It Came from Outer Space

1953
Approved
1h 21m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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2 Videos

99+ Photos

Alien Invasion Horror Sci-Fi

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

12K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 4 nominations total

Posseman
(uncredited)

Robert Carson

Dugan
(uncredited)

Ned Davenport

Man
(uncredited)

Edgar Dearing

Sam
(uncredited)

Alan Dexter

Dave Loring
(uncredited)

George Eldredge

Dr. Snell
(uncredited)

Whitey Haupt

Perry
(uncredited)

Robert 'Buzz' Henry

Posseman
(uncredited)

Bradford Jackson

Bob - Dr. Snell's Assistant
(uncredited)

Casey MacGregor

Toby
(uncredited)

Kermit Maynard

Posseman
(uncredited)

Virginia Mullen

Mrs. Daylon
(uncredited)

Director
- Jack Arnold
Writers
- Harry Essex
- Ray Bradbury
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Although credited to Harry Essex, most of the script, including dialogue, is copied almost verbatim from Ray Bradbury's initial film treatment.

Goofs
When the alien first goes walking about in the desert, the camera cuts to a startled owl, which tries to fly away only to be jerked back by the visible string tied to its leg.

Quotes
Sheriff Matt Warren: Did you know, Putnam, more murders are committed at ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit than any other temperature? I read an article once - lower temperatures, people are easy-going. Over ninety two, it's too hot to move. But just ninety-two, people get irritable.

Crazy credits
The credits are at the end rather than at the beginning. They include shots of the characters with the cast names, and the pictures would mean nothing if seen before the film.

Alternate versions
There is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA Srl: "IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE 3-D (1953) + L'UOMO DAL PIANETA X (1951)" (2 Films on a single DVD, with "Destinazione Terra!" in double version 2D and 3D), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.

Connections
Edited into The Monolith Monsters (1957)

User reviews142

Review

Featured review

Effective Chiller About Psuedo-Friendly Aliens

An astronomer-stranger realizes that what is believed to be a meteor is in reality a space ship. No one believes him. Richard Carlson plays this laughed at John Putnam with conviction and integrity. Carlson tries to discover the truth, with the aid of his girl friend, and slowly they learn that indeed an alien presence has landed in the desert. The story has many similar plot elements found in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and some new twists all its own. For the most part, the plot is pretty cohesive, and the acting acceptable. Charles Drake as a no brain lawman might be the one major exception. Russel Johnson, the professor of Gilligan's Island fame, has a small part as well. The alien presence seems to not want to harm humanity but only to leave, but is willing to harm to meet its end. All in all a pretty good atmospheric sci-fi chiller from the Golden Age.