If you think Alien was a totally original idea back in 1979, you’re kinda wrong. Don't get me wrong, Ridley Scott is a genius, and H.R. Giger’s design is legendary. But way back in 1958, a low-budget black-and-white flick called It! The Terror from Beyond Space basically wrote the entire blueprint for the "slasher in space" genre.
It’s gritty. It’s claustrophobic. Honestly, it’s surprisingly mean for a movie made during the Eisenhower administration.
The plot is straightforward. A rescue mission heads to Mars to pick up the lone survivor of a previous expedition, Colonel Edward Carruthers. The Space Command thinks he murdered his crew to stretch the rations. Carruthers swears a monster did it. Nobody believes him until they're already in flight back to Earth, and a stowaway starts picking off the crew one by one in the ventilation shafts. Sound familiar? It should.
The DNA of Modern Sci-Fi Horror
When people talk about It! The Terror from Beyond Space, the conversation almost always drifts toward its influence on the Alien franchise. Screenwriter Jerome Bixby—the same guy who wrote the "It's a Good Life" episode of The Twilight Zone—didn't have a massive budget, but he had a terrifyingly effective concept.
The creature isn't some polite alien looking for a diplomat. It’s a relentless, moisture-sucking predator. It doesn't talk. It just hunts.
Most 50s sci-fi was about "The Other" or cold war metaphors. This was different. This was survival. The crew of the Challenge 14 is trapped in a vertical tin can. They can’t run outside because there’s no air. They can't hide because the ship is small. You can feel the sweat on the actors.
What Actually Happens on the Ship
The movie moves fast. It’s only about 69 minutes long, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the bloated three-hour epics we get now. Ray "Crash" Corrigan played the monster, wearing a suit designed by Paul Blaisdell. It’s a bit rubbery by today's standards, but the way director Edward L. Cahn shoots it in the shadows still works.
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The crew tries everything. They use pistols. They use grenades—which, let's be real, is a terrible idea on a spaceship. They even try a blowtorch. Nothing works because the creature is basically a biological tank. This creates a genuine sense of hopelessness that was rare for the era. Usually, the "science hero" finds a gadget and saves the day. Here, the science hero just gets backed into a corner.
The Controversy of Influence
For years, fans have debated whether Dan O'Bannon "borrowed" the plot for Alien. O'Bannon was always pretty open about his influences. He famously said he didn't steal Alien from anybody; he stole it from everybody. He cited Planet of the Vampires and The Thing from Another World, but the structural similarities to It! The Terror from Beyond Space are impossible to ignore.
- A rescue mission to a desolate planet.
- A lone survivor accused of something dark.
- An alien stowaway entering through an open hatch.
- The monster moving through the air ducts.
- The final standoff involving the ship's oxygen supply.
It's a beat-for-beat match in many ways. Yet, the 1958 film remains a cult classic rather than a household name. That’s mostly due to the "B-movie" stigma. United Artists put it on a double bill with Curse of the Faceless Man, and it was treated as drive-in fodder.
Why the "It" Monster is Terrifying
The creature in It! The Terror from Beyond Space isn't just a guy in a suit. Well, it is, but the motivation is what makes it scary. It’s a creature from a dying world. It needs fluids. It’s essentially a space vampire, but instead of fangs, it has claws and a sheer physical presence that shrugs off bullets.
There’s a scene where they realize the bullets aren't stopping it. The realization on the actors' faces feels authentic. Marshall Thompson, who plays the lead, gives a performance that is much more grounded than the usual melodrama of the time. He plays it like a man who knows he’s already dead.
The Production Reality
Working on this movie was kind of a nightmare. Ray Corrigan, the guy in the suit, was a big dude. He couldn't fit his chin into the mask properly, so Blaisdell had to use Corrigan’s own chin as the monster’s tongue. If you look closely at the mouth of the creature, you’re actually seeing the actor’s painted chin moving up and down.
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It’s gross. It’s low-tech. It’s brilliant.
The set design was also unique. Most spaceships in the 50s were wide-open rooms like a living room in the suburbs. The Challenge 14 had levels. It had ladders. It felt like a submarine. This verticality is what allowed the monster to stalk them from above and below, a trope that became a staple of the genre.
Addressing the Misconceptions
Some people claim this movie was "ripped off" by Alien to the point of a lawsuit. That’s actually a bit of an urban legend. While there were discussions among the rightsholders, no major legal battle ever took place. Artistic influence is a messy thing.
Another misconception is that the movie is "cheesy." Sure, the monster's eyes don't move. And yeah, they smoke cigarettes on a spaceship with a limited oxygen supply—which is hilarious in hindsight. But the tension is real. The lighting is noir-inspired. If you watch it with the lights off, it still gets under your skin.
The Lasting Legacy of Jerome Bixby
We need to talk about Bixby. He was a giant of speculative fiction. He wrote the story that became The Man from Earth. He wrote for Star Trek. His fingerprints are all over the "serious" sci-fi we love today.
In It! The Terror from Beyond Space, he proved that you don't need a huge budget to explore the psychological toll of space travel. He focused on the friction between the crew members. The tension between the military brass and the scientists. This wasn't just a monster movie; it was a character study under extreme pressure.
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How to Watch It Today
Finding a good print of this used to be hard. For a long time, you had to rely on grainy late-night TV broadcasts. Thankfully, boutique labels like Olive Films and Kino Lorber have given it the high-definition treatment it deserves.
When you watch it, look for these specific things:
- The use of shadows to hide the monster's limitations.
- The sound design—the constant hum of the ship creates a "white noise" that builds anxiety.
- The way the crew uses "modern" (for 1958) tech like Geiger counters and thermal sensors.
Actionable Insights for Sci-Fi Fans
If you're a fan of the genre, you can't really claim to know your stuff until you've sat through this one. It's the missing link between the "bug-eyed monsters" of the early 50s and the "cosmic horror" of the 70s.
- Compare the Air Duct Scenes: Watch the scene where the crew tries to flush the monster out of the ducts in It! and then watch the Dallas scene in Alien. The cinematography is nearly identical in spirit.
- Study the "Hard" Sci-Fi Elements: Notice how the film tries to deal with physics and oxygen. It’s not always accurate, but it’s trying harder than most films of its time.
- Appreciate the Practical Effects: Paul Blaisdell was a wizard. Even with a shoestring budget, he created a silhouette that remains iconic.
The movie ends with a grim warning about the dangers of Mars. It wasn't about the wonder of discovery. It was about the terror of what happens when we go somewhere we aren't supposed to be. That theme hasn't aged a day.
For anyone interested in the history of cinema, tracking down a copy of It! The Terror from Beyond Space is a must. It’s more than just a footnote in movie history; it’s a tight, effective thriller that proves a good idea is timeless, regardless of the budget or the decade.
Go find a high-def version. Turn the lights down. Put your phone away. You might be surprised at how much a rubber suit from 1958 can still make you jump when the shadows are just right.
Next Steps for the Interested Viewer
Start by securing the 2015 Kino Lorber Blu-ray release, which offers the cleanest transfer and includes a commentary track by film historian Tom Weaver that clarifies many of the production myths. After viewing, pair it with a re-watch of the 1951 The Thing from Another World to see how the "contained threat" trope evolved throughout the decade. Finally, research the works of Jerome Bixby to understand how mid-century short story writers fundamentally shaped the cinematic tropes we now take for granted in modern blockbuster franchises.