A scientist (Grant Williams) exposed to radiation grows smaller and smaller in this faithful 1957 adaptation of a bad Richard Matheson novel; it’s a lot more interesting than its source, thanks to the special effects and Jack Arnold’s taut, no-nonsense direction. The surreal intensity of outsize objects that loom as the hero shrinks is handled effectively, and the mystical happy ending is a better payoff than one would expect of the genre. 81 min. (JR)