisted the United States military to defeat the giant animals . Their efforts were both helped and hindered by Dr . Smith and Melanie . It is eventually discovered that the animals escaped from an alien vessel which had crashed in the area . Ingesting the aliens ' rations caused the animals to grow to an unusually large size . When Melody eats part of the rations , she similarly grows several feet taller . Throughout the film , Dr . Smith continually stresses the importance of conservation as he learned from the aliens ' records that they were on a mission of mercy ; the various animal specimens aboard the ship were all facing extinction . Conversely , Spire argued that the aliens were Communists and that they had created the giant animals as a form of attack . The General was persuaded by Spire ' s arguments , in part because he believed that Dr . Smith ' s coat made him look like a " circus clown " . The military launched an attack on the giant animals , killing them all in the process . Dr . Smith lambasted the General for doing so since he had wiped out species which were previously thought to be extinct . In the melee , Melody was knocked unconscious by a piece of flying masonry . Realising the error of his ways , Spire shields her body from an explosion and sacrifices his life , redeeming himself in the process . Many years after the release of " Swamp of Horrors " , a reviewer described it as a " surprisingly competent film " which subverted many of the clichés associated with monster movies of the 1950s . He noted that the film was predominantly shot in a documentary style , which he claimed gave it a much need grounding in reality . The reviewer was critical of the performances of both Cooper and Sawn . He believed that Cooper was uncharismatic as the " boorish " Spire , claiming that he was " the kind of scientist who only appears in these kind of movies ; square - jawed and athletic , he ' d be more at home on a football field than in a lab coat " . In the case of Sawn , he opined that she was clearly cast more for looks and dancing ability than for her acting ability . However , the reviewer believed that the film marked an important turning point in Fanik ' s career as his subsequent films made the ecological and political subtext of " Swamp of Horrors " explicit . Although they were disliked by the American government , his films proved to be highly popular with the growing youth movement of the 1960s and the 1970s . The reviewer also noted that Fanik made two appearances as himself in the film . The first came when Dr . Smith and Melanie attacked the actor in the rubber suit . In his second appearance , Fanik was furious that a giant alligator had destroyed one of his cameras , though the footage from it was recovered . Some critics described these appearances as a clumsy attempt at breaking the fourth wall . He made note of the fact that " Swamp of Horrors " was the final film for both Cooper and Sawn . Cooper was killed in a freak on - set accident while Sawn retired from acting and became an expert on animals , writing several books on endangered species . After her death in 1985 , a conservation charity was established in her name . At the end of the viewing notes for the film , the reviewer called attention to the incongruous presence of a British police box in Louisiana in a scene outside the inn where Spire and Melody stayed . ( PROSE : " Swamp of Horrors ( 1957 ) - Viewing Notes " )