It! The Terror From Beyond Space

Released Aug 14, 1958

1h 9m

Sci-Fi

List

75%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

46%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

It's the future -- 1973 -- and a rescue team is sent to fetch Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), the lone survivor of the first manned flight to Mars. Though he's slated for the firing squad after ostensibly murdering his entire crew, he insists that a Martian monster is to blame for the deaths. Cmdr. Van Heusen (Kim Spalding) and the team doubt Carruthers' claims, until more mysterious killings occur. To their horror, they realize the bloodthirsty beast is on board the ship with them.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

I have to hand it to Cahn and Bixby: this is an incredibly cheaply made film with a laughable premise and yet it’s entertaining to watch if you take it in the right spirit.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 16, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Despite being produced on a low budget, it’s an effective thriller.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 12, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A tad slow, despite being only 69 minutes long, but undeniably fun.

Rated: B

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

J.C. Maçek III

PopMatters

As with Alien and Jaws, for example, the most frightening things about this creature are the things that we don't see.

Rated: 6/10

Jun 8, 2015

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

It's a wonderful little horror thriller that will whet the appetites of fans that love claustrophobic genre pictures.

Oct 9, 2013

Full Review

James O'Ehley

Sci-Fi Movie Page

Unintentionally funny low-budget 'Fifties horror effort. ("Mars is almost as big as Texas," one character thoughtfully muses at a point. "Maybe it's got monsters.")

May 11, 2012

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Baggs W

As a kid in the late 50's…this movie was on KTLA everyday one summer. We sit and watch, multiple times, then decide who was going to play IT when we went to the park. The park in Arcadia had a metal spaceship multi level play structure. Perfect for reenacting the movie. There were real screams of terror as we made it more and more real. Just the best summer memory! 💚

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"It! The Terror From Beyond Space" is not a great movie, but it does have a number of positive aspects. The first is its compelling story. I think the premise of this movie was very good and it was presented well. The second is the impressive cast. They all do very well in their respective roles. The third is the special effects. They hold up fairly well more than six decades after the film was made. I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning of the movie when I noticed the very formulaic storyline of a person falsely accused of murder. I am glad that was put aside shortly into the movie's run time. However that does not mean the movie is perfect. The monster costume used in the movie looks like a rejected costume from "The Creature from the Black Lagoon". Also the mask did not properly fit the late Ray Corrigan (The actor who played the creature.). His chin protruded from the mask's mouth. In a very poor attempt to rectify the problem, makeup artists just painted Corrigan's chin red to make it appear that it is the creature's tongue. It looks ridiculous even in black and white. Still despite the flaws, "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" is a good movie and while parts are greater than the whole, the movie is very entertaining. Also, you can't totally hate a movie that was the inspiration for one of the greatest science fiction films in history.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Steve S

One of the best ‘50s SciFi monster movies. "Alien" borrowed from it liberally…the creature using the air ducts, killing the creature by sucking out the air from the ship, the creature only have 3 fingers like the Alien. Of course the creature is cheesy looking…limited budget flick of the time, but at the time viewers had to be wondering how were they going to kill the damn thing. Go with it, and watch it in the dark and imagine the dark ship interiors

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/22

Full Review

kevin w

The great exploration of the vast unknowns of eternal space takes an unplanned-for backseat when all but one crew member of a space mission to Mars vanishes. The next crew sent up return to Earth with the lone survivor ~ only something else has come along for the ride. While this treat from the early days might be clumsy if somewhat entertaining the real value here is watching the blueprint for 1979's "Alien" laid out, like watching two films.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

dave s

It! The Terror from Beyond Space isn't nearly as terrible as it sounds. It's the story of a group of astronauts returning to Earth who find, much to their consternation, that they are being accompanied by an alien preoccupied with killing them all. Sound familiar? This precursor to Alien is saddled with a B-movie budget and enough odd scenarios to bend an eyebrow. For example: is it a wise idea to detonate hand grenades on a ship that has an atomic reactor? Probably not. Despite this, there are some moments of moderate suspense, most notably when the creature is lurking in the shadows. On the down side, the monster is clearly a human stumbling about in a rubber suit, to be expected in a low-budget sci-fi flick, and the special effects are considerably less than impressive.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Worth watching only because it's the inspiration for the Alien franchise. Oh, one other reason. It's great to make fun of the acting, costumes and monster get-up.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Edward L. Cahn

Director

Marshall Thompson

Carruthers

Shirley Patterson

Ann Anderson

Kim Spalding

Van Heusen

Ann Doran

Mary Royce

Dabbs Greer

Eric Royce

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It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - That Kind of Monster

2:39

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - Popping the Airlock

1:44

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - What About Bob?

1:21

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - Into the Air Duct

1:56

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - Nothing Stops Him

1:22

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - Venturing Outside

3:24

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - It Creeps In Before Blast Off

2:09

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - Strange Noises

2:00

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - The Sole Survivor

1:43

It! The Terror From Beyond Space: Official Clip - The Crew Fights Back

1:21

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Synopsis

It's the future -- 1973 -- and a rescue team is sent to fetch Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), the lone survivor of the first manned flight to Mars. Though he's slated for the firing squad after ostensibly murdering his entire crew, he insists that a Martian monster is to blame for the deaths. Cmdr. Van Heusen (Kim Spalding) and the team doubt Carruthers' claims, until more mysterious killings occur. To their horror, they realize the bloodthirsty beast is on board the ship with them.

Director: Edward L. Cahn
Producer: Robert E. Kent
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 1958, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 9m

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