It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) review

4. It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Directed by: Edward L. Cahn

Produced by: Robert Kent

Screenplay by: Jerome Bixby

Starring: Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spaulding, Dabbs Greer, Ray Corrigan

This past summer saw the release of the latest installment in the long-played-out “Alien” franchise. Most people consider the first two movies cinematic landmarks; but how many of you know of the one that originally helped inspire it? Released a full 21 years before Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, today’s film is “It! The Terror from Beyond Space,” one of the many science fiction B-movies that came out during the decade that were often about extraterrestrials, scientific experiments gone wrong, atomic radiation, etc. The plot is nothing more than a monster sneaking aboard a spaceship traveling from Mars to Earth that starts hunting down each member of the crew. It’s a technically modest film and there are some mildly annoying cliché elements, but it thrives mostly on suspense and tension.

Taking place in the distant future of 1973, we open with the rescue of Colonel Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), the sole survivor of the crashed spaceship Challenge 141, on the first mission to Mars. Carruthers claims that an extraterrestrial killed the remaining crew, but nobody believes him, so now he’s accused of murdering them for food and water rations and will be court martialed following the return journey aboard Challenge 142. However, the creature in question (Ray Corrigan) gets onto the ship through an emergency hatch just before they depart and starts killing the crew members in gruesome ways. None of their ordinary weapons affect it; so led by Carruthers and Commander Colonel Van Heusen (Kim Spalding), they must use all their resources to survive the trip home.

First of all, I have to ask, if they suspect Carruthers of murder, why are they letting him walk around the ship and not keeping him isolated? I know they’re making sure he’s never alone, but shouldn’t there be stricter protocol for something like this? Don’t they duct tape astronauts to chairs if they start going insane? But I guess this was before mankind went to space, although it still doesn’t answer why the characters are so lax about this. Regardless, this is just kind of a weak setup; Carruthers isn’t questioned that hard about it and he doesn't even dwell too much on it. Maybe if they had him seriously question whether he imagined the creature, it would’ve made it more of a character study; this doesn’t ruin anything, it’s just a little tedious to sit through while you’re waiting for the monster to attack.

The best thing about the monster scenes is the buildup, because let’s be honest, that is a silly costume; it’s basically a more reptilian version of the Gill-man, but even that monster fit into its environment much better. Anyway, I still appreciate the pacing of these moments, and the fact that it attacks its victims by draining their blood until they’re withered husks makes for a brutal finality; also, it explains why the original title was “It! The Vampire from Beyond Space.” Watching the crew band together, mourn their losses, and strategize on killing this thing is part of the fun, and there are some great scenarios like when it tries to bust through a hatch nipping at their feet, and when crewman Lieutenant James Calder (Paul Langton) is trapped injured down below with a flamethrower that just barely keeps the beast away. There’s a boring love triangle of sorts between Carruthers, Van Heusen, and Ann (Shirley Patterson) the nurse, but it doesn’t distract too much; the cast is serviceable enough.

I know it sounds like I listed a lot of the negative aspects, but this is a good movie; I don’t think it’s aged as well as other sci-fi movies of the 1950s, but it does deserve credit as one of the first films to depict humans traveling to other planets, even though it’s predated by “Forbidden Planet,” which came out two years earlier. Obviously, “Alien” went on to improve on this concept, instituting advanced special effects, interesting social allegories, and more memorable characters; but in some ways, going back to watch “It! The Terror from Beyond Space” is a little more enjoyable knowing what it pioneered in future sci-fi classics. It’s not terribly original or scary, but it has a charm and even decent ways to leave you on the edge of your seat, because in space, no one can hear you scream.

My rating: 7/10