6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
An Earth rescue expedition goes to Mars to rescue an earlier mission and finds only one survivor, the expedition leader Col. Carruthers. He is under arrest and will face a court-martial on his arrival back on Earth. No one believes his fantastic story of a Martian monster that methodically killed all of the members of his crew, one by one, until only he was left. On the return trip however, they realize the monster is on board and living on the lower decks. It begins to attack the crew who quickly become concerned about their own survival...
Starring: Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson (I), Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs GreerHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Were it not for a little film called Alien, chances are few but that very elite group of science fiction aficionados who can cite each and every B-movie ever made in the genre would have much cause to remember It! The Terror From Beyond Space. While this low budget 1958 opus may have gone on to inspire a bigger budgeted, probably better remembered, film, It! The Terror From Beyond Space is itself part of a cinematic chain which can be traced back at least to The Thing from Another World, the iconic 1951 Howard Hawks horror outing. Like The Thing, It! The Terror From Beyond Space (whose trailer actually overtly evokes The Thing at one point) posits a bunch of humans in a remote setting, all of them being stalked by a marauding monster. Of course It! The Terror From Beyond Space doesn’t stick its refugees in a frozen tundra, instead grouping them on a spaceship that’s part of a Mars rescue mission. In fact, the reason a rescue mission is necessary is because there’s been a previous Mars mission which has ended in the deaths of all but one of its astronauts. That sole survivor is Colonel Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), a man who is now suspected of having murdered his crew in order to requisition all available supplies to ensure his endurance. Carruthers insists that there’s a man eating monster loose on the Red Planet, but of course his protestations fall on deaf ears. Evidently in space no one can hear you give an urgent warning.
It! The Terror from Beyond Space is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Long swaths of this transfer look surprisingly crisp and well detailed, despite omnipresent signs of age related damage, including a lot of both white flecks and scratches. It does appear that parts of this may have been cobbled together from various sources, as there is variable sharpness and grain structure at different points in the film (contrast screenshots 1 and 18). Generally speaking, though, contrast is excellent and gray scale decently modulated. As is usually the case with Olive Films releases, this is a "warts and all" presentation that shows no signs of any restorative efforts having been made, but at the same time no signs of artificial manipulation of the image.
It! The Terror from Beyond Space features a perfectly serviceable lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix, one which faithfully recreates the lo-fi sonic ambience of the original. There are surprisingly few goofy sound effects in the film, with sonic punch achieved more through unlikely elements such as gunfire or electrocution. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and the at times bombastic score by genre stalwarts Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter sounds nicely full bodied.
If It! The Terror from Beyond Space had been just a little more ridiculous, it could have qualified for an out and out snarkfest movie night for some gaggle of B-movie fans. The film tends to fall into mediocrity more than out and out laughable silliness, though those with an appropriately low expectations bar may indeed be able to squeeze a fair amount of humor out of the proceedings. Maybe one of those people can create an internet meme where Ray Corrigan pops out of John Hurt's chest—that would be required viewing. Technical merits are decent to very good on this release for those considering a purchase.
Warner Archive Collection
1951
1953
Standard Edition
1953
Special Edition | The Creeping Unknown
1955
1951
1959
1957
1958
1957
Collector's Edition
1988
1962
1958
1966
2015
1964
1959
10th Anniversary Special Edition
2008
1954
1955
1955