It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
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64% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
46% of users liked it
(1,010 ratings)
One of the best of the medium-budgeted science fiction flicks of the 1950s, It! The Terror from Beyond Space is set in "the future" (1973, to be exact). An rescue ship travels out to Mars to retrieve the only survivor of a space probe that has experienced some sort of cataclysm. That… More One of the best of the medium-budgeted science fiction flicks of the 1950s, It! The Terror from Beyond Space is set in "the future" (1973, to be exact). An rescue ship travels out to Mars to retrieve the only survivor of a space probe that has experienced some sort of cataclysm. That survivor, Col Ed Carruthers (Marshall Thompson) is accused of murdering his fellow crewmen. But Ed claims that the killer was a Martian monster, and hopes to prove his assertions by signing up for a second journey to the Red Planet. Before long, the crew members of this second expedition are being systematically killed off, and it looks as though Ed is up to his old tricks. As it turns out, however, Ed was telling the truth: there is a monster on board, the savage descendant of the once-mighty Martian civilization, who snuck on board when an irresponsible crew member left the door open. The monster stays alive by absorbing the vital body fluids of its victims-and there seems to be no way to stop this parasitic creature! If the plot of It! The Terror from Beyond Space seems vaguely familiar, it is because it was one of the primary inspirations for the 1979 sci-fi classic Alien. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Edward L. Cahn
- Written By
- Jerome Bixby
- Genres
- Horror, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Aug 13, 1958 Wide
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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James O'Ehley, Sci-Fi Movie Page
Unintentionally funny low-budget 'Fifties horror effort. ("Mars is almost as big as Texas," one character thoughtfully muses at a point. "Maybe it's got monsters.")
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Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Combination science fiction film and thriller is an early look at space travel on film.
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Rob Humanick, Suite101.com
In tone, it's really the predecessor of James Cameron's gung-ho sequel Aliens.
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
One of the best sci-fi flicks of the '50s; the basis for 'Alien.'
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Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat
An excellent claustrophobic alien tale that debatably inspired "Alien"
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Cast
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Marshall Thompson
as Col. Carruthers
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Shawn Smith
as Ann Anderson
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Kim Spalding
as Col. Van Heusen
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Ann Doran
as Mary Royce
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Richard Benedict
as Bob Finelli
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Dabbs Greer
as Eric Royce
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Paul Langton
as Lt. James Calder
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Ray "Crash" Corrigan
as "It"
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Robert Bice
as Purdue
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Thom Carney
as Joe Keinholz
- Shirley Patterson