Phantom From Space

1763. PHANTOM FROM SPACE (1943-USA). WITH Ted Cooper, Rudolph Anders, NOREEN NASH. Ominous clouds roll across the screen, followed by lightning, thunder, and the eeriest of music. What follows is a story that is “so strange in its implications that it defies ordinary classification.” It’s the unintentionally uproarious saga of an invisible being, from the outer reaches of the universe, whose spaceship has crash-landed on a California beach. Apparently, ifs wearing a wetsuit and diving helmet, but is faceless and armless; you know exactly what the police will find (or, actually, won’t find) when they check the scene for fingerprints. This “thing” causes quite an uproar, and no one has any idea what to do. Not any law enforcement official. Not the military. Certainly not the average citizen. Perhaps if s as much afraid of earthlings as they are of it. In any case, how can it be found, and how can it be stopped? Even though the film’s production design and special effects could have been concocted by a creative ten-year-old with a chemistry set, it remains curiously engrossing (as well as hilariously hokey). As this scenario unfolds, do not for an instant forget that it comes directly from the files of the “central bureau” in Washington! As one of the characters so profoundly obsesses at a key juncture in the story, “This is amazing!” 75 minutes. Science Fiction