THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE

THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE (1967). Director: Freddie Francis.

Dr. Temple (Robert Hutton) is disturbed when colleagues of his, including his lady love, Lee (Jennifer Jayne), begin behaving strangely, violently warning him away from a mysterious project that they're working on. It's pretty clear from the first that their minds have been taken over by extra-terrestrial forces. Another problem is that people are dying of a "scarlet plague" that makes them break out in red blotches and keel over. There are some stylish sets in this, but the pace drags, the story is derivative and dull, and there's a lot of tedious running about to little purpose. If this was trying to come off like another Professor Quatermass adventure it failed miserably. Late in the movie the florid Michael Gough shows up as a character called "The Master of the Moon." This could be the worst movie directed by the prolific Freddie Francis. Jennifer Jayne of the big pursed lips also appeared in The Crawling Eye and Hysteria. Very little entertainment value in this.

Verdict: Definitely miss it if you can. *.