Unearthly Stranger (1963) We've lost track of how many years we spent chasing after this elusive little British gem. After stumbling upon it on TV late at night, it dropped out of sight for decades.....
At long last, we found it buried among thousands of free films available to stream free on the Internet Archive (archive.com).
On the slight downside, though, this noir-ish, black-and-white sci-fi/horror thriller was only available in a colorized version. But it's a tribute to the quiet, understated creepiness of the film that the colorizing did little damage in diminishing its impact.
It's as low budget and intimate as you can get for movie with such a wildly imaginative premise......with no special effects anywhere in sight, no bizarre futuristic sets or costumes, and enacted by small cast of superb British actors, almost like a theater piece.
In this story, the actors (generously filmed in close-ups) become the film's best effects. Given the cast here, we wouldn't want it any other way.
A government funded space exploration unit has one hell of a startling mission......to find a way to propel explorers into space by the sheer power of thought....(well, think of the money saved on rocket ships, fuel and spacesuits.....)
But how come the unit's scientific manager suddenly had his brains scrambled from the inside out? And how come other scientists around the globe working on the same idea also suffered terminal brain fry?
That doesn't seem to faze Dr. Davidson, the new science guy in charge, played by the brilliant John Neville (of Terry Gilliam's 'Baron Munchhausen' and the sinister 'well manicured man' of 'The X Files'). Doc's just back in town after his whirlwind romance and marriage to to the stunning Julie, (Gabriella Licudi) a mysterious young beauty he met in Sweden.
And Julie's a lot more than merely mysterious. Davidson notices his wife never blinks her eyes. When she passes by a schoolyard full of children, they all instinctively recoil from her, walking backwards in unison. You can tell this moment upsets her, since her tears burn acidic scars down her cheeks.....(which then dissolve by the time hubby comes home....)
Invited over as a dinner guest, Davidson's colleague (Philip Stone) spies Julie pulling out a pan from a 375 degree heated oven with her bare hands.....
Strange indeed, which catches the attention (and suspicions) of the unit's MI6 government watchdog Major Clarke, played by the affable rotund Patrick Newall (whom fans of the TV 'Avengers' will recognize as 'Mother')
Hmmm.......
Is it possible that Julie's an out-of-this-world alien who teleported herself down to earth in the same way that her husband's trying to devise? Is it possible she's not the only one? And is it possible these mind-traveling aliens bumped off the earth scientists to keep them from knowing how to bounce around the universe just like they do?
Director John Krish keeps his action and actors in tight closeups and the film works up a real sense of escalating dread. Neville especially holds the story in his grip as you watch his sense of reality start to crumble around him.
And we don't want to miss mentioning yet another bonus player - Jean Marsh (of "Upstairs Downstairs", "Willow" and "Frenzy") who turns up here as the space unit's officious secretary.)
We found it amazing how this modest little low key movie managed to deliver a full helping of imagination and genuine hair raising chills. And that final shot leaves you with the shivers.
Sci-fi/horror fanboys 'n girls, BQ says seek this one out at soon as you can 4 stars (****).
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.