Terror in the Midnight Sun
This synopsis is for the original 1959 uncut Swedish version of the film, titled in English "TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN". The film's opening scene shows a man walking toward the camera in snow shoes.…
Terror in the Midnight Sun
This synopsis is for the original 1959 uncut Swedish version of the film, titled in English "TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN". The film's opening scene shows a man walking toward the camera in snow shoes. A meteor streaks across the sky, finally moving through the snow and coming to a stop near a hill. Two men at a telegraph station send out a message of the meteor's landing. Many telephones begin ringing as the news is passed on. Next, a newspaper headline reads "Meteor Landed in Lapland". Dr. Frederick Wilson (Robert Burton) buys a paper and reads it. He takes a cab to the Royal Academy of Science. Entering, he greets a secretary, Anna (Doreen Denning) who tells him that his niece arrived early, looking for him. He is greeted by Dr. Walter Ullman (Gösta Prüzelius) and Dr. Henrik (Åke Grönberg) who tell him that he may go to the location with Henrick and Erik Engstrom (Sten Gester), a geologist. Erik arrives with a young woman (Ittla Frodi) who reminds him of his briefcase before he enters the building. They kiss. After meeting Dr. Wilson, they board an airplane to the meteor site and discuss details in-flight. After arriving at the military base near the crash site, they meet Col. Robert Bottiger (Bengt Blomgren), who is interrogating the lead Laplander about the crash, and are flown in a small military plane to the site, where Diane Wilson (Barbara Wilson) is ice skating and people are watching. After landing, they are brought on site by tank-like vehicles. Erik immediately notices Diane and cannot take his eyes off her, which is noticed by her uncle, Dr. Wilson, who points it out to Henrick. Not giving away that the girl is his niece, he chats with Erik, who leaves to go skiing. Diane greets her uncle and immediately asks about her admirer. She is told that he is deadly and has left a string of broken hearts across Europe. Fascinated, Diane leaves to go skiing, after a quick shower and change of clothes. As Erik waits to board the ski-lift, Diane comes in and cuts in line ahead, giving her skis to the attendant, who loads them onto the next lift car. She gets in and prevents him from joining her, laughing and waving back at him. Puzzled, he takes the next car. Next, he follows her all over the slopes, stopping to help her when she fakes a fall. He soon learns that she knows about his reputation and asks to walk her back. "Skiing?" she asks, taking his skis, knocking him down and skiing away. Back at the ski lodge, a tired Erik gives his ski poles to a man standing outside (possibly believing that he is an employee) and goes in to the desk clerk. Diane comes out fully dressed in a evening dress and tells him to hurry for dinner. He finds out who she is from the clerk. After what happened has been discussed at the table and laughed at, Diane says he has taken all this well. Just as the music starts, Erik says he will dance with Diane. They dance to one number and the singer (Brita Borg) sings "The Midnight Sun" in Swedish. Diane and Erik slow-dance and she asks him the meaning of the song. He tells her in detail the lyrics in English. A man enters and tells Dr. Wilson and Henrick some news, which causes them to begin to leave. Erik asks what it is and is told he will be informed on the way. When Diane says she will get her coat, Dr. Wilson says no, she will not be coming along. Riding along with the men in the tank vehicle, reference is made to having informed Dr. Wilson, who replies that he is pleased. When Diane asks if anyone will talk to her, Erik says "No", ribbing her that "At least we didn't make you walk back" (a reference to what she did to him earlier). Arriving at the crash site, they are greeted by guards who converse with those driving the tanks. As they get out, Diane is again told that she will not accompany them and to wait there. The men walk through an area strewn with dead reindeer parts, legs, heads and bones in pieces. Dr. Wilson and Henrick discuss what could have done this. Meanwhile Diane, not content to be alone, goes for a short walk and quickly discovers a huge footprint, which she loudly announces to the men. Erik proclaims that it must have been made by something 20 feet tall, something they admit that they are unaware of. Looking over photos of the crater, they can find nothing new that was not seen when they flew over the site earlier. Dr. Wilson suggests that the crash looks more like a landing. Col. Bottinger interrupts, announcing they will fly out there in the morning at 6:00, and Diane is once again told that she will not be coming along. The next morning, they fly out again and Diane is discovered to be a stowaway at the back of the plane. Pulling her hair, Erik tells her that she is childish to have done this. Her uncle agrees that she should not have come because they do not know what they will encounter. She says that is why she had to come. Arriving at the crater, they pull out their equipment and descend down a rope ladder into the crater to examine the object. Diane is told to remain topside. Dr. Wilson tells them that it is a spacecraft from another world and they discuss it. An alien is seen watching them on a viewing screen from within the ship. They agree to not tell Diane until they know what it is for certain. Topside, they announce that more equipment will be needed. Diane suspiciously asks whether they found what they expected. Erik jokes again that this trip is full of surprises. More of the giant footprints are seen in the snow near the crater. A guard at the plane sees something and gets his rifle, firing upward (point of view: the creature, which is unseen). Hearing the shots, the men hurry back, saying that he might cause an avalanche with all that shooting. When they arrive at the landing site, they find the guard dead and the plane torn to pieces. Diane points out more giant footprints leading away from the plane. They agree that this is from the crater. Diane asks and is told there is no meteor and that it may be a spacecraft that brought the creature here. Now without a radio, Dr. Wilson suggests Diane and Erik ski to the nearby village, where they will be able to send a message and return by morning. After much skiing and having to walk their skis up the mountainside, Erik says that they are almost there. Diane takes the lead but hits a tree, injuring her knee. Meanwhile, Henrick tells Dr. Wilson that he will retrieve the equipment from the crater. He descends and, detecting radioactivity on his Geiger counter, examines the ship. Again he is observed by the alien inside, who zaps him when he tries to escape the crater, having seen the creature (or at least its shadow). A group of Laplanders approaches with reindeer, sled dogs and a sled. They see the plane wreckage and come alongside to help. Meanwhile, steadying Diane, Erik spies the rescue cabin on the next hill over. Entering, he lights a lamp and suggests she take off her wet clothing and get wrapped up in a blanket. She tells him to start the fire while she changes (in silhouette). Next, he gets a bucket of snow to heat and make a compress for her knee, which he applies. She tells him that he had better get going. He skies away. Inside the cabin, Diane hears a noise and asks if it is Erik at the door. Hearing no reply, she goes to the window, opens it and looks out and upward, where she sees the creature looking down at her. Diane's screams are heard by Erik, who immediately returns to the cabin. By now, Diane has redressed and tells him that the creature is outside. He helps her get her shoes on to leave. The creature is seen on top of the mountain, just above the cabin. Before they can leave, it starts an avalanche which damages the cabin. Erik is knocked out by falling boards but Diane flees to the woods, stopping to look back. She sees the creature by the ruins of the cabin. Back at the village, Erik awakens in a bunk bed by Dr. Wilson. He reveals that they found and rescued him, but Diane is still missing. They found her trail, but it disappeared. Erik is assured that the Laplanders are making a good search for her. He is also told that Col. Bottinger should be back with a new plane soon, but reveals that Henrick was found dead in the crater. Erik tells Wilson that the creature (which was seen by Diane) started the avalanche that destroyed the cabin. Meanwhile, Diane struggles and stumbles through a blizzard, tripping over a fallen log. She rests, lying there. Later, she awakens and screams at the creature. The Laplanders are shown eating (presumably some of the dead reindeer parts) and fooling around. All at once, another Laplander skis up from the search party and they all make a hasty retreat. The creature is seen carrying Diane through the snow. Coming to the former Laplanders' camp, it puts Diane down. The alien is seen watching his view-screen and turns a control knob to make the creature return to the ship. Diane gets up to look around and sees three aliens surrounding her. Two of them approach and Diane screams and faints. The plane lands by the Laplanders' village. Bottinger is seen questioning one of the Laplanders. He tells of the creature and that it was carrying someone, possibly Diane. Just as they agree to show them where the camp was, a scream is heard in the village. The creature is shown attacking one of the cabins. The Laplanders flee again. It throws part of a cabin roof at the plane, which bursts into flames. The creature is seen destroying all of the tents (teepees) and another cabin before turning to leave. A search party is organized and Erik promises to find Diane before the creature does. The creature searches and finds Diane unconscious. She awakes, screams and tries to get away as it pursues her. Diane screams and faints again. The creature picks her up and carries her away. Meanwhile, the search party is seen carrying torches as nighttime approaches. They apparently hear Diane's scream and rush on ahead. Erik is seen arriving and watching the creature carrying Diane. He hurries toward the torch-carrying mob and tries to alert Dr. Wilson that the creature has Diane. The Laplanders confront the creature, beginning to throw their torches at it. It places Diane on the ground, where she rolls a few feet. More torches are thrown at the creature, who catches on fire and falls off a cliff. It is then seen burning to death at the bottom. The alien, seeing this on his screen, launches the spaceship and leaves Earth. The final shot of the film involves Dr. Wilson hoping that we fare better when we land on another planet. Erik and Diane walk off together into the sunset.
Terror in the Midnight Sun
Horror,Sci-Fi
Film Details
This synopsis is for the original 1959 uncut Swedish version of the film, titled in English "TERROR IN THE MIDNIGHT SUN". The film's opening scene shows a man walking toward the camera in snow shoes. A meteor streaks across the sky, finally moving through the snow and coming to a stop near a hill.
Two men at a telegraph station send out a message of the meteor's landing. Many telephones begin ringing as the news is passed on. Next, a newspaper headline reads "Meteor Landed in Lapland".
Dr. Frederick Wilson (Robert Burton) buys a paper and reads it. He takes a cab to the Royal Academy of Science.
Entering, he greets a secretary, Anna (Doreen Denning) who tells him that his niece arrived early, looking for him. He is greeted by Dr. Walter Ullman (Gösta Prüzelius) and Dr.
Henrik (Åke Grönberg) who tell him that he may go to the location with Henrick and Erik Engstrom (Sten Gester), a geologist. Erik arrives with a young woman (Ittla Frodi) who reminds him of his briefcase before he enters the building. They kiss.
After meeting Dr. Wilson, they board an airplane to the meteor site and discuss details in-flight. After arriving at the military base near the crash site, they meet Col.
Robert Bottiger (Bengt Blomgren), who is interrogating the lead Laplander about the crash, and are flown in a small military plane to the site, where Diane Wilson (Barbara Wilson) is ice skating and people are watching. After landing, they are brought on site by tank-like vehicles. Erik immediately notices Diane and cannot take his eyes off her, which is noticed by her uncle, Dr.
Wilson, who points it out to Henrick. Not giving away that the girl is his niece, he chats with Erik, who leaves to go skiing. Diane greets her uncle and immediately asks about her admirer.
She is told that he is deadly and has left a string of broken hearts across Europe. Fascinated, Diane leaves to go skiing, after a quick shower and change of clothes. As Erik waits to board the ski-lift, Diane comes in and cuts in line ahead, giving her skis to the attendant, who loads them onto the next lift car.
She gets in and prevents him from joining her, laughing and waving back at him. Puzzled, he takes the next car. Next, he follows her all over the slopes, stopping to help her when she fakes a fall.
He soon learns that she knows about his reputation and asks to walk her back. "Skiing?" she asks, taking his skis, knocking him down and skiing away. Back at the ski lodge, a tired Erik gives his ski poles to a man standing outside (possibly believing that he is an employee) and goes in to the desk clerk.
Diane comes out fully dressed in a evening dress and tells him to hurry for dinner. He finds out who she is from the clerk. After what happened has been discussed at the table and laughed at, Diane says he has taken all this well.
Just as the music starts, Erik says he will dance with Diane. They dance to one number and the singer (Brita Borg) sings "The Midnight Sun" in Swedish. Diane and Erik slow-dance and she asks him the meaning of the song.
He tells her in detail the lyrics in English. A man enters and tells Dr. Wilson and Henrick some news, which causes them to begin to leave.
Erik asks what it is and is told he will be informed on the way. When Diane says she will get her coat, Dr. Wilson says no, she will not be coming along.
Riding along with the men in the tank vehicle, reference is made to having informed Dr. Wilson, who replies that he is pleased. When Diane asks if anyone will talk to her, Erik says "No", ribbing her that "At least we didn't make you walk back" (a reference to what she did to him earlier).
Arriving at the crash site, they are greeted by guards who converse with those driving the tanks. As they get out, Diane is again told that she will not accompany them and to wait there. The men walk through an area strewn with dead reindeer parts, legs, heads and bones in pieces.
Dr. Wilson and Henrick discuss what could have done this. Meanwhile Diane, not content to be alone, goes for a short walk and quickly discovers a huge footprint, which she loudly announces to the men.
Erik proclaims that it must have been made by something 20 feet tall, something they admit that they are unaware of. Looking over photos of the crater, they can find nothing new that was not seen when they flew over the site earlier. Dr.
Wilson suggests that the crash looks more like a landing. Col. Bottinger interrupts, announcing they will fly out there in the morning at 6:00, and Diane is once again told that she will not be coming along.
The next morning, they fly out again and Diane is discovered to be a stowaway at the back of the plane. Pulling her hair, Erik tells her that she is childish to have done this. Her uncle agrees that she should not have come because they do not know what they will encounter.
She says that is why she had to come. Arriving at the crater, they pull out their equipment and descend down a rope ladder into the crater to examine the object. Diane is told to remain topside.
Dr. Wilson tells them that it is a spacecraft from another world and they discuss it. An alien is seen watching them on a viewing screen from within the ship.
They agree to not tell Diane until they know what it is for certain. Topside, they announce that more equipment will be needed. Diane suspiciously asks whether they found what they expected.
Erik jokes again that this trip is full of surprises. More of the giant footprints are seen in the snow near the crater. A guard at the plane sees something and gets his rifle, firing upward (point of view: the creature, which is unseen).
Hearing the shots, the men hurry back, saying that he might cause an avalanche with all that shooting. When they arrive at the landing site, they find the guard dead and the plane torn to pieces. Diane points out more giant footprints leading away from the plane.
They agree that this is from the crater. Diane asks and is told there is no meteor and that it may be a spacecraft that brought the creature here. Now without a radio, Dr.
Wilson suggests Diane and Erik ski to the nearby village, where they will be able to send a message and return by morning. After much skiing and having to walk their skis up the mountainside, Erik says that they are almost there. Diane takes the lead but hits a tree, injuring her knee.
Meanwhile, Henrick tells Dr. Wilson that he will retrieve the equipment from the crater. He descends and, detecting radioactivity on his Geiger counter, examines the ship.
Again he is observed by the alien inside, who zaps him when he tries to escape the crater, having seen the creature (or at least its shadow). A group of Laplanders approaches with reindeer, sled dogs and a sled. They see the plane wreckage and come alongside to help.
Meanwhile, steadying Diane, Erik spies the rescue cabin on the next hill over. Entering, he lights a lamp and suggests she take off her wet clothing and get wrapped up in a blanket. She tells him to start the fire while she changes (in silhouette).
Next, he gets a bucket of snow to heat and make a compress for her knee, which he applies. She tells him that he had better get going. He skies away.
Inside the cabin, Diane hears a noise and asks if it is Erik at the door. Hearing no reply, she goes to the window, opens it and looks out and upward, where she sees the creature looking down at her. Diane's screams are heard by Erik, who immediately returns to the cabin.
By now, Diane has redressed and tells him that the creature is outside. He helps her get her shoes on to leave. The creature is seen on top of the mountain, just above the cabin.
Before they can leave, it starts an avalanche which damages the cabin. Erik is knocked out by falling boards but Diane flees to the woods, stopping to look back. She sees the creature by the ruins of the cabin.
Back at the village, Erik awakens in a bunk bed by Dr. Wilson. He reveals that they found and rescued him, but Diane is still missing.
They found her trail, but it disappeared. Erik is assured that the Laplanders are making a good search for her. He is also told that Col.
Bottinger should be back with a new plane soon, but reveals that Henrick was found dead in the crater. Erik tells Wilson that the creature (which was seen by Diane) started the avalanche that destroyed the cabin. Meanwhile, Diane struggles and stumbles through a blizzard, tripping over a fallen log.
She rests, lying there. Later, she awakens and screams at the creature. The Laplanders are shown eating (presumably some of the dead reindeer parts) and fooling around.
All at once, another Laplander skis up from the search party and they all make a hasty retreat. The creature is seen carrying Diane through the snow. Coming to the former Laplanders' camp, it puts Diane down.
The alien is seen watching his view-screen and turns a control knob to make the creature return to the ship. Diane gets up to look around and sees three aliens surrounding her. Two of them approach and Diane screams and faints.
The plane lands by the Laplanders' village. Bottinger is seen questioning one of the Laplanders. He tells of the creature and that it was carrying someone, possibly Diane.
Just as they agree to show them where the camp was, a scream is heard in the village. The creature is shown attacking one of the cabins. The Laplanders flee again.
It throws part of a cabin roof at the plane, which bursts into flames. The creature is seen destroying all of the tents (teepees) and another cabin before turning to leave. A search party is organized and Erik promises to find Diane before the creature does.
The creature searches and finds Diane unconscious. She awakes, screams and tries to get away as it pursues her. Diane screams and faints again.
The creature picks her up and carries her away. Meanwhile, the search party is seen carrying torches as nighttime approaches. They apparently hear Diane's scream and rush on ahead.
Erik is seen arriving and watching the creature carrying Diane. He hurries toward the torch-carrying mob and tries to alert Dr. Wilson that the creature has Diane.
The Laplanders confront the creature, beginning to throw their torches at it. It places Diane on the ground, where she rolls a few feet. More torches are thrown at the creature, who catches on fire and falls off a cliff.
It is then seen burning to death at the bottom. The alien, seeing this on his screen, launches the spaceship and leaves Earth. The final shot of the film involves Dr.
Wilson hoping that we fare better when we land on another planet. Erik and Diane walk off together into the sunset..