William Alland

We open with a background of space nebulae and stars, the title sequence, credits, and the actors who portray the space children. A station wagon appears on a lonely road approaching the beach along the California coast. Inside we meet Dave Brewster (Adam Williams), his wife Anne (Peggy Webber) and their two sons. In the back seat is the oldest Bud (Michel Ray) and his younger brother Ken (Johnny Crawford). They've been driving for hours from San Francisco. Their destination: a military base. Dave was transferred to complete his company's work on The Thunderer--a six stage intercontinental missile at the Eagle Point Missile Project. Anne is apprehensive about the move, but Dave and the kids are excited to live on the beach. The kids hear a strange sound, but the parents hear nothing. The kids then see a strange light in the sky as their car stalls out. The car starts back up and they check in at the guard shack. They are directed to their new home Unit 3, a trailer. All the contractor families live in trailers. Dave and Anne move their few belongings into their new home while the kids explore the beach and meet the other children. Anne continues to voice her dissatisfaction with the surroundings and leaving friends and family in San Francisco. Dave chalks it up to their being tired from the long trip. She asks him about the project. They go outside to find the children, but the security officer, Mr. James (Peter Baldwin) arrives and asks Dave to join him at a briefing for the newly arrived on the Project. Anne heads back to the trailer and is greeted by her new next door neighbor who introduces herself as Frieda Johnson (Vera Marshe). They chat and exchange information about their kids and their new home. Frieda invites Anne to a little get together planned for that evening. Bud and Ken are running along the cliffs playing ball. They head down to the beach where they discover a cave. They explore it and discuss the light they saw in the sky earlier. Bud explores a little further inside, but tells Ken to stay behind. Eadie Johnson (Sandy Descher) introduces herself to Ken, as the other space children appear. Eadie introduces the other children to Bud and Ken. First is the youngest, Buster (uncredited), the oldest Tim (Johnny Washbrook), George (uncredited) and Helen (Gloria Anne Halper). The children invite Bud and Ken to see The Thunderer, but a guard chases them away. Lt. Col. Alan Manley (Richard Shannon) is giving a briefing on the project--to send a satellite equipped with a hydrogen warhead into space. Meanwhile, the kids head back to the beach to play when they see the same strange light in the sky, but this time a strange object descends on the light beam and enters the cave. Back at the briefing the light and power go off. The object is communicating with Bud and the power resumes at Col. Manley's briefing. Later that day, Dr. Wahrman (Raymond Bailey) strolls along the beach and runs into Col. Manley who is fishing. They talk about tomorrow's test of the missile. Their children, the Colonel's daughter Phyllis (Eilene Janssen) and Dr. Wahrman's son, Saul (David Bair), return to shore from their swim. That evening Frieda exits her trailer to supply more food for the weenie roast. We meet her husband, Hank Johnson (Jackie Coogan). The Johnsons and Brewsters talk about the project and national defense. Frieda prefers not to discuss controversial subjects. Hank and Dave invite the kids to go swimming, and they initially express excitement. But the voice they hear tells them to decline and they make their excuses and head off on their own for the beach. As Dave and Hank head off for a swim we are introduced to Peg Gamble (Jean Engstrom) and her alcoholic second husband Joe Gamble (Russell Johnson) who is tipsy, as usual, and complaining about his stepson, Tim. The children are attracted to the siren-like call of the entity and discover a football-sized and shaped blob pulsating in the sand. It communicates with Bud and selects him as the leader. Tim panics and tries to destroy the blob with a rock, but is paralyzed as the rock he holds overhead explodes into small pieces. Ken restores his ability to move and admonishes him to follow instructions in future. He agrees, and the rest of the children agree to follow Bud's directives. Back in the trailer Anne and Dave are frantically trying to find Bud and Ken. It is quite late when Bud and Ken arrive back to the trailer, and Mom and Dad lay into them. They try to explain their encounter on the beach but their parents don't believe them. When Dave grabs Bud's arm to administer a little discipline, his arm becomes paralyzed. The boys take Dave back to the beach, accompanied by Eadie Johnson. Tim tries to sneak out of the trailer to join the group, but he is intercepted by a very drunk Joe. Tim manages his escape, with Joe in hot pursuit. He eventually catches Tim, but before he can administer a beating is struck down by the power of the blob. Joe recovers and returns to the trailer. Dave picks up the blob, hides it inside his jacket and returns to the trailer park. Tim reaches his trailer first and enters, only to discover Joe, sitting in a chair and dead. Peg enters the trailer and sees Joe. Hank confronts Dave, Eadie and the boys and demands an explanation. Peg arrives asking for help. She tells Hank that Joe is dead. Anne welcomes her family back into the trailer, but is horrified by what they brought with them. The ambulance for Joe arrives. Bud explains that the blob must spend the night in the trailer. The next morning Anne and Dave demand answers from the boys about the blob, but get no satisfactory answers. The phone rings and Dave is told The Thunderer will launch tonight. Dave follows the boys back to the cave. They are carrying the blob. He tells them about the launch and confirms the boys knew all along--the blob told them. Major Thomas (Larry Pennell) interrupts a meeting between Dr. Wahrman and Col. Manley. He tells them Dave Brewster insists on meeting, it's an emergency. Dave enters and tells them the project is in danger, but before he can go into details, Bud appears, and he is struck unable to speak. When he tries to write out his warning his hand is paralyzed and he collapses. He recovers in the infirmary. His wife and children come to see him. The children begin the sabotage of the project. Bud causes a fuel delivery truck to malfunction. Buster and Helen disrupt communications at a guard shack, while innocently eating ice cream. Hank heads off for the beach to find his daughter, Eadie. He finds some of her clothes outside the cave. Eadie comes out of the cave. Hank insists upon examining the cave, over Eadie's objections. He enters and sees the blob which attacks him with a beam of light. He exits the cave and collapses on the sand. The blob has grown considerably. Dazed and unresponsive, Hank heads back to his trailer. That evening the children get out of bed and head down to the beach to see the blob, which by now is huge, and get final instructions. Wahrman and Manley meet and try to make sense of the days strange events. Wahrman notices that children are involved. He decides to go see Dave in the infirmary. The children open a locked gate and enter the base, unseen by the guard. Dr. Wahrman does see them, and confronts the guard for his lack of attention. Wahrman meets with Dave and tells him of his suspicions. Dave is surprised nothing happens when he realizes Wahrman knows the truth about the children, including their strange powers. But when Wahrman tries to call someone, the phone malfunctions. Wahrman demands to know where it is and what it looks like. Wahrman and Dave go to the cave and confront the now boulder sized blob. Wahrman makes his appeal, gets no response, but is allowed to leave. Preparations for the launch continue on schedule. They are unaware of the sabotage the children have caused. The children exit the base and head back to the cave. The site is cleared for launch as Dave and Wahrman race back to the base. They arrive just in time for the launch. But when the missile is launched, the warhead on the top explodes on the pad as the children watch from the beach. The children have won. The military heads for the cave to destroy the blob, followed by the children's parents. The children block the cave entrance, as their parents plead for them to abandon the blob. The blob exits the cave with the children still blocking fire, until it ascends back up into the sky on its beam of light. The children explain to the military and their parents that other children, like themselves, sabotaged similar projects all around the world. We close with a passage from St. Matthew, Ch.18, v.3, over the nebulae and star background.

Titles and credits roll over a view of the United Nations General Assembly Building from the East River accompanied by a dramatic piano score. We open with brothers, Dr. Henry Spensser (John Baragrey) and Dr. Jeremy Spensser (Ross Martin) watching an industrial film about factory automation. Sitting on his father's lap is Billy Spensser (Charles Herbert). Jeremy is credited in the film with inventing a heat-sensing device that has revolutionized efficiency in automation. They are interrupted by Jeremy's wife, Anne Spensser (Mala Powers) who reads from a newspaper headline, "International Peace Prize Awarded to Jeremy Spensser." Billy is unimpressed and impatient to see the rest of the movie. The brothers wax philosophical about world peace. Jeremy is convinced, "People of the world get enough to eat, war might just become obsolete." The family travels to Stockholm to collect the prize. They return to New York's Idlewild (now JFK) airport, as reported in the New York newspaper. Jeremy's father, the renowned brain surgeon, Dr. William Spensser (Otto Kruger), is waiting at the airport to greet his family. The proud father is interviewed by the press. He introduces his son's friend, Dr. John Robert Carrington (Robert Hutton). He explains to the reporters, in reply to a question, that the brain of a genius, like his son Jeremy, is no different in appearance to anyone else's. The family clears customs and joins those waiting outside. It is a blustery day, and Billy manages to lose his toy airplane to a gust of wind. He asks his father to retrieve his toy. Distracted by his pursuit of the airplane, Jeremy does not see an approaching truck and is struck and killed. Dr. Carrington pronounces him dead. An ambulance takes the body to the home of the senior Dr. Spensser. Anne remarks, "I don't understand." Dr. John Carrington concurs, "Neither do I." The ambulance crew departs the residence and Dr. Spensser locks himself in his lab. John tells Henry, "He was dead within five seconds." Henry asks, "Then what's all this about an operation? What can he do?" For three hours Dr. Spensser works on his son's body. He opens the lab door, and tells his family, "I did, I did all I could." At Jeremy's funeral service, his body is displayed in an open casket. He has bandages on his head. John presents the eulogy. Dr. Spensser, angry and upset, exits the service. He asks John if great brains, unhampered by their bodies, could have continued their work to better the human race. John counters that brain and body together are necessary to embody the soul. A brain deprived of a body devolves into a monster. Dr. Spensser almost divulges his secret regarding Jeremy, but thinking better of it admits the discussion is theoretical. John tells Henry that Dr. Spensser will need support in the grieving of his son. Henry reveals his bitterness and sour relationship with his father, "That'll be something new. He's always needed Jeremy before." Gazing out the window at the arrival of Anne and Billy, Henry agrees to John's request for him to stay and support his father. His real reason for staying will become apparent later. It has been four months since Jeremy's untimely death, and Henry expresses his love for his nephew and sister-in-law. They discuss their lives and the pair plan to go into the city for dinner and a show. Dr. Spensser enters the room, wearing a lab coat, and summons Henry. The two enter the lab, locking the door behind them. Spensser shows his son a tank containing a human brain. Father sarcastically quizzes son on what he sees. It is established that the brain is asleep and can be awakened. Spensser asks the brain a question. He already has the answer. They wait for the brain to complete the computation and respond. A teletype machine gives the answer, and it matches exactly. It finally dawns on Henry whose brain just provided the answer and he is horrified. He tells his father, "No! No, its inhuman." But his father disagrees, "Inhuman. It would have been inhuman to deny the world of his genius." Spensser asks Henry to provide Jeremy's brain a body--a mechanical one. Henry's vanity stroked, he is intrigued by the challenge. At a dinner party at the house, Anne and John walk the grounds and talk. It is a farewell party for John. When asked about their host, Anne tells John that Dr. Spensser and Henry are engrossed in a secret project. John promises to return. In the lab we see, in shadow, the vessel that will house Jeremy's brain. The phone rings and Henry answers it. It is Anne calling. We see the head and chest of the mechanical man. Spensser is ready to test the machine. Henry tells his father to turn the lever on the left side of the body to activate the creature. A failsafe device, out of reach of the monster's own hands, has been added. He tells his father, "So he won't be able to destroy himself." Spensser turns the level and the brain awakens in the body. He can see and hear. The eyes light up and the voice activates. Jeremy is now aware of his condition and complains he can't move. The Frankensteinish creation clomps around the lab in heavy boots knocking over a table. It sees its' reflection in the mirror and screams in horror. Anne hears the commotion from upstairs and runs down to investigate. The creature collapses to the floor. Anne asks Henry about the noise and the voice she recognizes as her late husband's. Henry dismisses the incident, telling Anne that Dr. Spensser lost his temper at a failed experiment. Henry returns to the lab. The creature is back in its holding structure. Henry tries to convince his father that to continue Jeremy's new existence is both cruel and wrong. Jeremy implores his father, "You want to help me? Then destroy me!" Spensser bargains with his son's brain, but it demands a condition of his own, "I don't want anyone ever to see me. I will conduct all my experiments in this laboratory with you and Henry and no one else." Spensser agrees to the bargain. They begin their polar plant growth experiments in terrariums. Jeremy complains of seeing images, new and strange ones. One keeps recurring. A ship at sea in the fog, the S.S. Viking crashes. Spensser turns down the power and tells his son to rest. Convinced the experiment is a failure, Henry discusses a Hawaii vacation with Anne and Billy, but before he can finalize plans, Spensser calls him to the study. They watch a broadcast about a disaster at sea. The pair return to the lab and tell Jeremy he has the power to see events--E.S.P. He confirms he has seen other images. Spensser exits the lab. Henry remains and chuckles, which annoys his disembodied brother. Jeremy threatens Henry, "I warn you, Henry. These are powerful (he presents his hands). You know how powerful because you made them. Don't goad me. I warn you, don't!" An upcoming meeting is scheduled at the U.N. The topic is the development of polar region grains. John Carrington will be presenting Jeremy's work. It has been one year since Jeremy's death, and the monster plans to visit the grave. His father is opposed, but Jeremy walks towards the door. Spensser tries to stop him, but Jeremy hypnotizes his father with a flashing light from his eyes. He is developing new powers. Jeremy exits the lab and wanders out into the garden. He sees his own headstone and grave marker. He hides himself when he hears his wife's voice warn their son to stay close. Billy places flowers on his father's grave. He is drawn to Jeremy's voice, but recoils slightly at the sight of the giant. Billy asks, "Are you a giant? A real giant? Henry and Anne place flowers on the grave. Jeremy picks Billy up in his arms, and runs off with his son when he hears Anne calling. Anne asks her son about the monstrous thing. In the lab, Jeremy chastises his father. Apparently Spensser told his son that his wife and son had died. That evening Anne suddenly wakes. She senses something, slips on a robe, and walks out into the garden. Henry discovers her outside and joins her for a walk. She asks about the creature. Henry is cryptic in his response, not wanting Anne to know of his complicity. He tells her they must leave the house, and soon. He kisses Anne. This enrages Jeremy, and he approaches the pair. Anne faints, and Henry disappears. Jeremy picks up Anne and carries her back to her bed. The next morning, Anne wakes crying. Dr. John Carrington arrives to comfort her. She tells him of her encounter the previous night, but he is reluctant to believe such a fantastic story. She insists he leave. Spensser receives a telephone call. It is Henry calling from a phone booth. He asks for money to get away. Jeremy interrupts his father to confirm that he can see where his brother is located. Jeremy instructs his father to set up a meeting so he can intercept and kill his brother. Henry drives to the site of the appointment. He is expecting a messenger with the money. Jeremy walks the bottom of the East River, ascends the pier and confronts Henry. He kills his brother with a ray that emanates from his eyes. He walks back home. A commotion in the lab downstairs stirs Dr. Spensser. Jeremy is destroying the polar terrariums and tells his father, "Why create food for the maimed and the useless and the sick? Why should we work to preserve slum people of the world when its simpler and wiser to get rid of them instead? Unfortunately there are so called humanitarian scientists, and I am one of them, who tried to keep human trash alive. It will be necessary to get rid of those humanitarians first. You understand?" He hypnotizes his father to champion his plan. The police visit Spensser regarding Henry's death. They ask about the rumors of the creature. Anne is asked about the stories, but hesitates to be forthright with the police. Anne tells her father in law she has seen the monster, but he tries to convince her she is hallucinating and needs a rest. Billy visits the giant in the garden. Apparently this has been going on for some time. Jeremy becomes upset when Billy reaches towards his on/off switch. Jeremy gives Billy a model airplane, exactly like the one he lost the day his father was killed at the airport. Anne asks Billy about the airplane and is upset learning it was a present from the giant. Jeremy commands his father to bring Anne and Billy to the U.N. Building at precisely 8:30 p.m. The family drives to the site. John Carrington accompanies them in the car. Jeremy takes the East River underwater route. In the lobby area they gather as Jeremy enters by crashing through a glass partition. The monster dispatches a few people with his death ray. An upset Billy runs to the giant to make him stop. Jeremy continues his killing spree. Billy confronts his father. Jeremy tells his son he can't control himself, but offers to let Billy shut him off. Billy throws the switch deactivating the machine. Jeremy falls over the railing and crashes to the floor below. Anne embraces her son. Dr. Spensser tells John, "Well, you were right Carrington, without a soul there is nothing but monstrousness. I only wish that heaven and Jeremy could forgive me for what I did." We close with a close up of the monster's head dripping blood on the floor.

When a mysteriously deformed man, Eric Jacobs (Eddie Parker in an uncredited role), is found dead in the desert, Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar), a family doctor in the tiny neighboring town of Desert Rock, is called in to examine the body. Jacobs, a research scientist, worked with Prof. Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll), a reclusive scientist who's conducting mysterious experiments at an out of the way mansion near the town. Dr. Matt is baffled by the cause of Eric's death. His distorted features suggest acromegaly, a disorder of the pituitary gland, but since Eric was fine just days earlier, Matt can't understand why he would deteriorate so quickly. When Professor Deemer insists that it is acromegaly and refuses to authorize an autopsy, Matt is both annoyed and confused. The local Sheriff, Jack Andrews (Nestor Paiva) takes the Professor's side. Later, Deemer returns to his lab, where it's revealed he's working on creating a food nutrient to feed the world's increasing population. He has injected the nutrient into lab animals, which have grown at astonishing rates. A caged tarantula is several times normal size. Suddenly, Deemer's other assistant, Paul Lund (Eddie Parker in an uncredited role) stumbles into the lab, his face as hideously distorted as Jacobs'. Delirious, Paul attacks Deemer and busts up the lab, setting the tarantula loose. He also injects the unconscious Deemer with the nutrient, then dies as the lab begins to burn. Deemer awakes in time to put out the fire, then buries Paul's body without notifying authorities. The following day, beautiful Dr Stephanie "Steve" Clayton (Mara Corday) arrives in Desert Rock, having been hired by the late Jacobs. Matt gives her a ride to Deemer's, informing her of Jacobs' death. When they reach Deemer's house, the Professor pretends the damaged lab was an accident. Deemer explains how he is making the nutrient using the power of the atom to bind the solution. Stephanie becomes an able assistant to Deemer, helping him with his experiments. She also gets to know Matt, who shows her the town and desert scenery. Meanwhile, something odd is going on in the desert. Something unknown is devouring the horses, their skeletal remains found by local ranchers. Two human beings appear to have been devoured after an apparent car accident. Matt notices huge pools of a mysterious substance near the accident. After lab analysis, he discovers that it's insect venom û but in an enormous quantity. At the lab, Stephanie becomes concerned about Deemer, whose face is gradually becoming distorted, much like Jacobs and Paul. When Deemer finally confesses to Matt and Stephanie that Paul went on a rampage and released the tarantula, Matt becomes suspicious, making a connection to the recent phenomena. Meanwhile, the tarantula continues its rampage, killing two old prospectors in the desert. While studying in her bedroom that night, Stephanie doesn't see that the tarantula is approaching in the distance, visible from her bedroom window. Once the tarantula begins wrecking the house, a horrified Stephanie tries to save Deemer, who's convalescing in his room, his face now completely distorted. Unfortunately, the tarantula kills Deemer before Stephanie can save him. Matt drives up to the house as it collapses, but Stephanie gets out alive, rushing to Matt's car. They drive off into the desert, notifying the State Police and Sheriff, who gives orders to evacuate the town. Efforts to kill the approaching tarantula with machine guns fail, and the monster kills two cops in the bargain. Another effort to kill the monster with dynamite also fails. With the tarantula headed for town, fighter planes approach, with Clint Eastwood in an undredited minor role as the jet squadron league. They drop bombs on the monster as it reaches Desert Rock. When traditional bombs fail, the planes drop napalm, setting the tarantula on fire as a relieved Matt, Stephanie and various officials look on.

A tributary of the upper Amazon. A small boat moves up river, it is late in the afternoon and the boat anchors as Captain Lucas (Nestor Paiva) announces they will push through to the Black Lagoon in the morning. Two passengers, George Johnson (Robert Williams) and Joe Hayes (John Bromfield) debate the value of the expedition. Joe is determined to capture the creature and take it back to the Aquarium to exhibit it for the world to see. Lucas warns that if it is dead they have wasted their money and if still alive, they probably will wish it was dead After dinner the discussion continues. Lucas cant understand the point of what they are doing. The creature should be left alone, not captured for the whim of science. Lucas explains he came to the lagoon the previous year with an expedition, and 5 people eventually were killed during that trip They go on to discuss the origins of the creature. Johnson explains that under the right conditions a creature might avoid being affected by evolution, leap forging many important steps. Lucas argues the creature is too strong for evolution and if the two passengers think they can just capture the thing, they will be sadly mistaken Next morning the boat enters the lagoon without incident. Unseen, the creature surfaces and studies their activities then swims off. Joe dons a diving suit and goes into the water to secure a net they have hung across the entrance of the lagoon The creature sees Joe and stalks him, waiting for a chance to attack. Preoccupied with the net Joe doesnt see the creature till it is too late. The men on the boat hear Joes frantic cries for help and begin pulling him in with the life line. The creature tries to break the line before being driven off by gunfire from the boat The next day Johnson sets a series of explosives around the lagoon, detonating them should stun the creature and force it to the surface. The plan works and the creature floats unconscious near the boat. The men secure the creature and begin the task of transporting it back to Florida after notifying the press At the institute in Florida Doctor Ferguson (John Agar) is studying predatory behavior in mammals when news comes through of the capture of the creature. He is encouraged to go to Ocean Harbor to study the creature At Ocean Harbor the creature is unloaded from the boat and transferred to a holding tank so studies can begin. Concerns are raised over the fact the creature has remained in a coma since being stunned by the explosions. The publicity generated by the creature is enormous; hotels are book for 50 miles around by tourists wanting to see the creature Overseeing the transfer is Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) shes decided to use the creature as the basis of a thesis. She explains to reporters why Joe is walking the creature around the holding tank. The technique is the same used on sharks to push water through the creatures gills and revive it. Two hours later the creature stirs. Tension mounts as Joe barely makes it out the tank before being attacked. The creature goes on a rampage and tries to jump out of the tank. Joe stops the creature but falls back into the tank. Two workers attempt to rescue him but are badly hurt before a net is thrown over the creature and it is bought back under control Sometime later the creature is introduced to the main viewing tank so the public can see it. One leg is secured with a chain to stop the animals further attempts to escape A few days later the aquarium has settle into a routine, visiting crowds are huge and the process of studying the creature begins. Ferguson and Helen meet and discuss their mutual fields of research and how it will affect the research being done. At the same time there is a clear emotional connection beginning to form between the couple. As their conversation becomes more relaxed Ferguson asks Helen out to dinner. The discussion is interrupted by Joe Hays, also interested in Helen. She rebukes Joes advances and ultimately makes plans with Ferguson. Time progresses and Ferguson and Dobson continue their experiments. They try training the creature using vocal commands similar to methods used on dolphins. Entering the tank, they are armed with a special shock probe; by zapping the creature at the right time during feeding they believe they can teach the animal to be less aggressive. They then lower another portion of food that has been injected with drugs to make the creature go to sleep. Satisfied its pacified Ferguson attaches a device for measuring the creatures brain activity as well as drawing blood samples The blood tests throw up some odd results, Ferguson begins to worry about exactly what they are dealing with. On every level tested the creature appears on an evolutionary scale closer to man than animals. Helen also expresses concern for the creature. She perceives it is lonely and worries what long term effects all the testing might have on it The conditioning training continues and Ferguson is stunned by the creatures progress. What a chimp learns in three weeks the creature learns in a matter of hours. During one experiment the creature reacts by attacking and injuring Ferguson. Dobson pleads with the creature to stop, which it eventually does However it has its blood lust up, and begins furiously attacking the chain holding it till a link breaks. Joe spots what the creature is up too and attempts to intervene. He is dragged into the tank and killed Leaving the tank the creature sends park visitors scattering. Its behavior is unusual, although having the opportunity to kill a number of visitors it ignores them, preferring to concentrate on getting back to the nearby ocean A week later reports are come from as far as Mexico and New York about possible sightings, however the authorities are convinced it is probably moving back to the habitat it knows best, the Amazon river. That same night, Dobson readies for a shower in her hotel room. Unknown to her the creature has come ashore and is prowling around the building. Her dog attacks the creature as it enters her room. The noise disturbs Ferguson in the next room. He investigates only to Helen in the shower and her dog missing. Going out and checking the grounds he finds nothing. He assumes the dog has gone after a rabbit and should be back safe and well in the morning. Unseen in the bushes are the remains of Dobsons dog, recently killed by the creature. The next morning Dobson and Ferguson take a boat trip up river. There plan is to have lunch in Jacksonville as a farewell date. The creature knows she is onboard and begins following the craft till it breaks down. As the crew try to fix the fault Helen and Ferguson go for a swim The creature follows Helen as she swims, but seems tentative about attacking other than briefly touching her leg. Before the aggression can become more marked, it is announced the boat is fixed and will soon be on its way. The date then continues as planned. Taking a break from dancing, they go for a walk along the pier. Talk turns to the struggles the upcoming three month of separation will have on their relationship. As true scientist the subject turns to what love really is as they wander back to the dance arm in arm. The creature climbs the pier and follows them back to the dance. Bursting into the room, it roars scattering the crowd then snatches Helen. Ferguson follows the creature to the waters edge then dives in frantically searching for her A couple fishing in a boat nearby hear screaming coming from a channel marker in the river. Helen has broken free of the creature and is trying to escape by climbing onto the structure. As they watch she is dragged back under and despite the arrival of a police launch, is not seen again. The police have issued an alert and begin clearing the public off the streets. Two young men driving find a body on a nearby beach. The stop to investigate and realizes it is Helen and she is still alive. The creature sneaks up on the two preoccupied men and kills them before once again heading into the water with Helen in tow. The search intensifies around Point Diego after police find the dead mens bodies. Hundreds of armed police begin scouring the area. Ferguson briefs the police on what to expect. He stresses the sheer strength of the creature and its apparent high level of intelligence The creature has come back ashore, however having spent extended periods out of the water it begins to weaken. Once again abandoning Helen on a deserted beach it returns to the water to regain its strength. Searchers arrive and see Helen as the creature re-emerge from the water, hearing the reported sighting police converging on the scene. The creature retrieves Helen and heads for the water as Ferguson arrives, using the conditioning training taught at the aquarium he makes the creature drop Helen. The police seize the opportunity and open fire with a volley of gun fire Helen and Ferguson embrace as we see a final shot of the creature drifting lifeless towards the ocean floor Chapman_glen@yahoo.com

Introduction: As the narrator reads the Genesis story of the Creation, we see images on the screen. Opening scene In the jungles of the upper Amazon, Dr Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno ) has discovered a fossilized claw. Excited, he explains to the native workers that he needs to go back to the institute on the coast to get help to dig out the rest of the fossil. Hidden from view, a claw, similar to the one found in the fossil, rears out onto a river bank, then slides back into the water. At the institute Dr David Reed (Richard Carlson) meets Maia, who seems surprised to find Reed in Brazil. Reed explains they're researching lung fish. The rest of the conversation centers around Maia remembering when Reed was a student. Maia asks Reed about why he never married Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams) He explains she's never been able to talk him into it. Maia then shows Reed a photo of the fossil he found and believes it is hundreds of million years old. Reed immediately takes an interest and wants to go back up river to recover the rest of the fossil. At the institute discussions occur about the meaning of the fossil, it is generally agreed it was an amphibian and probably very strong. Dr Williams (Richard Denning) agrees the fossil is a major find, and as one of the directors gives the go ahead for a larger expedition to go back up river and dig the rest of it out. Back at the campsite it is night and the workers are preparing to settle down for the night. One sees a creature enter the tents and kills both occupants. Sometime later the expedition is making its way upstream on the Rita, a battered motor vessel with little comfort. Captain Lucas (Nestor Paiva) explains how deadly and large all the life around the Amazon River is. The boat docks and the crew quickly discover the campsite has been destroyed and the men are dead. They consider it could have been a jaguar. . Despite the situation the crew clean up the camp and work begins retrieving the fossil. After eight days no fossil remains are found. Reed figures that perhaps the fossil had been washed away from the river bank, and the remains might be located further downstream in a lagoon, The Black Lagoon. Capt Lucas explains that many people have gone to the lagoon over the years, but none have come back. Reed and Kay have a romantic moment as the boat is moved. They discuss their plans to marry and settle down together. The boat pushes towards the lagoon, it is a very tight fit through a section of the river, but it soon opens up to the lagoon. Reed Reed and Williams break out the aqua-lungs to dive the lagoon and investigate the local life forms. The men successfully complete their mission not realizing they are being stalked by the creature. Williams is jealous of the attention Kay is giving to Reed. To break the tension she goes for a swim. The creature swims along with her, mimicking some of her swimming moves, unsure what to make of the situation. At one point it briefly grazes her leg while she is floating on the surface. Rather than be surprised, she dives to investigate, further firing the creature's curiosity. Back on board, the boat is upset by the pressure being put on the net. Quickly they try to haul the net in, only to discover a huge tear in the net and what appears to be a fang or claw. Kay begins to wonder now exactly what might have touched her while swimming. Williams decides to go back down and hunt whatever is in the lagoon. Reed opposes the course of action, but is over ruled. While on the dive the two men catch sight of the creature and attempt to shoot it with a spear fishing gun. They hit it once but it escapes before they can capture it. Lucas tells the men when they get back on board that there was an old river legend about a gill man who lived underwater. Reed things he has photographed the creature but the images appear blank. On deck one of the men is attacked and dragged into the water by the creature. Lucas tells the team about a native poison he has which makes fish come to the surface. All agree it is a good idea and begin spreading it over the lagoon. After some time a huge number of fish float to the surface but no sign of the creature. They surmise the poison is not getting down deep enough and create some pellets to flush the creature from the bottom. They wait for hours well into the night with no result. As the survey the lagoon the creature, unaffected by the poison ,attempts to climb into the boat . He is frightened by the light of a lantern. They see a trail of bubbles leading to the bank. When they fix a search light on it, the creature suddenly rears up, roars and disappears. Reed and Willliams follow the creature, discovering a cave hidden by the bank. They begin tracking footprints through the sand. The creature doubles back on the men. Reaching the boat it kills one of the crew then attempts to kidnap Kay. Wounded and suffering the effects of the drugs, the creature collapses. Reed and Williams build a makeshift cage and contain the creature, then go back to document the cave and leave doctor Thompson (Whit Bissell) and Kay discuss what the future holds. The creature breaks free and attacks Thompson. He has the presence of mind to smash a lantern over the creature setting it on fire but is gravely injured. Williams wants to stay try and recapture the creature. Reed and the rest of the team argue that with four people dead, the best thing is leave with the evidence and data they have. Williams clashes with Lucas who pulls a knife on Williams and explains they are leaving right now. As the boat heads out of the lagoon, it is blocked by a snag that was not there before. It is assumed the creature did this to stop them from leaving. They try to clear the snag with a winch but the obstruction is too heavy. Infuriated, the creature breaks the links, bringing attempt to an end. Reed decides to try again using the aqualung. He and Williams again clash, this time ending with Williams being knocked out. Reed then goes over the side. While preoccupied with the work he does not see the creature until Williams appears and tries to shoot the animal with the spear gun. On the second attempt he manages to hit the creature, but loses him. The creature counter attacks and drags Williams into the depths. A life and death struggle continues till Reed, realizing the dange,r comes to the rescue. Defeated, the creature once again retreats to the depths, leaving a badly injured Williams floating on the surface. Williams is ultimately killed in the attack. The team decides to try the poison again, this time just to slow the creature down while they try to clear the snag. Reed goes back into the water armed with the poison and begins work on the snag. Reed waits for the creature to get to very close range and fires twice, enveloping the creature in the paralyzing poison. Reed tries yet a third time before succeeding. The plan works and the lagoon is cleared. Preoccupied by the activity they don't see the creature climb on board. The creature spots Kay and drags her over the side, taking her back to his cave. Reed follows armed once again with the spear gun. Reed finds Kay but the creature stops the rescue by attacking Reed. Two of the crew coming from the beach entrance of the cave open fire hitting him multiple times. The creature retreats back into the water badly injured. Reed stops the men from finishing the job, allowing the creature to slink back to the depths, possibly to die. chapman_glen@yahoo.com

A fireball streaks across the desert sky and crashes. We see an aerial view of Sand Rock, Arizona in the late evening in the early spring. Inside an isolated ranch house outside of town we meet John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and his girlfriend Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush). He is an amateur astronomer, she the local school teacher. They sit in front of a fire in his partially completed home enjoying a cup of coffee. They walk outside to take in the night air when they spot the "meteor" from the opening shot. From inside the crater, by the old Excelsior Mine, we see a sphere partially exposed that looks like a soccer ball. A hexagonal shaped "door" opens and we see some weird machinery and in shadow one of the occupants--a single eyed blob of a creature. It exits the ship and explores the desert leaving in its wake a shimmery trail. John and Ellen charter Pete Davis (Dave Willock) to take them to the crater in his helicopter. They circle the crater and land near the rim. The three climb to the top and peer inside. John walks down to the floor of the newly formed crater insisting that Ellen and Pete stay up on the rim. John sees the ship partially buried in the side of the mine, and also notices the shimmery substance near the exit of the ship. He stretches his hand out to touch the glowing material, but hesitates when he notices something inside the ship and stands up to face it. The door closes and slams shut triggering an avalanche of loose debris, burying the ship and almost killing John. John climbs back out of the crater and explains what he saw, but Ellen and Pete do not believe him. Two cars approach the crater. Pete and Ellen beg John not to discuss what he saw--they think he was imagining it. Sheriff Matt Warren (Charles Drake) and Dave Loring (Alan Dexter), who runs the local newspaper, arrive on the scene. John starts to relay his story and the disbelief and ridicule starts. Three more cars arrive at the crater. John, Ellen, and Pete fly back to the airport. John and Ellen drive back to his house. Along the way they are being observed. They encounter the creature on the highway as it appears to block their path on the road. John pulls to the side of the road thinking they hit it. Finding nothing they continue down the road. The next morning the crater is a buzz of activity. A KLTV television news van pulls up. The Sheriff's office has set up a cordon around the crater admitting only authorized personnel. The military has sent a small group out to explore. John and Ellen arrive only to be hounded by the press. John is there to meet with Dr. Snell. Dugan (Robert Carson) from American Press, and Lober (Dick Pinner) from Press Dispatch want to question John about the Sand Rock Star newspaper headline, "Star Gazer Sees Martians". They get no answers and turn their attention to Ellen, who is equally reluctant to talk to the press. John walks down into the crater to talk to Dr. Snell (George Eldredge). His assistant, Bob (Bradford Jackson) is taking radioactivity measurements, but finds none. Snell is convinced it was just a meteor, and refuses Johns request to dig it out. As John heads back to his car, where Ellen was patiently waiting, he is confronted by Matt. He has known Ellen a long time and is concerned about her involvement with John. He is jealous. John and Ellen drive off. As they are driving the see the county telephone linemen, George (Russell Johnson), and his boss, Frank (Joe Sawyer). John asks them if they've seen anything. Frank tells them he's hearing something very strange on the wires. Frank and George head down the road and encounter the creature. As he exits the truck, George is attacked and "globbed" or absorbed. John and Ellen suspect something is wrong and turn around and head back in the same direction that George and Frank took. They find the empty telephone truck on the side of the road. John retrieves his gun from the car and they begin their search, starting with the truck. John notices blood on the truck door and the shimmery trail, a telltale sign of the xenomorph. George appears to them, but is behaving very strangely. John notices Frank's arm on the ground, unmoving, the rest of his body is hidden behind a boulder. John and Ellen head back to town to get the Sheriff. John states his conclusion that Frank is dead, and it appears that George was the perpetrator. The xenomorph, now masquerading as George explains things to the human George and Frank. The Sheriff reluctantly agrees to accompany John and Ellen back out to where they encountered George and Frank, but when they arrive the truck and any evidence is gone. The three drive back to town. The Sheriff returns to his office, but John notices George and Frank walking through town. John follows and confronts them. They warn John not to interfere. Back at the Excelsior Mine, miners Sam (Edgar Dearing) and Toby (Warren MacGregor) are building a fire just outside the mine opening. They are waiting for Tom (George Selk) to return with food. Tom and his mule are just about back to the mine when the mule is spooked, and runs off. Tom turns around and is confronted by the xenomorph and is "globbed" or absorbed. Sam and Toby think they hear something in the mine and enter it. As they exit the mine they are met by the creature and are also a globbed. John and Ellen are summoned to see the Sheriff that evening. Frank's wife (Virginia Mullen) and George's girlfriend Jane Dean (Kathleen Hughes) have reported them acting strangely and now missing. Their clothes are also missing. The sheriff questions John because he appears to be the last one to have spoken to either of them. Ellen takes Mrs. Daylon and Jane home in John's car. John stays with Matt to discuss the situation; he tells Matt that Frank and George are in fact the creatures from the space craft stuck in the crater. The sheriff tells John that electrical equipment has been stolen from the hardware store and that Dr. Snell and his assistant, Bob, have been reported missing. John and Matt go out to the crater and find Dr. Snell's car, but no trace of Snell or Bob. Ellen is driving alone on the highway when she encounters Frank standing in the middle of the highway. She stops and he gets into the car. Frank instructs Ellen to take him to the mine. Back at the Sheriff's office, the phone rings. It is for John, and he is informed that the xenomorphs have Ellen. The Sheriff and John drive out into the desert. John exits the car and searches for Ellen. He sees what appears to be Ellen on a ridgeline in a cocktail dress. He follows her. She leads him to the opening to the mine shaft. A voice from inside the mine tells John that they are repairing their ship and will be leaving that night. The missing townsfolk are being held hostage. John begs to see the creature as it really is. It shows itself and John is horrified and repelled. He returns to see Matt who has been waiting by the car. Matt drops John off at his house. John notices the door unlocked and a shimmering trail leading back to an empty closed. All of his clothes are missing. The Sheriff gives orders to clear everyone away from the crater. John tells Matt that he got a visit and his clothes are missing. Frank appears in town just outside the Sheriff's office. Matt is spoiling for a confrontation with the creature impersonating the lineman, but John restrains him. They fight. Frank drives off in his telephone truck. The Sheriff forms an impromptu posse as John steals his police car and heads off to the crater. The Sheriff intends to confront Frank on the highway. Taking a shortcut through the desert, he forms a vehicle barricade across the highway. As Frank approaches, the posse opens fire. The truck careens off the highway and hits a boulder and bursts into flame. Meanwhile John arrives at the mine entrance and enters. He finds alien Ellen. She tells John they only need a few more hours. She then attacks him with a wand that emits a beam that cuts through rock, but misses. He shoots her with his gun and she falls into a lake below and dissolves. The posse arrives outside as John continues his exploration of the old mine. He hears machinery and finds the aliens in their human form making repairs to their ship. The head xenomorph has assumed John's identity. He explains their mission and the equipment's power. John demands Ellen's release as a sign of good faith. Alien John reciprocates by ordering all the hostages released. As they depart the mine, alien John resumes his alien form. John seals the mine entrance with dynamite to keep the posse away from the aliens. The ground begins to rumble and the ship departs, streaking across the sky.