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 mask of the monster suit was altered considerably. When Ray Corrigan was fitted for the monster suit, the mask was initially too tight. Paul Blaisdell, the maker of the monster suit, had to remove and rebuild the monster's lower jaw so the mask would fit better. Unfortunately, Corrigan's chin stuck out through the opening made in the mask. Blaisdell made up Corrigan's chin to look like the monster's tongue. The mask's original eyes (large and catlike, a Blaisdell trademark) were also removed so that we see Corrigan's own eyes behind the mask.

Goofs:

Factual errors: If a spacecraft were to open its airlock to space as depicted there would be a violent explosive decompression and not the gradual buildup as depicted in the movie.

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 Vampirella (1996) (V)

Original "Alien", makes good B movie sci fi

When you first watch "Alien", you soon realize it is a remake of this movie, and you know how to get rid of the monster. But if you've never seen either movie, you probably would be as much on the ropes as the characters. In both cases, a space crew happens upon a hostile life form which infiltrates their space ship. No longer a haven from space, the astronauts try every means to kill the invader and save their lives (because the monster is killing them at will), and nothing seems to work. The basic difference is, of course, the special effects, which are paramount in the "Alien" movies, but nondescript in this movie. The robot and other automated features provided by the "company", seems to be actually at fault for all the carnage in "Alien." In "It!", the creature pretty well does it all on his own. Minor difference at best, because both movies are about thrills and adventure, and both succeed. An advantage of black and white film representation with little or no special effects is that it doesn't have to prove as much, and there is no exorbitant information for the viewer. It's more of a dream state where the information provided is the information needed. In the modern colorful world, it is too much for a viewer to fend off extra information in most movies. There again, both "Alien" and "It" capture the essence of what they try to achieve. And if you like one, I'm sure you'll like the other.