Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 19, 2023

Edward Cahn's "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by film historian and screenwriter Gary Gerani; new audio commentary by film historians Tom Weaver, Bob Burns, Larry Blamire and David Schecter; new program by film historian Craig Beam; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Shoot, dammit, shoot to kill.

John Carpenter’s The Thing. Ridley Scott’s Alien. Christian Duguay’s Screamers. Stanley Donen’s Saturn 3. Sean S. Cunningham’s DeepStar Six. George Cosmatos’ Leviathan. Even Peter Hyams’ Outland. I can fill up an entire page with films that have been heavily influenced and, in many cases, borrowed from Edward Cahn’s It! The Terror From Beyond Space. It is irrelevant whether the creators of these films have acknowledged the relationship between their work and It! The Terror From Beyond Space. The relationship is too obvious and impossible to ignore.

A more interesting subject to explore is whether the relationship between the films I mentioned and It! The Terror From Beyond Space is intentional or accidental. In other words, were these films conceived to mimic what was done in It! The Terror From Beyond Space, or did they accidentally replicate thematic material and visual qualities that are present in It! The Terror From Beyond Space? To get the correct answer(s), you need to know what It! The Terror From Beyond Space is about.

The early 1970s (which is supposed to be the future). A U.S. spaceship successfully lands on Mars, but after it begins surface exploration suffers heavy damage during an intense sandstorm. A rescue mission is organized to bring back the only survivor on the spaceship, Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), who is suspected of being a psychotic murderer. When a second spaceship reaches Mars, Carruthers reveals that an alien entity is responsible for the death of his colleagues, but his story is instantly rejected, and he is warned that a court-martial will soon determine his fate. Then, shortly after the second spaceship heads back to Earth, the alien entity emerges and all hell breaks loose.

Despite being only sixty-nine minutes long, It! The Terror From Beyond Space comfortably stages the classic humans vs. monster clash that has reappeared in countless genre films since the early 1920s. It only changes its setting and tweaks its atmosphere so that the sense of fear that permeates it becomes unique. It produces plenty of fireworks too, but they are not what makes the crucial difference. It is this sense of fear and its management that transform It! The Terror From Beyond Space into a very special film that other similar genre films are doomed to mimic.

But why exactly? Why is it virtually impossible to avoid mimicking It! The Terror From Beyond Space?

It operates with a specific, very simple, tested concept of fear, which effectively disables any form of skepticism. For example, fear quickly flourishes in a closed environment. It could be a collapsed tunnel or building, a broken elevator, a damaged submarine, or a spaceship that is thousands of miles away from home. Anyone can grasp the situation. There is no way out, which means that the legitimacy of the fear that is channeled through it is impossible to question. Can this authentic fear be exacerbated for optimal effect? Yes, if it is paired with the unknown. Fear and the unknown were made for each other, which is why they continue to be paired by contemporary directors as well. Finally, this concept of fear not only does not ignore the normality of what preceded its emergence, but it emphasizes it.

As you can tell, It! The Terror From Beyond Space owns the playground where other films like it must go to impress. They can make it look a little longer, a little wider, more glitzy or crowded, but they cannot change its rules. Even when they improvise with vastly superior visuals and sound, these rules must be respected. This is what makes all the films that are mentioned at the top of this article close relatives of It! The Terror From Beyond Space, even the ones that may genuinely be unaware that it is so.

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, It! The Terror From Beyond Space arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very strong new 2K master that was struck from a 35mm fine-grain. On my system, It! The Terror From Beyond Space looked absolutely gorgeous and very healthy. I did notice a couple of small blemishes, but overall the surface of the visuals is very clean and very, very attractive. Despite some noticeable density fluctuations, delineation and depth were very good too, often approaching what I would consider a 'reference level' quality. The grayscale is convincing. A few darker areas could have been handled slightly better, but I did not see any distracting crushing to report. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. All in all, I think that this release offers a wonderful organic presentation of It! The Terror From Beyond Space that makes it a real treat to revisit it at home. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and easy to follow. However, in a couple of different segments, I noticed flatness that I am not convinced is inherited. It shifts in some unusual ways, too. It is never distracting, but more than likely you will notice it as well. Elsewhere, dynamic intensity is good, or at least for a film from the late 1950s. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this new audio commentary was recorded by film historians Tom Weaver, Bob Burns, Larry Blamire, and David Schecter. The commentators explain why It! The Terror From Beyond Space was a true scary film when it was released (and when they first saw it), and discuss its conception and production, its tone and atmosphere, some specific weaknesses that should have been avoided, its connection to the other "It" films from the same period, its reception, etc.

• Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, film historian Craig Beam discusses the original draft for and the final version of It! The Terror From Beyond Space (with examples about significant differences), different lensing choices that were made and specific shots that were used in other productions, the editing (and specifically the repetitive use of the moving spaceship), the casting choices, etc. Also, there are some interesting comments about the syndicated late-night TV monster films that were shown around the same time.

• Commentary Three - in this new audio commentary, film historian and screenwriter Gary Gerani discusses the impact It! The Terror From Beyond Space has had on other genre films, the casting choices that were made for it, how Col. Edward Carruthers' guilt is established and debated, some of the supposedly illogical details of the plot, the visual effects, etc.

• Tidbits: Ephemera From Beyond Space - in this new program, film historian Craig Beam discusses the emergence of the "It" character, the conception and production of It! The Terror From Beyond Space, the evolution of the horror film during the 1950s and beyond, special effects/monster creation, promotional materials/memorabilia, etc. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for It! The Terror From Beyond Space. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with original poster art for It! The Terror From Beyond Space.

It! The Terror from Beyond Space Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is impossible to exaggerate the impact It! The Terror From Beyond Space has had on many very big and successful and smaller cult films over the years. The Thing, Alien, DeepStar Six and even Outland, they have all borrowed something from it. It is because It! The Terror From Beyond Space operates with what is essentially a timeless concept of fear, so any other film like it must imitate or borrow something from it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K master and features a fine selection of exclusive new bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.