The Outer Limits (TV Series) Corpus Earthling (1963) User Reviews

Better than you initially think

[GazHack · 7/10 · 12 December 2007]

At first, when two rubbery rocks on a shelf start talking to each other like Pinky and The Brain, I thought this was going to be the wooden spoon episode of the season. But once the alien possession plot begins in earnest, this episode quickly improves. In fact the last act is quite frighteningly intense and comes to a bravely downbeat conclusion.

Salome Jens gives a terrific performance. The alien creatures true form may be an obvious puppet but thanks to its scuttling quick movement, its appearances are good shock moments. The film noir look is perfectly achieved and helps make this low budget TV series look a lot more cinematic and scary. Far from the weakest, this has become one of my favourites of the first season.

Despite a seemingly silly plot, this one is very effective....very.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 2 March 2012]

It is very easy to laugh off this episode. After all, there are talking rocks! But, I recommend you give this one a chance--the acting is good and the writers did a lot with this one--making it one of the better episodes of "The Outer Limits".

"Corpus Earthling" begins with some strange rocks being brought in for some geologists to study. However, the structure of the stones is very odd--almost alien. Soon, an innocent guy (Robert Culp) comes by the lab and he HEARS the rocks talking to each other! And, they soon realize that there is something different about him--something that enables Culp to hear what they are saying--and it turns out to be a metal plate in his skull. So, they use their evil powers to try to get him to commit suicide--and when this doesn't work, they are able to control people to make them liquidate Culp! As I said, this all sounds rather silly. But, the show was masterful at taking silly ideas or low budgets and making them special. Truly this is an interesting and very exciting show--one you should see.

Corpus Earthling

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 13 November 2011]

Take the premise on paper—insidious, intelligent, parasitic creatures masquerading as rocks with a plan to take over the human species by infiltrating their bodies as host organisms—and it might be laughed right out of a room. But with the brilliant B&W noirish photography setting the ominous mood quite nicely (thanks to the master Conrad Hall), some eerie make-up effects on the humans "possessed" (Barry Atwater's make-up once the creature takes over his body is eerily similar to the ghouls in Herk Harvey's masterpiece, "Carnival of Souls"), and the unsettling nature for how the rocks turn into these ectoplasmic blob parasites that attach to hands before aiming for the faces of their victims, "Corpus Earthling" really transcends the potential silliness of the plot. Because the series "The Outer Limits" was so damned good and so well made, story lines that might seem ludicrous on their face are instead intellectually sound, strongly acted (in this episode's case, Outer Limits regular Robert Culp knocks it out of the ballpark as the tormented hero, a surgeon with a metal plate in his head who has the ability to hear the voices of those rock parasites and their sinister plans to rule the earth), and could really become quite intense, extremely suspenseful, and often quite thought-provoking due to the skilled cast and crew involved. I simply don't believe, anymore, that this show is overshadowed by "The Twilight Zone"…I think both shows stand equal to each other. Time, I think, has only helped this series become a more recognized sci-fi show, its storytelling and presentation of the material top-notch, mainly because, I think, those involved took strides to tell a disturbing story well, with a complete dedicated seriousness needed to get their point across by asking "What if…?"

The plot might seem like another rip from the "Body Snatchers" formula, I can't explain away such similarities because the bodies of those close to Culp are invaded and the hero, like Kevin McCarthy, seems to be on his own because who would believe his story? But it is all in the way this film is shot and acted that sets it apart from simply imitating the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Salome Jens deserves mention for a fine, subtle performance as Lab Assistant to Atwater's geologist, Laurie, Culp's loyal, loving wife, who carefully acknowledges that worry of her husband's possible fractured psyche, but faithful enough to follow him as he decides to go on the lam. Her fate offers a looming melancholy that perhaps Culp's life will never recover from what he has witnessed and must endure for the sake of all mankind. The ending doesn't offer a definite conclusion that we will remain safe from terror

Alien Rocks

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 11 March 2016]

Robert Culp stars as Dr. Paul Cameron, who inadvertently learns of an alien invasion being planned by two sentient rocks(really polymorphic alien parasites with the ability to control minds and assault, then take over human bodies as hosts) when a lab explosion gives him a concussion. After leaving the hospital, Paul takes his wife(and lab assistant) Laurie to Mexico, where a colleague of theirs(played by Barry Atwater) has been possessed by one of the alien rocks, and wants to get them both, before taking on the world... Good acting and atmosphere just about mask the vague plot and silly premise, though this is still quite grim and serious.

Careful With That Rock Eugene...

[AudioFileZ · 7/10 · 22 March 2013]

A doctor played by Robert Culp is injured when he is the only one present in a lab for the study of rock strata. Soon he realizes he is hearing messages from where he isn't sure. He already has a plate in his head and the uncertainty of what is real and imagined prompts his wife to arrange a "lost weekend" of sorts as a getaway.

The professor who runs the lab is attacked by one of two strange rocks he has been studying. He becomes a drone of the alien rocks whose mission is to hunt down and kill the doctor. The professor finds the doctor's wife and she is also attacked by one of the rocks. As the doctor returns from a short supply run he finds his wife is physically altered, not his wife at all anymore. The doctor flees only to decide to return to try to save his wife if that is possible. As he is left to attempt to aid his ailing wife the professor enters and shots him. The doctor doesn't die, but engages in a battle with the professor who as he is killed by the doctor morphs back into himself as the rock alien escapes the dead host. When his wife becomes conscious she attempts to kill the doctor forcing him to shot her. Again the rock flees the host body. The doctor decides he must save his wife and, hopefully, kill the alien by burning the hacienda. This in spite of the seemingly mind-control force of the alien rock. We're led to believe that the doctor and his wife may have survived...But, we can't be sure.

While not an outstanding episode "Corpus Earthling" explores the thin line between what is unimaginable and real fearlessly. The way the story is presented is with a shroud of mystery and heavy foreboding of fear. It works for the most part as Culp and company play it straight with constant mysteriousness. Well worth a look because, it would seem, The Outer Limits has no limit as to what humanity can be faced with. Something alien powering mind-control with that twist that is a trademark of this series.

Talking Rocks Before Irwin Allen Did It

[StuOz · 27 June 2014]

Talking rocks in 1963? Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea did talking rock monsters in 1967 with the episode: The Fossil Men. Which series did the idea the best?

Limits used a better voice artist for the talking rock but Voyage did the whole thing in a more easy going/childish way. Voyage wins to me but both shows are cool..however I think most others would like the Limits take on the theme the best.

We are now nine episodes into this series and all nine episodes have had something of interest. The series in nearly always good with only about six stinkers in the whole 49 episode run.

The Listener

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 20 February 2018]

The geologist Dr. Jonas Temple keeps two rocks in his laboratory without knowing that they are indeed alien invaders that plan to slave the human race. When Dr. Paul Cameron, who has a metal plate implanted in his skull, arrives at Temple´s laboratory, he overhears the conversation of the alien rocks. They try to force Cameron to commit suicide, but he is saved by his wife Laurie. Cameron believes he is deranged and travels to rest with Laurie to Tijuana in a second honeymoon. But the rocks sends D. Temple to hunt them down.

"Corpus Earthling" is so far the silliest episode of "The Outer Limits". The idea of alien beings that resemble rocks does not work. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Corpus Terreno" ("Corpus Earthling")

Interesting episode in an historical sense

[artisticengineer · 9/10 · 31 August 2012]

This episode was the last televised episode of the series prior to the assassination of President Kennedy; so we are talking about something that was televised quite a long time ago- in November 1963. A previous episode of this then new series had as a plot the removal of the President of the United States; which fortunately was broadcast BEFORE the terrible events in Dallas a few weeks later.

Anyway, it is interesting to see in this particular episode interior settings that were typical of that time (early to mid 1960s). Not a cell phone or PC in sight yet still quite livable and workable!

Salome Jens is quite lovely in this episode though she is billed as a "guest star"- which is somewhat odd considering the nature of this series. Anyway, she is quite attractive and even does the "slip" act where she undresses down to her slip; which is about as close to anything erotic they would allow actresses to do in movies and TV back then. She was quite a "peach" then and utterly believable as a newly wed (which I think she actually was then).

Robert Culp is also quite believable as a doctor with a metal plate in his head (which he actually was not nor did not have). The acting chemistry between Salome Jens and Robert Culp was quite good; so much so that one wonders if there was not actually something else going on behind the scenes. One would have to ask Salome Jens if that was, in fact, the case.

The plot is of interest- can rocks actually be intelligent? And, if so, could and would we know? And, if the rocks were intelligent, would they be benevolent or malevolent? The look at the historical lifestyles in this episode is a treat in its own right, but it also brings to mind the fact that even fifty years later ...well, no spoilers here, go ahead and watch the episode and see for yourself!!

Rock On!

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 6 January 2015]

A bunch of talking rocks. I just can't get past it. Unfortunately, the creatures look a bit like lumps of tar flavored Jello. They are apparently set on taking over the world, one person at a time. They can transform themselves into silly looking spider like creatures. They have the ability to control minds which would lead one to believe that they could be more efficient. Robert Culp is the one that can make out their verbal offerings and starts to go bananas, running off with his wife to Tijuana. Unfortunately, they are able to follow him there. He must deal with paranoia and the deaths of a friend. The good part of this has to do with the atmosphere developed, particularly in the latter portion of the show. One thing that I couldn't put aside is that there is a sort of narration remindful of "The Attack of the Crab Monsters." For those of you who remember that classic film.

Rocks in His Head

[wes-connors · 8/10 · 28 February 2012]

After a laboratory mishap leaves him with a concussion, rock scientist Robert Culp (as Paul Cameron) begins hearing the voices of two rocks, positioned on a shelf in the lab. They wobble for the camera, but go unnoticed by Mr. Culp, assistant wife Salome Jens (as Laurie) and geologist colleague Barry Atwater (as Jonas Temple). Culp thinks they may be diabolical life-forms from another planet, seeking to parasitically take over the bodies of humans, or a paranoiac reaction to his concussion and the upper metal plate in his head (holding him "together" after a brain injury). This is a typically excellent "Outer Limits" episode, featuring great direction by Gerd Oswald and wonderful photography by Conrad Hall, who give lovers of the female figure an arousing look at Ms. Jens in her slip.

******** Corpus Earthling (11/18/63) Gerd Oswald ~ Robert Culp, Salome Jens, Barry Atwater, Ken Renard

"I think I'm..., uh..., going insane."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 26 April 2022]

If all alien invaders are this dumb, I think we're pretty safe, don't you? This story reminded me of the Star Trek episode, 'The Devil in the Dark' in which Captain Kirk and crew had to deal with a crawling rock trying to protect its brood on a mining colony during that series first season. If it weren't for the pulsating rocks in this one it might not have been so silly. But then, on top of that, you had those black, rubbery crawlies trying to attack their victims by going for the face. It's not like you couldn't outrun them or smash them with the nearest heavy object. Robert Culp gives an earnest performance as Doctor Paul Cameron, whose suspicion about the voices he hears in his head reaches its zenith on a belated honeymoon vacation to Mexico with his wife (Salome Jens) with no more than the clothes they're wearing when they left. In a way, that might be the most unbelievable aspect of this whole story. What woman goes away for the weekend without at least a dozen outfits?

My Favorite "OL" Episode

[ferbs54 · 10/10 · 26 April 2017]

The "OL" episode that I reacquainted myself with over the weekend is my personal favorite of the entire series, and one that producer Joseph Stefano once said he thought was so frightening that, after he initially watched it, he wished he could refuse to show it on TV. And it really IS the scariest "OL" of the bunch, for my money. The episode is "Corpus Earthling," in which Mr. Outer Limits himself, Robert Culp, stars in his second of three appearances. (Culp had already appeared in the Season 1 masterpiece "The Architects of Fear" and would go on to appear in what is perhaps the finest hour of Season 2, "Demon With a Glass Hand.") Here, he plays a doctor who has a metal plate in his head, the result of a war injury, which enables him to hear the sinister conversation that is taking place between two rock samples in his wife's geology workplace. These rocks soon take over geology lab worker Barry Atwater, who follows Culp and his wife (statuesque blonde Salome Jens) to Mexico, to which the couple has fled. In one of the scariest sequences in TV history, and one that is highly reminiscent of a similar scene in 1956's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," Culp discovers that his wife has been zombified by the rock creatures herself, and is now looking decidedly ghoulish. This episode features an amazingly high degree of paranoia and a downbeat ending that is fairly devastating. Culp is simply tremendous in the lead role, and the FX in the episode are of a fairly impressive order. Television surely has rarely been more chilling than this. I just love this episode to bits....

Corpus Earthling

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 8 April 2023]

Paul Cameron (Robert Culp) finds himself between a rock and a hard place. With the presence of a metal plate in his head due to a war injury.

Cameron a surgeon goes to see his wife Laurie who works for a geologist named Dr Temple. He has been studying two new rocks in his laboratory.

Cameron somehow manages to hear these two alien rocks talking about taking over the world. Realising that he has heard them, the alien rocks compel Cameron to try and kill himself but his wife Laura comes to the rescue.

Eventually the alien beings inside the rock enter human bodies. The plan is to kill Cameron as he is on vacation in Mexico. Thinking he is suffering from hallucinations and needed a break.

The plot is a variation of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The kind of face hugger alien blobs might have been an influence on Ridley Scott.

The story is something that has already become a staple of The Outer Limits. The body horror effects does make it unsettling.

Honey, rocks can't walk.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 8 April 2023]

Scientist Doctor Paul Cameron suffers a mishap in his laboratory, the result leaves him with the ability of being able to hear the conversations if two rocks, which happen to be alien beings with plans to take over The World.

I got about five minutes in, and honestly wondered if I could get through it, but I was told to stick with it, and gladly I did, it actually turned out to be a cracking episode. The plot may seem somewhat ludicrous, but trust me, this one works very well

It's hugely at atmospheric, it looks great. There are actually some very fine horror moments here to enjoy, that initial scene where the creature takes ahold of its victim is pretty bleak.

I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of Dr Who story, The Hand of Fear, with Tom Baker, that would transmit over a decade later, a very similar storyline.

Very solid acting, Robert Culp in particular plays the part of Paul with such sincerity.

Very good.

8/10.

Creepy, Effective Episode

[eirenboy · 8/10 · 17 March 2022]

Beautifully filmed episode with an interesting plot device using seemingly ordinary rocks as alien invaders. I think Barry Atwater almost steals the show with his creepy portrayal of a zombified professor. Salome Jens has always been an intriguing actress and has a great scene here when her alien possession is revealed to her husband, Robert Culp's character.

Let's rock

[nickenchuggets · 8/10 · 5 March 2022]

For a long time, I've always noticed that the Outer Limits episodes in which Robert Culp appears always end up being some of the best the series has to offer. When compared with the other ones he was in (Demon With a Glass Hand and Architects of Fear), this one is probably the least best, but is still interesting. The plot is about Dr. Paul Cameron (Culp), a geologist whose friend Dr. Temple is harboring parasitic aliens that look like rocks in his lab without being aware of it. Because Dr. Cameron has a metal plate in his head from a recent surgery, he's able to hear what the rocks are saying. They are essentially discussing how to take over the world, but they are also aware Paul is able to hear them. They try to get him to commit suicide by jumping out of a window so their scheme can remain hidden, but his wife Laurie stops him. Paul later goes on vacation to Mexico, still being disturbed about the rock incident. Meanwhile, Dr. Temple has become a host for one of the alien parasites, and it is using his body to chase after his former friend. Later, Laurie too is infected by them, and the aliens tell her that Paul is obviously the next target. After he returns to the house they rented, Paul discovers his wife and Dr. Temple are both mind controlled by the alien rocks, and is forced to kill both of them. Unfortunately, killing the bodies they occupy isn't the same as killing the aliens themselves, since they are able to exist without possessing humans now. Their real appearance is something resembling a crab with a glossy black exterior. Paul sets the cabin ablaze, and narrowly avoiding the flames, manages to escape while the aliens burn. This episode is pretty ridiculous in terms of its story, but I still count it among the best in the series. I think this is mostly because of its highly original concept. How many other shows out there have parasitic aliens that look like ordinary earth rocks? There's not many out there. While I still like the episode, Robert Culp himself seemed to agree with me when I say that it's still probably the worst one he starred in. This isn't really the episode's fault, it just so happens that Demon With a Glass Hand and Architects of Fear are just so good they make this one look mediocre. If you pretend those two don't exist, it's still a worthwhile experience. It's also worth noting that Robert Johnson provides the voices for the rocks as they telepathically communicate with each other, though he is uncredited. He also voices the alien narrator in Fun and Games, another Outer Limits episode and one of the most exciting of the entire series.

The aliens in "They Live" were much better planners...

[fedor8 · 9 September 2021]

A body snatchers story, except that this one involves ROCKS. A fairly cheesy premise, but kind of fun, or could have been. Unfortunately, it's too predictable.

Culp tells his colleagues that the voices he heard were weird, and yet they weren't weird at all.

Each human taken over by the rocks changes appearance very noticably, which leads me to the obvious conclusion that these goofy aliens pose no real threat to mankind i.e. Every zombie would so obviously be identifiable as possessed that their cover would be blown by their appearance alone. This is the story's biggest logic flaw, and a crucial one.

Nor does it make sense that Culp's infected colleague found him and his wife so quickly and easily. How did he know where they were hiding? No explanation. Stupidly enough, we anyway know she'll be possessed because that's what the show's idiotic spoiler tells us right off the bat. Of course, I always skip the spoilers but may go back to the intro later just to check which scene they'd picked.

The episode suffers from padding, i.e. All that romantic nonsense around the middle. I am referring to the dreary and useless 6-minute section once the couple reaches their hideout.

Well-directed and moody, solid dialogue for this type of story, but the plot is mediocre.

Read my reviews of the entire series on my "The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - All Episodes Rated & Reviewed" list.

Robert Culp is in the best Outer Limits episodes!

[joey_isham · 8/10 · 9 February 2024]

It's become apparent. It seems they made sure to cast Robert Culp in the best Outer Limits epsidoes. He was in "Demon With A Glass Hand" and "Architects Of Fear", two episodes that are in almost everyone's top 5 Outer Limits episodes. But this one should not be overlooked. "Corpus Earthling" is dramatic and it's real scary. Old fashioned true pure horror with real creatures and an ordinary man who becomes a monster. Suspenseful creepy music. For a dream vacation spot the couple travel too, it certainly looked dark and gloomy. But that's where all the ultimate climax action takes place. Don't miss Corpus Earthling. It's solid. Rated an 8/10.

Well done ep--shot on videotape?

[bmulkey-81597 · 9/10 · 20 March 2023]

There is only a very few number of characters in this one. I agree Salome Jens manages to be quite sexy in her part.

The ep starts off in a lab. Switches to the doctor's home then it goes to Tiajuana. A couple of locals in Tijuana are all we see. Though we do hear an American couple in the hall at one moment. The locations ( even if not really authentic) manage to keep the story from becoming too boringly cerebral (well them along with Jens).

I will further add this. This ep is not like most other OL eps as being shot on videotape (?) definitely changes the atmosphere and makes it somber than if it was on film. Also, the aliens take a back seat to the human characters. Somehow this one is probably not an ep you will watch more than once or twice ( except for a few glimpses of Jens-- that men may wish to see over and over).