They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

They Came from Beyond Space (UK, 1967) 85 min color DIR: Freddie Francis. PROD: Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky. SCR: Milton Subotsky, based on the novel, The Gods Hate Kansas, by Joseph Millard. MUSIC: James Stevens. DOP: Norman Warwick. CAST: Robert Hutton, Jennifer Jayne, Zia Mohyeddin, Bernard Kay, Michael Gough. (Amicus – Kino Lorber)

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It seems odd that Kino Lorber would go to the trouble of releasing They Came from Beyond Space to DVD and Blu-ray, since this title is over-represented (at least in this continent) on numerous cheap so-called “public domain” DVDs, but I’m glad they did. This daft science fiction programmer from Amicus Productions (best known for such horror anthologies as Tales from the Crypt and The House that Dripped Blood) has a poor reputation among so-called “genre scholars”. It was produced as part of a double bill with another Amicus science fiction film, The Terrornauts. However, the studio had spent all their money on that film, so in order to save production costs, They Came from Beyond Space had to be filmed on leftover sets from the studio’s own Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

Either way, the films tanked both commercially and critically. According to editor Allan Bryce’s book, Amicus: The Studio that Dripped Blood, these two films are considered the worst that the company ever produced. Admittedly, They Came from Beyond Space is inconsistent in tone, perhaps due to budget problems, but still, it is far from worthless.

Perhaps the film’s greatest flaw is that it feels like two movies in one, which could be due to its source material (which I’ve admittedly yet to read). Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky (who co-produced this effort with his partner Max J. Rosenberg) also wrote the screenplay, based on Joseph Millard’s classic 1941 science fiction novel, The Gods Hate Kansas, transposing the action from middle America to the United Kingdom. The film adaptation retains one American aspect, in the hiring of New York actor Robert Hutton, who had worked in England at the end of his career.

When nine meteorites land in the Cornwall countryside, a group of scientists investigate, believing them instead to be some alien intelligence because of the unusually symmetrical V-formation in which they fell to the earth. Dr. Curtis Temple (Hutton), the leader of the scientific team, is forbidden by his doctor to go, as he’s recovering from an accident which resulted in a silver plate being fit in his skull. His colleague, and love interest, Lee Mason (Jennifer Jayne) instead heads the mission.

Once the blue meteorites are opened, they are revealed to house alien beings in energy form, which take over the minds and bodies of the scientists. It is soon discovered that the meteorites came from the moon, and that much of the Cornwall population is being controlled by the aliens as slave labour! Once Temple learns of Lee’s unusual requests for equipment and weapons, he defies doctors’ orders and investigates the site on his own. Not only has the area been militarized; while hiding in the bushes, he witnesses a rocketship flying to the moon! Adding to the business of the plot is a mysterious “Crimson Plague” which is also wiping out the population.

Once Temple deduces that the silver plate in his head has made him impervious to the aliens’ mind control, he employs his scientist pal Farge (Zia Mohyeddin) to fight the aliens by wearing a steel helmet on his head to repel the interstellar brainwaves, and goggles to tell the humans apart from the invaders. Finally, our heroes stow away to the moon, and encounter an extraterrestrial race led by Michael Gough (looking less embarrassed here than in Konga). Everyone is in multi-coloured robes, as if Jack Smith had directed an episode of Star Trek. The Master of the Moon explains that humans were being used as drones to repair their spaceship so they could continue their journey through space. Temple replies that the aliens could’ve just asked for help, no one really dies, and everything ends with a handshake instead of a battle. Big deal.

The ending feels like a copout, but I admire its message of peace and harmony to all, especially at a time when the world was full of unrest. They Came from Beyond Space begins as a nifty little Body Snatchers-type thriller, and then shifts into a goofy caper once Farge decides to wear what looks like a colander on his head. It’s a bizarre moment along the lines of its co-feature The Terrornauts, when they decide to bring the butler along for some interstellar adventure! (You had to be there.)

Freddie Francis was a brilliant cinematographer (as his breathtaking work on Sons and Lovers, Glory and The Elephant Man will testify), but his efforts from the director’s chair were varied. Among those highlights are the fine psychological thriller Nightmare (1964), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) and the black comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970). He directed several films for Amicus, including The Skull, The Deadly Bees, plus the anthologies, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Torture Garden, and Tales from the Crypt. Of his Amicus work, They Came from Beyond Space probably has the least popular reputation. (His infamous “missing link” horror, Trog, was produced by Warners.) Whatever the case, Francis however did his best with what seems like a rushed production. Although he didn’t act as his own cinematographer, the film retains an otherworldly feel with its unusual framing and inventive optical effects.

I’ve always gotten a kick out of this nutty movie, and I for one applaud Kino’s efforts to release it properly. At the very least, one can see this film restored to its original aspect ratio and groovy colour scheme, after years of being watched via inferior transfers in the public domain. The Kino Lorber DVD or Blu-ray (sourced from a 4k transfer) also contains the film’s trailer, plus a feature-length commentary by film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau. Anyone who has heard their snarky repartee on the Vinegar Syndrome release of Hollywood Horror House will know what to expect here, but I guess it’s retaining the spirit of how his film has been received through the years. Still, it’s a fun curio for a Saturday afternoon or a midnight date. Either novice viewers or those who have only seen it on a dollar DVD, could do worse than to check out this release. What the heck? Give it a (second) try.