Then at a deadly pace it came from outer space
And this is how the message ran:…
Continuing the homage to Rocky Horror it’s attack of the campy looking space alien otherwise known as It Came from Outer Space. You know how when the monster is finally revealed on screen it is never as scary as you had imagined it in your head? Same goes for space aliens, especially in this movie. How it inspired fear in anyone I’ll never know, except that it was not from earth.
It Came from Outer Space starts simply enough with John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and amateur stargazer spotting a meteor fall to earth in the Arizona desert. A really big one. Along with his girlfriend Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) and friend Pete (Dave Willock) they go to investigate. The meteor has created a huge crater that Putnam goes down into and sees that it’s not just a normal meteor but most likely some kind of ship and there is something inside. But before Ellen and Pete can climb down to see it, the crater collapses burying the object and almost Putnam as well.
Putnam then tries to convince people of what he saw but he’s just written off as somewhere between imaginative, a liar, and just plain crazy. It’s not until some people in town start to act very odd do people start to believe he may be onto something. And of course there is the alien. Why is it on earth? On a mission of peace, domination, or does it just want to go home? You’ll have to watch it to find out.
It Came from Outer Space was released in 3D although it isn’t available that way on home video, not like I could see it anyway. Even without the 3D it’s pretty obvious what was supposed to be coming out of the screen at you. One thing I found nifty was that we get to see things through the eyes of the alien. They add this sort of bubbled multiple-eyed (think flies) screen treatment when we are seeing through it’s eyes. There is also a bit of action besides just the usual standing and screaming that is with a lot of these flicks; there are the usual gun shots but we also get explosions.
I found this movie almost as much a thriller as just general science fiction fare. Particularly with Putnam trying to get people to believe him and later on when it’s no longer clear who can be trusted. So definitely a good feature from the 50’s to watch. Just remember when you see the alien you are supposed to scream, not giggle.
Defying Normal 