Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

kuciak Thank goodness they did not make this film in color. Certainly color would have made this film at the time less the masterpiece that the film is. Also color might have made us concentrate not on this first rate story and acting, but also the bare budget that this film most likely had.While many have compared the film to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and I Married an Alien From Outer Space, I think that it has more in common with another film that was made the same year of 1963, The American production of The Day Mars Invaded Earth. Both films concern an alien entity basically fighting back in insidious ways to prevent scientists from the planet earth into invading their planet, and seem to infiltrate the Earth much the same way in both films.What is intriguing about the film as I have written in my Summary title is its feminist angle. Years before women were demanding equal pay for equal work, this film presents a world where women are actually valued more as not being equal to men, but also as somewhat of a prized possession.After our introduction of the main character, it is interesting to note that when we go back into flashback, we see men in suits scouring around doing their important work, while two women on a staircase are cleaning and scrubbing on the floors of this building, doing what can be described as menial work. The next is when we see the first victim meeting with his secretary played by Jean Marsh before her Upstairs Downstairs triumph. She appears to be the dutiful secretary of a smart man. Subordinate to his needs When we meet Patrick Newell who would later go on to fame playing Mother in The Avengers, an obnoxious investigator, he is making rather stupid comments about John Neville (the main character of the films) wife. Later on when we meet the wife she is playing the dutiful wife of our main protagonist, a stay at home woman of the time.Yet in many ways the men, accept for Phillip Stone, are not shown to be so smart. Certainly the first victim of the film is careless in revealing what he has discovered. John Neville's character should have thought more clearly about getting married to someone who he has just met, also considering about the vital work and top secret work he is doing. He also shows rather immature behavior to his colleague played by Stone, when he does not apologize for his rude behavior when suggested that he should have done so. Patrick Newell seems very content to eat sweets while investigating, no doubt contributing to his considerable girth, plus appearing to be less than likable.Stones character will turn out to be the savior of the film in some ways, as he rescues Neville;s character from certain death. While Neville is intelligent, it is Stone who is portrayed really as perhaps one of few who can save mankind, with his rational thinking.Gabriella Lucidi the wife, who made very few film appearances is effective in her brief time on screen as the alien form who has succumbed to be a female human being, and who later will be denounced as having been weak and not like the other stronger beings that are among the humans on earth. As a woman, Gabriella Lucidi's character it is suggested may really be the woman of the past. Not content really to be subservient to a man's needs. The children probably fear her because they realize that with women like her, they would probably not have been born, and are more aware of the threat that her kind is.Until his death in the film, we are somewhat led to believe that Patrick Newell's character is the real villain, the surprise of course is that it is Jean Marsh, who by declaring that not all of her life forms are like Neville's supposed wife, is suggesting really the coming of a new woman, one who may not wish to be subordinate to men.If one does not think that this might be the true about this film, the ending of the film, with the eight or so women, who are just staring at the two main male leads, suggesting that they are alien life forms as well, should really leave no doubt. Why have these life forms not been shown to take the forms of men? As for the ending, I don't think that it is meant as an idea that our two men are doomed, but more of a symbol of 'they are among us,'

kevin olzak 1963's "Unearthly Stranger" is one of the relatively few British examples of low budget science fiction, airing only twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, paired with first feature "Flight of the Lost Balloon" on Aug 9 1969, and with second feature "The Flying Saucer" on Jan 1 1972. Not including Amicus and Hammer's efforts, I can rattle off several that were TV staples on CT- "Fire Maidens of Outer Space," "The Cosmic Monster" aka "The Strange World of Planet X," "The Crawling Eye" aka "The Trollenberg Terror," "The Man Without a Body," "Womaneater," "The Atomic Man" aka "Timeslip," "The Electronic Monster" aka "Escapement," "Night Caller from Outer Space" (with John Saxon), and "Invasion" (with Edward Judd), each in glorious black and white. All of differing quality of course, but part of the TV landscape at the time, and virtually all quite forgotten today. "Unearthly Stranger" can easily be regarded as one of the best of this bunch, a tidy little character study featuring a small cast of only six actors, suggesting the story may have stage origins as scripted by Rex Carlton, of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," "Nightmare in Wax," and "Blood of Dracula's Castle." One reviewer griped about the British tendency for dialogue over action, but clearly Carlton was an American; none of the titles mentioned above centered on expensive special effects. Dr. Mark Davidson (John Neville) marries a beautiful young woman named Julie (Gabriella Licudi), who appeared seemingly out of nowhere during a European vacation. Mark is currently working on a top secret space mission that proves to be the death of a colleague (Warren Mitchell), but Mark and his friend, Prof. John Lancaster (Philip Stone), vow to carry on with his work, despite warning signs that something unnatural is going on. For one thing, John isn't the first to notice that Julie never blinks her eyes (though the actress can be seen doing so several times), and is spotted removing a hot dish from a 275 degree oven using her bare hands. Investigating the recent death is Major Clarke (Patrick Newell), a rather unorthodox sleuth who enjoys eating candy during interrogations. Miss Ballard, the secretary, is played by Jean Marsh,in roughly the same fashion that she played the secretary in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" (1972). John Neville was a future Sherlock Holmes in another Chiller Theater classic, "A Study in Terror"(1965), while Patrick Newell was best known for the role of Mother during the final 1968 season of THE AVENGERS, as well as one or two appearances on THE BENNY HILL SHOW (he died in 1988). Without going into much detail, I must admit that I found the many twists and turns quite fascinating, virtually the entire cast in excellent form. But I have a soft spot in my heart for 20-year-old Gabriella Licudi, an actress I've seen only rarely- in the ONE STEP BEYOND episode "The Sorcerer" (1961, opposite Christopher Lee), in the 2-part "Hound of the Baskervilles" (1968, opposite Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes), and the James Bond spoof "Casino Royale" (1967). In my opinion, this was her finest role, not an easy one to play, which leaves audiences guessing (always leave them wanting more).

MARIO GAUCI This film's basic premise isn't dissimilar to that for I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE (1958), so that I deliberately watched them on consecutive days. However, while I liked the latter well enough, UNEARTHLY STRANGER proved something else entirely; it also stands as a testament to how different American and British film-makers treat the same theme – the former usually take a common man's view of things, while the former tend to adopt an intellectual (and, therefore, more intriguing) approach.Anyway, I knew beforehand of the film's reputation as a minor classic of sci-fi cinema – which is why I decided to acquire it in the first place (though I almost had to make do without it, as it took quite a while to get the DivX copy to work properly!), but I was genuinely surprised by the result. This, in fact, has to be the most satisfying 'B' movie I've watched in a long time! Above all, it's marked by a literate and intelligent script, imaginative monochrome photography (by NIGHT OF THE EAGLE [1962]'s Reg Wyer) and a splendid second-tier cast. John Neville – perhaps best-known for his starring role much later in Terry Gilliam's THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1989) – is an atypical hero, character actor Philip Stone surely has his most significant role – otherwise some might remember him as Malcolm McDowell's meek father in Stanley Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), Gabriella Licudi – whose mix of exotic looks and sweet-natured countenance suggest the inherent ambiguity of her character and, playing other key figures, Patrick Newell and Jean Marsh.The story is told in flashback and bookended by the violent deaths of two officials involved in a space program – which immediately draws one into the proceedings; in retrospect, though I was aware of the identity of the titular figure, it was interesting that the director opted to reveal it in the character's very first appearance! The unexpected denouement, too, was a brilliant touch – taking care to provide one more devastating and downbeat twist to a tale which had already reached a satisfactory climax (the idea that aliens are already among us and in large numbers was rarely this chillingly presented, though it could well be a case of collective hysteria on the part of an understandably distraught Neville and Stone!). The earlier scene, then, in which Licudi herself displays a similar sensation of confusion and loneliness (through her own weird effect upon a group of schoolchildren) probably constitutes one of the more sublimely mysterious passages in all of sci-fi cinema! Even if the production's low-budget is betrayed by the fact that the aliens' true selves are never shown (being restricted merely to subtle indicators of flaws in their human 'form', which then simply disintegrates in death!), it's not much of a liability – since such appearances are usually disappointing anyway. That said, the ruse of having a swishing sound ("like telephone wires in the wind") anticipate their presence while on the prowl is a clever and more-than-adequate substitute.In the end, considering the fuzzy video quality and the constantly distorted soundtrack of the print I watched, UNEARTHLY STRANGER's unavailability on an official DVD (though, being an independent feature, I concede that its rights may not be so clear-cut after all this time) is not merely baffling but criminal – given that fans of the genre are being deprived from enjoying a veritable gem!

JohnHowardReid Despite its current unavailability, Unearthly Stranger enjoys a considerable cult following among dedicated sci-fi fans—and no wonder! Admittedly very low budget, but nonetheless highly entertaining, this movie represents science fiction horror at its very best. True, the basic idea seems at first a trifle ridiculous, but it's developed with such logic, precision and acumen employing sharply dramatic dialogue and intriguing situations, it quickly becomes both meaningful and acceptable. In fact the suspense was so electrifying, my palms were sweating, my hair prickling. I wanted to get up and turn the lights on, but I couldn't move. My eyes were riveted to the screen. The cast is small, but this concentration enhances rather than dispels atmosphere. All the acting comes across as uniformly excellent, with every performer contributing outstanding work. Director Krish is obviously a television graduate, yet here the close-ups are not only strikingly handled and dramatically most effective but used with both imagination and economy. Krish actually knows when to use close-ups and when to fall back on long shots and medium angles. Believe me, this is a rare quality among television men!