La Fusée de l'épouvante

The "Fun Facts" section on the back of the Midnite Movies DVD proudly exclaims that this film formed the main inspiration for Ridley Scott's film "Alien". I find this quite a remarkable little trivia detail, as "Alien" is generally – and deservedly – regarded as one of the greatest and most legendary milestones of Sci-Fi cinema and, if the premise of such a classic is inspired by a cheap and typically 1950's monster mania flick, than it means that this source of inspiration must be an underrated and overall very decent film. Of course, being the blueprint for "Alien" has to be put into perspective just slightly. I think we can all safely agree that the rudimentary plot of Scott's film is the least impressive aspect about the entire production. Hideous and invincible extraterrestrial monster gets aboard a spaceship and kills off the astronauts one by one. That's basically it and that's also all that "Alien" has in common with "It! The Terror from beyond Space". "Alien" promptly became an immortal classic thanks to the Ridley Scott's unique talent of building up claustrophobic suspense, the titular creature's nightmarish design and the flawless acting performances of the entire cast (including Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Ian Holm), whereas "It!" simply stayed a charming but nonetheless fairly insignificant 50's monster movie. Still, I wouldn't hesitate recommending this movie to fans of nostalgic Sci-Fi, as the action is fast-paced, the characters are likable and the guy-in-the-rubber-monster-suit is highly memorable. The story opens with a sinister voice-over intro – I love that – spoken in by Colonel Edward Carruthers; sole survivor of the very first manned mission to planet Mars. He awaits the arrival of a second spaceship that will take him back to earth AND to court marshal. Nobody believes Carruthers' story about an unconquerable Martian killing off his crew and he will have to stand trial himself. The nine-headed crew of the second mission will soon be able to defend Carruthers' story, as the unnamed monster sneaks aboard and turns the voyage back to earth into a deadly ordeal. Obviously almost every aspect of the film has dated severely by now (not just the special effects but also, for example the role of women in science) and the script is crammed with hilarious improbabilities (the monster dodges bullets and even grenades, but it's petrified of a tiny little flame?) The acting performances are way above average for that time, with particularly Marshall Thompson and Shirley Patterson shining like stars. Recommended

I dug this one out of the dust bin and was quietly amazed at the simple, yet straight on-target focus of this movie. Yes-- Alien borrowed the basic setup from this 1958 setup. And yes-- Alien did it BETTER, ICKIER, and SCARIER. But hey, this was 1958!

The script is actually very down to earth and intelligent. The snippets of Sci-Fi Factoids actually made sense for what people popularly knew about Mars back then. The women were still women of that era, but they were intelligent and level headed. No Screaming. No fainting. No Falling down and spraining of slim ankles because of fashionable stiletto heels.

The fact that the movie is B&W is a plus in terms of the monster and the make-up. Let's face it-- in most scary movies, the scariest moment is when the camera is DARK and there is almost no color. Here, the shadows hide that fact that the monster is a guy in a heavy rubber suit. And in 1966, this movie frightened me enough to keep me awake all night.

Fun spots:

1-- Guns, LOTS of handguns, Rifles, grenades, crates of 'em-- gods, they even got a BAZOOKA! And they're shooting them all off inside a tin can in Outer Space. Man, they built them thar spaceships like battleships! And they're ALL good shots because not one single bullet ever sets fire to a VITAL control panel. Wow!

2-- The women pour coffee and make sandwiches for the men. Ah. . .Heaven!

If you and your friends are Sci-Fi buff, despite being dated, this 'B' Classic is worth a Saturday Night Oldies Flick.

Just ask POLITELY: Girls, can we have some sandwiches?

Most folks who've watched this and Alien see the obvious similarities. In fact, Alien is what we all kind of imagined as kids watching this film and seeing it with the non-critical eyes of youth.

Regardless, this is a top drawer B movie effort that rises far above its limitations with solid acting, a fine story, eerie and claustrophobic settings with effective lighting, a quick pace and no lag-time.

If you haven't seen it, get the MGM Midnight Movie DVD double with Monster that Challenged the World, another superb B Movie sci-fi thriller that is as good as this one, and has an insect-like monster that you might recognize as the forerunner of the giant bug of Men in Black.

If you'rr a ten year old kid home alone at about one in the morning in a creaky old house in the early sixties, this movie is actually pretty scary. The scenes where the monster keeps his just barely alive victims in the air vents (and actually drags one of them around with him) for who knows what reason are chillingly eery (or eeringly chilly). Good film for nostalgia fans.

This is one of the many early sci-fi movies released in the 1950s. Standard for these types of B-Pictures was to put more drama and excitement in the film, than real science. Few directors during that day and age ever sought good solid factual science facts, instead they wanted good old fashion monster vs Earthling type action. They were hooky and poorly made, but without knowing it, they created the nightmare memories of our youthful dreams. As a result, they gave audiences what they sought, trills and cheap entertainment. The story in this film is the foundation of modern films like 'Alien' and for its day had formulas which worked. Marshall Thompson plays Col. Ed Carruthers and Ray "Crash" Corrigan, the stunt man for many other films, plays the Space Monster called " It ." Dabbs Greer plays Eric Royce. Although it is an early sci-fi movie, when seen through the sleepy eyes of a youngster, at the Drive-In theaters of the day, it's nothing less than a Classic. Fun for anyone with a yearning to be frightened by a space monster. ****