It! The Terror from Beyond Space

Rating:
Summary: It gave Birth to Aliens
Review: This is a great '50's Sci-Fi movie. It's relatively unknown. I don't know anyone who has seen this movie until I've let them see my copy. My theory is that the movie "Alien" is based on this film: A space ship returns home from visiting a far-off planet (to pick-up Marshall Thompson who is under suspicion of killing all of the expedition memebers) but not before accidently picking up extra "cargo"...an alien life form that hides in the storage room that systematically kills one crew member after another. It was the same creature that Marshall Thompson knew about that killed memebers of his expedition but he can't prove it, and now the same creature has joined their flight home.

There are two things that make this film great: 1.) A pretty decent story that keeps the "monster" out of sight until you really need to see it. The mystery builds as we only see shadows of the creature on the wall as it kills crew members. We are given little hints though that something is wrong on board, like unusual oxygen consumption, that keep the story moving along. 2.) This is a '50's movie so it's great fun to watch and make fun of what was considered to be space travel back then. Take for instance the interior of the space ship. Heavy metal WWII-era cabinets, stairs, primitive controls, etc. Then (and here's the best part) there is the means of trying to kill the "creature". Grenades are used in an attempt to kill it and the crew, equipped with 45cal. automatics, fire randomly at the creature. Keep in mind, the crew is INSIDE a space ship in space! Oh well, I guess it wasn't known that space was void of oxygen or what the perils of shooting holes throught the walls of the ship were back then.

If you can forget the bit of '50's silliness, the storyline holds together through to the end of the film and one cannot help but see the parallels to many of the newer space/creature/sci-fi movies of late.

Rating:
Summary: It gave Birth to Aliens
Review: This is a great '50's Sci-Fi movie. It's relatively unknown. I don't know anyone who has seen this movie until I've let them see my copy. My theory is that the movie "Alien" is based on this film: A space ship returns home from visiting a far-off planet (to pick-up Marshall Thompson who is under suspicion of killing all of the expedition memebers) but not before accidently picking up extra "cargo"...an alien life form that hides in the storage room that systematically kills one crew member after another. It was the same creature that Marshall Thompson knew about that killed memebers of his expedition but he can't prove it, and now the same creature has joined their flight home.

There are two things that make this film great: 1.) A pretty decent story that keeps the "monster" out of sight until you really need to see it. The mystery builds as we only see shadows of the creature on the wall as it kills crew members. We are given little hints though that something is wrong on board, like unusual oxygen consumption, that keep the story moving along. 2.) This is a '50's movie so it's great fun to watch and make fun of what was considered to be space travel back then. Take for instance the interior of the space ship. Heavy metal WWII-era cabinets, stairs, primitive controls, etc. Then (and here's the best part) there is the means of trying to kill the "creature". Grenades are used in an attempt to kill it and the crew, equipped with 45cal. automatics, fire randomly at the creature. Keep in mind, the crew is INSIDE a space ship in space! Oh well, I guess it wasn't known that space was void of oxygen or what the perils of shooting holes throught the walls of the ship were back then.

If you can forget the bit of '50's silliness, the storyline holds together through to the end of the film and one cannot help but see the parallels to many of the newer space/creature/sci-fi movies of late.

Rating:
Summary: Good old classic alien horror
Review: This movie is only 69 min long but you won't be disappointed at all. It remained me so much of "Alien". The story is quite the same. The crew of a spaceship accidently have an unwelcome alien guest that kills several people and the crew tries to get rid of the monster. "It ! The terror from beyond space" has a special atmosphere because it was made in black & white. If you like classic b/w sci-fi this is absolutely the movie for you !

Rating:
Summary: Frantic and Fun
Review: This movie isnt one of my favorites as the 50's technology didnt allow for much realism in the shots of space ships (although some were done better than others). However the action inside the ship was fast paced and pretty intense. The monster wasnt to bad although a bit awkward at times and the charecters were well acted. As for dvd quality this movie played quite clean and crisp.

Rating:
Summary: Trailblazer
Review: This movie set the standard for future movies in this genre. This was one of the first movies where the dialogue overlaps, instead of one character waiting for another character to stop talking, another character will interupt in mid sentence. For an old black and white movie this one is still very eerie in a late night movie sort of way. I could settle down and watch this movie over and over again. Sci-Fi buffs and regular viewers alike will love this one.

Rating:
Summary: Good For The 50's
Review: This movie was actually the inspiration foe Alien. A captain is rescued in space. His crew is killed. Of course the blame falls on him.He tells that his crew was killed by a monster.You
have scary situations and some fleeing from the actual monster.
The rubber suit worn by the monster is very original also.All
in all this was not a bad movie.I ceretainly enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Decent, Influential 50s Hokum
Review: This tightly paced 1950s sci-fi, horror movie was the main inspiration for "Alien." "It!" is not bad, even though the special effects, sets, and acting are cheesy. The movie is not really scary, but it does have some suspense. If you're expecting a movie on par with today's horror movies, then you'll be sorely disappointed. See this movie with an open mind and enjoy the 1950s vibe, and you'll probably end up enjoying it. As a bonus, one of the characters is played by Dabbs Greer, who was Reverend Alden on "Little House on the Prairie."

Rating:
Summary: Raptorduck
Review: This was one of my favorite sci-fi B movies as a child. It would genuinely scare me on Creature Features whenever it was shown. Years later I would enjoy another movie based on the same plot, Alien. Particularly effective for a 1958 B movie, was the element of suspense and surprise. Laughable was the level of smoking and a ship's obviously intellectual female doctor, who also doubled as a server of coffee for the "men" of the ship. After all these years, this is still an enjoyable film that served as the basis for one of the greatest sci-fi/horror movies of all time.

Rating:
Summary: If you have fond memories, beware
Review: Thomas Wolfe said it best: You can't go home again. And for those who fondly recall Friday nights or Saturday mornings of their youth spent glued to classic horror and sci-fi on the TV, I suggest: keep those memories untainted by reality and avoid movies such as It! Terror from Beyond Space. If you can't resist, that's fine, but prepare to have your beloved memories deflated.

For me, I remember watching Alien and immediately recognizing the connection to some movie I loved as a child. That old B&W flick was chilling, with nothing but a few hatches between the poor people and the unstoppable creature. And when it came out after years of searching for it, I bought it gladly. Sigh.

Here are the facts: The cast has some recognizable actors, but the acting is rather campy. The special effects are poor. The monster is at times scary, but at times much more cheesy. The makeup effects are laughable.

That being said, there are a few decent scares and some claustrophobia associated with bottle films (i.e., trapped with no where to run). Shadow and low lighting is used to minimize creature budget constraints, and it works in several places. And some of the initial ideas are fairly interesting. But ultimately, a bit too dull.

If you're a fan of period sci-fi, you might want to give it a look. You're probably used to camp and you might actually enjoy it. Truthfully, I do on occasion; it's a nice diversion when I'm cooking, for instance, or in the mood for a few sci-fi chuckles. But if you have fond memories of this film in the recesses of your memory, my advice is: keep them there.

Rating:
Summary: Great film on shoestring budget.
Review: When I heard this was the inspiration for "Alien" I just had to see it. I was well rewarded. The acting and special effcts are not the greatest, but who expected it to be like "Independence Day"? If you can stand some bad acting and cheesey special effects, this movie will knock your socks off!