The Thing from Another World – 1951 – Sci-Fi, Horror
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Written by: Charles Lederer
Main Players: Margaret Sheridan; Kenneth Tobey; James Arness; Robert Cornthwaite; Douglas Spencer; James Young; Robert Nichols
Based on a book, The Thing from Another World takes us to the icy November arctic in Anchorage, Alaska, as newspaperman Ned “Scotty” Scott (Spencer) joins a poker game in progress with Captain Patrick Hendry (Tobey), Lieutenant Eddie Dykes (Young) and Lieutenant Ken “Mac” MacPherson. The captain is called away by brass, who has a strange mission for him.
Dr. Carrington (Cornthwaite) up north believes some kind of ship has crashed, near his research station. The captain is told by General Fogerty to get a rescue crew ready. It should be an overnight trip. The captain loads up some sled dogs and gear, and flies into snowy weather to get to the north pole.
When they hit the base, they meet with the science crew, and Nikki Nicholson (Sheridan), Hendry’s ex-flame. Dr. Carrington confirms some kind of crash landing, and shows off weird imagery. Something of significant mass has dropped to the earth, and vanished. Hendry figures they need to take a look and goes off with his crew, along with the doc.
As they near the odd circular crash site, the Geiger counter is up to the top. The sled dogs lead the way after the plane lands on any icy patch. Things feel spooky and ominous… Around the crash site, ice has melted in strange ways. Something metallic is poking out of the surface. Clearly the men feel the need to bomb the ground to see what is below and set up thermite explosives.
After a blast, strange readings lead them to a “man” (Arness) who looks very tall and remains encased in ice. Will these rescuers regret chopping him out and taking him back to base?
The Thing from Another World is a classic Sci-Fi chiller with some interesting ideas on alien life and a good script. The men thoughtfully debate science, and the ideas of men from the stars, while paranoia begins to bubble. The dialogue is intelligent and intriguing. While it is definitely a product of the past, the quality remains due to a solid plot and some creepy execution. The runtime is short, and it’s a pretty good time.
See This If You Liked:
The Thing (1982); Alien; It Came from Outer Space; Life (2017); Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956; 1978); The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951); The War of the Worlds (1953); The Blob (1958; 1988); Dreamcatcher (2003); Species (1995)
Score:
8.0