It Came from Outer Space (1953 film)
It Came from Outer Space (1953), AKA Atomic Monster, Strangers from Outer Space, The Meteor
Summary
"They can look like humans, or change to objects of awesome terror!" A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strangely.
Details
- Release Date: 1953
- Country/Language: US, English
- Genres/Technical: Science Fiction, Horror, black-and-white, 3D
- Setting: 1950s "Sand Rock (town)", Arizona
- Runtime: 1 hr 21 min
- Starring: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake
- Director: Jack Arnold
- Writer: Harry Essex (screenplay), Ray Bradbury (story "The Meteor")
- Producer/Production Co: Universal International Pictures (UI)
- View Trailer: (link)
- TVTropes: (link)
- IMDB Page: (link)
Ratings
MPAA Ratings
- Rated: approved (perhaps equivalent to a PG for mild 1950s sci-fi Violence)
Tentacle Ratings
A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:
- Ss___ (One and a Half Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian; vaguely similar in tone)
A rarity among science-fiction films in that its alien visitors are neither benevolent nor malevolent but instead seem indifferent anything with a human level of intelligence. There's a small hint of "The Whisperer in Darkness (fiction" to this adaptation of an original Ray Bradbury story, "The Meteor"; a freakish and horrific-looking race of aliens have been secretly replacing townsfolk in a rural community with doubles, in order to complete a work project in secret; in this story, the aliens are actually not hostile, and have only crashed on Earth by mistake, and, realizing they are horrifying to humans, they try to repair their ship in secret rather than risk a violent reaction by asking Earth folk for help.
Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.
Reviews
Review Links:
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Synopsis (SPOILERS)
Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strangely: they are being captured and replaced one-by-one with emotionless doubles. The protagonists notice but cannot convince the other townsfolk of it at first; eventually they confront one of the aliens, who reveals that they have crashed on Earth by accident, and just want to repair their spaceship and leave. Knowing the humans would be repulsed by their true appearance, they were forced to act secretly to obtain the materials and help they need; the alien proves his point by revealing its true form to the hero, who indeed recoils in horror. Eventually, the local sheriff becomes convinced that the alien 'invasion' is real, and gathers a posse to attack the aliens in the mine they have been hiding in, apparently killing one of the aliens before our protagonists can straighten things out. Fortunately, the aliens don't retaliate, instead returning all the replaced people unharmed, and then taking off back into space in their repaired spaceship.
Notes
Comments, Trivia, Dedication
Associated Mythos Elements
- TO DO
- fiction: based on Ray Bradbury's "The Meteor"
- race: eye-monster aliens
- race: "Human Cultists" (or at least artificially-created humanoid doppelgangers serving the aliens)
Keeper Notes
- A series of clues leads the investigators to discover what at first appears to be an alien invasion, but is eventually revealed to be a "pit stop" by a ship full of indifferent aliens who are just passing through to a more important destination; they require a few materials and a little help from humans to complete some repairs to their ship, but cannot ask for help openly because of the effects of their horrific and mind-shatternig appearances....
