It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writer:

Jerome Bixby (screenplay)

Release Date:

August 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It Breathes. It Hunts. It Kills!

Plot:

The first manned expedition to Mars is decimated by an unknown life form...which stows away on the rescue ship.

Plot Keywords:

Mars | Expedition To Mars | Spacecraft | Chemical Bomb | Decompression Chamber

Cast

Marshall Thompson	...	Carruthers
Shirley Patterson	...	Ann Anderson (as Shawn Smith)
Kim Spalding	...	Van Heusen
Ann Doran	...	Mary Royce
Dabbs Greer	...	Eric Royce
Paul Langton	...	Calder
Robert Bice	...	Purdue
Richard Benedict	...	Bob Finelli
Richard Hervey	...	Gino
Thom Carney	...	Kienholz
Ray Corrigan	...	It

Also Known As:

It! The Vampire from Beyond Space
The Terror from Beyond Space

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved | Sweden:15

Company:

Robert E. Kent Productions

Trivia:

The final battle between the monster and crew is being shown at the drive-in during the Bryan Adams’ video "Summer of '69".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where ''It'' startles Gino, the cigarette sticks to his lip and he takes three tries to push it off with his tongue. The cigarette is supposed to fall out from fright as he is startled by ''It''.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Spokesman at Press Conference: Ladies and gentlemen of the press, as you know the first attempt to send a spaceship to the planet Mars was made six months ago. We knew that that ship, the Challenge 141, had reached its destination. But that's all we knew. Teleradio communication with Mars ceased immediately...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Invisible Invaders (1959)

Highly enjoyable!!!

It! The Terror From Beyond Space is simply one of the best B-movies from the 50s. This film would actually be considered a classic (rather than just a cult classic) if they just took out one of the parts of the movie where the zipper on the creature costume's back is clearly visible for about two seconds. The idea that inspired the later-on Ridley Scott thriller ALIEN (1979). A crew of astronauts from Earth are on their way home from Mars, where one of their crewmen was later strangely found dead after they went exploring. On their way back, they realize that a horrible Martian creature that feeds on blood has stowed away on their ship, and they won't be reaching Earth for DAYS!!! Highly thrilling and enjoyable, especially if you watch it with friends at night. Also recommended is THE ANGRY RED PLANET (1960) which is another early sci-fi film, with plenty of flaws.

Grade: 9/10

MPAA Rating; not rated

My Rating: Ages 7 and up (terror, some violence)