In the "future" year of 1973, mankind has launched an unsuccessful mission to Mars. The only survivor is Colonel Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), who's due to face a court martial back on Earth because everybody assumes that he killed his companions. However, the real culprit is an imposing, bipedal Martian monster (Ray "Crash" Corrigan), which has snuck on board the spaceship that is returning Carruthers to Earth.
Much like the characters in the sci-fi / horror classic "The Thing from Another World", the people here are forced to keep thinking on their feet. It seems that no conventional weapon is capable of destroying the beast.
For a modern viewer, this may not be that scary, or even that suspenseful. But it sure as hell is a lot of fun. Commonly cited as a principal influence on "Alien" 21 years later, it benefits from a very straightforward story (concocted by noted writer Jerome Bixby) with very little fat. It certainly has to rank as one of the top achievements for cult director Edward L. Cahn, who wastes little time in getting to the good stuff. It also has some memorable images, such as the sight of Its' victims after It has been at them. Prolific monster maker of the era Paul Blaisdell designed "It", and it's one of his best creations, a particularly ugly thing given some real physical menace by Corrigan.
The cast is aces, playing their material with the straightest of faces. Thompson is very well supported by Dabbs Greer (one of this viewers' favorite character actors), Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, and Paul Langton.
Essential viewing for any lover of 1950s genre cinema.
Seven out of 10.
Much like the characters in the sci-fi / horror classic "The Thing from Another World", the people here are forced to keep thinking on their feet. It seems that no conventional weapon is capable of destroying the beast.
For a modern viewer, this may not be that scary, or even that suspenseful. But it sure as hell is a lot of fun. Commonly cited as a principal influence on "Alien" 21 years later, it benefits from a very straightforward story (concocted by noted writer Jerome Bixby) with very little fat. It certainly has to rank as one of the top achievements for cult director Edward L. Cahn, who wastes little time in getting to the good stuff. It also has some memorable images, such as the sight of Its' victims after It has been at them. Prolific monster maker of the era Paul Blaisdell designed "It", and it's one of his best creations, a particularly ugly thing given some real physical menace by Corrigan.
The cast is aces, playing their material with the straightest of faces. Thompson is very well supported by Dabbs Greer (one of this viewers' favorite character actors), Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, and Paul Langton.
Essential viewing for any lover of 1950s genre cinema.
Seven out of 10.