They Came from Beyond Space

In looking at this movie, it seemed to me that this was pretty close in concept to It Came from Outer Space, the sci-fi classic starring Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush. It was later remade as Night Slaves, a TV movie in 1990.

However, it was good seeing Robert Hutton, a perennial favorite in sci-fi films.

On the negative side, the editing seemed rather haphazard, with cuts and clips not blending together to add coherence and continuity. Also, the film lacked any of the background characters who were so good in what have turned out to be sci-fi classics. Made in England, They Came from Beyond Space has the location, but not the interest of the Quatermass movies.

Considering that this film was obviously shot on a tight budget, it worked out to be an enjoyable film nonetheless. I haven't seen many Hutton films, but I like his Style of thinking, cerebral hero who reasons first, shoots later.

This film must have been very inspirational to Stephen King, as the plot of his book "The Tommyknockers" was nearly identical to the plot of this movie - right down to the hero with a metal plate in his head.

Of course, the only real down side to this film is the fight music. All it consists of is Someone pounding on a snare drum. they could have done better here.

All in all, it's an enjoyable film of it's era, and one I Will probably watch again.

Extremely Underrated and Unfairly Criticized by quick Haters that consider this an Easy Target for Ridicule and let loose. Truth is the Movie is comparatively Slick, and has Gorgeous Colorful Sets. The Director Freddie Francis makes Every Shot Count.

There are Clever Angles and the Interesting Things going on. May be Inexpensive but is Impressive Nonetheless. The Look of the Film, especially the Interiors Remind of Mario Bava, extremely Sweetened. It has a Rich Sheen and is so Glossy it almost Slides Off the Screen.

The Story is a Familiar One leading to an awfully Saccharine and Disappointing Ending, but again, the Sets are a Wow. The Costumes and Props used throughout are sometimes Silly, Yes, but Not Without a Certain Goofy Charm. The Fight Scenes, and there are a Few, seem Out of Place but are Stunt Worthy and Visceral.

The Movie's biggest and Glaring Downer is the Terrible Music and is the Kind of Thing that Elevators made Famous and is a Square Version of Trendy Hip.

Overall, Recommended for Fans of Eye Candy and a Love for Big Ideas on a Small Budget and some Pros Behind the Camera that Make it all Work.

They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Amicus production has some meteors crashing in a field but when scientist goes to crack into them, an alien race starts taking over their minds. Soon everyone is under the spell of the aliens but thankfully one man (Robert Hutton) has some steel in his head, which keeps him from being infected. I love a lot of Amicus movies and I've often enjoyed their films more than their rival Hammer but there's not too much love that can be shown to this movie, which is pretty to look at but deadly dull in terms of entertainment. The biggest problem is that it appears Francis, usually a top-notch director, falls asleep at the wheel because the movie has a deadly slow pace that doesn't help anything. To make matters worse is the screenplay, which is full of one dialogue scene after another and nothing being said is all that intelligent. The movie moves way too slow to begin with so adding all this dialogue isn't going to help matters. Hutton sleepwalks through his role but to his credit he doesn't have much to work with. Jennifer Jayne isn't that memorable and Michael Gough appears bored out of his mind. The "Swingin' 60's" certainly lends its hand to the visuals of the film, which are quite colorful and nice to look at. The sets aren't that bad either but this doesn't save an otherwise boring film.

Throughout the mid 60s and early 70s Amicus Productions churned out a series of wonderful little horror anthologies including my favorite, TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

But, before launching into the more-profitable horror genre, where low-budgets were more easily forgiven, Amicus produced some full-length features, including THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE.

However, the music is overbearing; and, distracting. The acting is good; but, not outstanding. The special effects are okay, some even good. The launch of the moon rocket even looked plausible. And, who dressed these people anyway?

Well, that's the bad; but, the good is the sets are quite striking. The cinematography, as with other Amicus Products, was beautiful. And, I thought the plot moved along nicely.

However, the reason for my comment is the number of films and stories that this movie seems to have inspired (based on the book The Gods Hate Kansas, so not sure if it's the book or this film that's the inspiration).

Some think that Stephen King may have been inspired by this one. My thinking is that perhaps even the new series "V" may have been inspired by this. Especially the creepy comment by the security officer that the work would result in "saving" the planet, or all mankind. And, WHAT do they need all the bodies for -- both V and these moon creatures?!?

Amicus really defined the horror anthology genre for me. But it is good to see they had a fairly decent feature film before launching those. Next up: THE DEADLY BEES!