[John Cole]

Fortunately, I got to see many of these movies when I was still a kid, so their affect on me registers still. In fact, the first time I remember going to a movie theater was to see a double feature of The Fly and The Alligator People when I was five or six. (I think walking out of the theater and being blinded by the August sun changed me forever.) Invaders From Mars and Forbidden Planet have always been favorites. And, I agree with your opinion of War of the Worlds, which along with The Day the Earth Stood Still look great on DVD.

I think, though, The Blob is a glaring omission. (Criterion also has The Blob on DVD.) And, I'd include On the Beach or The World, the Flesh, and the Devil since these films seem important within the time period.