What Is It! The Terror from Beyond Space About?
The premise of It! The Terror from Beyond Space in 285 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the stark silence of deep space, a nuclear‑powered rescue vessel silently cuts its way back to Earth, carrying the lone survivor of humanity’s first crewed foray onto the Red Planet. The year is 1973, and the mission’s return is a fragile lifeline for a world still dreaming of interplanetary conquest, yet haunted by the unknown perils that lie beyond our atmosphere. The ship’s humming reactors and claustrophobic corridors frame a mood that oscillates between awe‑inspired optimism and a growing, almost palpable dread—a reminder that the cosmos can be as beautiful as it is indifferent.
The crew’s dynamic is immediately charged by the presence of Col. Edward Carruthers, the solitary witness to the tragedy that befell his comrades. His stoic demeanor masks a storm of speculation among his peers, who wonder whether desperation or something far more inscrutable drove the events on Martian soil. Standing opposite him is Col. Van Heusen, the seasoned commander tasked with maintaining order while navigating the tense undercurrents of suspicion and loyalty. Their interplay—calm authority versus guarded survivor—creates a psychological landscape as treacherous as the void outside.
All the while, the most unsettling element of the mission remains concealed: an unknown Martian life form that somehow latches onto the rescue ship, slipping aboard amid the chaos of the return. Its presence is felt in fleeting shadows and the uneasy feeling that the vessel’s sterile metal walls may harbor something alien and relentless. The film’s tone blends classic science‑fiction suspense with a creeping horror, inviting the audience to share the crew’s mix of scientific curiosity and primal fear. As the ship steadies its course home, the universe beyond the portholes whispers of mysteries that may well redefine humanity’s next great leap.
What Happens in It! The Terror from Beyond Space?
The complete story of It! The Terror from Beyond Space, from the first scene to the last, in 443 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 4 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 1973, a nuclear-powered spaceship blasts off from Mars for Earth, carrying with it the sole survivor of the first mission, Col. Edward Carruthers. He is suspected of having murdered the other nine crew members to hoard their food and water rations, a theory born from the grim uncertainty of whether any Earth rescue would ever arrive. Carruthers denies the accusation, insisting that a hostile humanoid life form on the Red Planet is to blame for the crew’s deaths.
Commander Col. Van Heusen remains unconvinced and orders that Carruthers be constantly accompanied by another crew member, turning suspicion into constant vigilance. On Mars, an emergency hatch had been left open during the surface mission, granting the intruder easy access to the ship. At first, the crew is skeptical that anything could have crawled aboard, but fear grows as odd noises from a lower level are investigated.
Kienholz is the first to fall when the creature stalks him, killing him and stashing his body in an air duct. Next, Gino Finelli is found alive only in a precarious state; the creature strikes at his would-be rescuer, and bullets prove useless, forcing the crewman to leave Gino behind, much to the distress of his brother Bob Finelli. An autopsy on Kienholz’s remains reveals a chilling sight: the body has been drained of all fluids.
Desperation drives the crew to try every available tactic: hand grenades, gas grenades, and even electrocution—all to no avail as the entity proves immune to conventional weapons. When It is lured into the ship’s atomic reactor room, the crew seals the heavily shielded door and exposes the creature directly to the ship’s nuclear core. It bursts through the door and escapes, the fight moving into a brutal, top-to-bottom struggle as It proves strong enough to tear through the metal hatches between levels.
With survival at stake, the remaining crew members retreat to the control room on the topmost deck, their numbers dwindling and hope fading. Carruthers notes a startling clue: the ship’s oxygen consumption has spiked, likely a sign of the creature’s enhanced lung capacity suited to the thin Martian atmosphere. The plan to outwit the intruder grows ever more ambitious: the crew dons spacesuits, and Carruthers opens the command deck’s hull airlock to the vacuum of space. A catastrophic decompression follows, and the desperate gambit pays off as It suffocates, stranded part way through the final hatch.
In the aftermath, a Earth press conference reveals the truth behind the harrowing voyage. The project director cautions that Earth may now have to bypass Mars entirely, underscoring the planet’s deadly reputation with a stark, memorable line. > “another word for Mars is Death”
It! The Terror from Beyond Space Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Mars mission begins from Mars, Carruthers aboard” to “Earth press conference confirms incident and Mars caution”. 12 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Mars mission begins from Mars, Carruthers aboard
In 1973, a nuclear-powered rescue ship blasts off from Mars toward Earth with Carruthers as the sole survivor of the first mission. He is immediately suspected of murdering the other nine crew members to hoard their food and water, though he denies it, attributing the deaths to a hostile Martian life form. Commander Van Heusen orders that Carruthers be constantly watched as a precaution.
When:1973 Where:Mars launch site
- 2
Carruthers is kept under guard during the voyage
Commander Van Heusen insists Carruthers be continually accompanied by another crew member to prevent any mischief or escape. The crew remains wary, torn between relief at his survival and fear of a hidden killer among them.
Where:Aboard rescue ship
- 3
Emergency hatch left open on Mars; creature enters
During their stay on Mars, an emergency hatch is left open, allowing the alien creature to slip aboard the ship. The crew initially doubts such a creature could have boarded, but eerie noises and signs of a threat soon prove otherwise.
Where:Mars surface / ship exterior
- 4
Kienholz investigates noises and is killed
Kienholz investigates the strange sounds on a lower level and is killed by the intruder. His body is hidden in an air duct, delaying discovery and increasing the crew's fear.
Where:Ship lower level
- 5
Gino Finelli is found barely alive; autopsy reveals drained fluids
Gino Finelli is found barely alive, but the creature attacks before help can reach him. Finelli dies, and an autopsy reveals Kienholz's body has been sucked dry of all fluids.
Where:Ship interior / autopsy lab
- 6
Failed attempts to kill the creature
The crew uses hand grenades, gas grenades, bullets, and electric shocks, but the creature proves immune to all conventional methods. Fear and tension rise as it stalks the corridors.
Where:Ship interior
- 7
Creature trapped by reactor room; it escapes
The crew lures the creature into the reactor room, seals the door, and exposes it to the ship's nuclear pile. The creature easily breaches the shielded door and escapes back into the ship.
Where:Reactor room
- 8
Creature tears through ship; survivors retreat to top deck
The creature shows extraordinary strength, tearing through metal hatches between decks. The remaining survivors retreat to the control room on the top deck to mount a final defense.
Where:Ship interior to control room
- 9
Carruthers reasons about the lungs and oxygen use
Carruthers points out the ship's higher-than-normal oxygen consumption, reasoning that the creature has larger lungs suited for the thin Martian atmosphere. This detail explains why the crew believes the creature functions differently than terrestrial life.
Where:Control room
- 10
Final plan to suffocate the creature
In a last-ditch effort, the crew suits up and Carruthers opens the command deck hull airlock to the vacuum of space. The drastic decompression creates a chance to starve the creature of oxygen.
Where:Command deck / hull airlock
- 11
The alien suffocates in vacuum
The decompression traps the creature partway through the final hatch and it suffocates, its strength waning as the ship vents to space.
Where:Space outside ship
- 12
Earth press conference confirms incident and Mars caution
A press conference on Earth reveals the details of the rescue ship ordeal. The Earth authorities warn that Mars may be bypassed, noting the line that Mars stands for Death.
Where:Earth press conference
Who Are the Main Characters in It! The Terror from Beyond Space?
7 characters, among them Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), Calder (Paul Langton) and Kienholz (Thom Carney): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- CE
Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson)
Played by Marshall Thompson
The sole survivor of the Martian mission, Carruthers is suspected of killing his crew to preserve scarce resources. He consistently defends his innocence, attributing the deaths to a hostile life form. His calm, disciplined demeanor becomes crucial as the crew threads through fear and suspicion.
- 🧭 Suspicion
- 🧪 Space survival
- 🧍 Leadership
- C(
Calder (Paul Langton)
Played by Paul Langton
Earth project director who oversees the rescue mission and enforces the need to protect Carruthers with constant supervision. He emphasizes the danger of Mars and the possibility that Earth may bypass the Red Planet. His decisions heighten the urgency and moral stakes of the voyage.
- 🧭 Authority
- 🧪 Science
- 🧯 Decision-making
- K(
Kienholz (Thom Carney)
Played by Thom Carney
An investigator who follows odd sounds from lower levels and becomes a casualty. His curiosity drives early attempts to locate the intruder. His death reveals the deadly reach of the alien threat.
- 🕵️ Investigation
- 🧭 Courage
- 🗝️ Danger
- GF
Gino Finelli (Richard Hervey)
Played by Richard Hervey
A crew member who encounters the creature and is left in grave danger as the threat overwhelms the ship's defenses. His and his brother's experience reflect the crew's vulnerability. His death marks a turning point in the crew's resolve.
- 🧱 Perseverance
- 🧪 Risk
- 🧍 Family ties
- BF
Bob Finelli (Richard Benedict)
Played by Richard Benedict
Gino's brother who witnesses his sibling's attack and fights to protect the rest of the crew. He embodies the human impulse to survive and defend others in the face of an unknown killer. His reactions underscore the emotional toll of space horror.
- 🧭 Family
- 🛡️ Courage
- 🧫 Courage
- I(
It (Ray Corrigan)
Played by Ray Corrigan
A hostile humanoid life form from Mars that is immune to conventional weapons. It tears through hulls and airlocks, challenging the crew's ingenuity. Its ultimate fate depends on a plan that leverages the ship's own environment against it.
- 👽 Monster
- 🧪 Alien biology
- 🧬 Threat
- MR
Mary Royce (Ann Doran)
Played by Ann Doran
A member of the broader crew network on Earth connected to the mission, whose presence anchors the humans' broader stakes beyond the ship. Her role hints at the project’s human costs and the emotional layer of the rescue effort.
- 👪 Family
- 🧭 Human stakes
- 🧪 Science
Where and When Is It! The Terror from Beyond Space Set?
It! The Terror from Beyond Space is set in Mars and Rescue spaceship (1973). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1973
Set in the near-future era of 1973, humanity relies on nuclear-powered spacecraft for long-range missions. The timeline centers on a return voyage from Mars after a prior mission's tragedy, with escalating stakes as oxygen and resources become critical. The period evokes space-age optimism tempered by the dangers of unknown life and isolation.
Where
Mars, Rescue spaceship
The story moves from the Martian surface to a claustrophobic interplanetary rescue ship bound for Earth. Mars is the source of the crew's disaster and the habitat of the malevolent creature. Most of the drama unfolds aboard the ship, in corridors, air ducts, and the top-deck control room.
- 🪐 Mars
- 🚀 Spaceship
- 🧭 Space exploration
What Are the Themes of It! The Terror from Beyond Space?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Survival, Suspicion and Alien Threat.
-
01
Survival
A limited crew fights for dwindling food and water as an unknown life form stalks them. The ship's thin margins and the alien threat force tough, pragmatic choices. The characters' resilience and quick thinking become the key to outlasting a relentless horror.
-
02
Suspicion
Carruthers is suspected of murdering his crew to preserve scarce resources, a crime he denies by pointing to a hostile Martian life form. The tension between trust and accusation drives conflict aboard the ship. The isolation of space amplifies the paranoia as every creak could herald danger.
-
03
Alien Threat
The crew confronts a mysterious, nearly invincible creature from Mars that defies bullets and survives in vacuum and reactor rooms. The creature's strength and adaptability force the crew into desperate, unorthodox tactics. The climax hinges on a plan that leverages the ship's own environment against it.
What Kind of Film Is It! The Terror from Beyond Space?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A fast-paced and intensely claustrophobic siege film where a small crew is stalked by an indestructible alien aboard a spaceship, creating a relentless atmosphere of fear and desperation as they race against time to survive.
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- paranoid
- desperate
- suspenseful
- fearful
- alien monster
- survival horror
- space isolation
- man vs nature
Content notes: graphic death, body horror, suffocation, being hunted.
Quiz
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Where to Watch It! The Terror from Beyond Space
Stream it on Amazon Prime Video and ScreenPix, or rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. US availability and prices from JustWatch.
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ScreenPix Amazon Channel 
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