Terror in the Midnight Sun
Entry updated 4 March 2024. Tagged: Film.
Swedish/US film (1959; original title Rymdinvasion i Lappland; vt Invasion of the Animal People; vt Space Invasion of Lapland). Gustaf Unger Films, AB Fortuna Film. Directed by Virgil W Vogel. Written by Arthur C. Pierce and (uncredited) Robert M Fresco. Cast includes Robert Burton, Sten Gester and Barbara Wilson. 72 minutes. Black and white.
The Royal Academy of Science in Sweden is puzzled by reports of a meteor crashing in Lapland, saying it travelled horizontally and left skid marks when it landed. Scientists Dr. Vance Wilson (Burton) and the dashing young Dr Erik Engstrom (Gester) are sent to investigate; they stay with Wilson's niece, Diane Wilson (Wilson), an Olympic ice skater: there is much flirting between the last two. One evening the scientists are called away to examine the remains of reindeer that have been torn to shreds: Diane, who accompanies them, discovers tracks made by a creature that, according to Erik, "has to be at least twenty feet tall". Vance, already suspicious of the alleged meteor, suggests there might be a connection.
A team including Vance and Erik flies to the meteor site; forbidden to accompany them, Diane nevertheless stows away. They discover a crashed Spaceship; returning to their plane, they find it wrecked, the pilot dead and the same footprints as before. As accomplished skiers, Diane and Erik go for help whilst Vance and the other team members wait (one of the latter ends up killed by the Alien). When Diane wrenches her knee Erik leaves her at a rescue cabin, but shortly after hears her scream and returns: she had seen the alien, which resembles a giant, black-haired yeti with small tusks (see Monsters). It creates a small avalanche that buries the cabin; Diane manages to escape and the alien pursues her. In the meantime Vance and the other survivor have been found by Lapps, who then track the skiing couples' route, rescuing Erik from the cabin and taking him to their village.
The monster captures Diane and carries her back to the spaceship: here she meets three humanoid male aliens, who appear to study her (this involves a lot of staring and a dissonant soundtrack): finding the experience distressing, she screams and faints. Meanwhile, the monster goes to the Lapp encampment and destroys it: angered, the Lapps light flaming torches and – accompanied by Erik and Vance – follow it back to the spaceship. Here it picks up Diane, but before it can go far the Lapps throw their torches at it: the monster puts Diane down before, consumed by flame, it falls off a cliff. Shortly after Erik, Vance and Diane see a glowing ball depart the crash site "I wonder if they found out what they wanted to know?" ponders Vance: "Let's hope for better luck when we step foot on some other world." (See First Contact.) Diane and Erik walk off together as a romantic song plays.
Much is left unexplained, with the aliens' intentions not being clear: presumably the monster was controlled by the humanoids and, as they wanted to study Diane, she was not harmed; perhaps the monster commits acts of random violence if left to its own devices. The controlling of the monster and the examination of Diane (a mind-probe might be inferred) suggests the humanoids have Telepathic powers. Terror in the Midnight Sun is a dull film, with little more than thirty minutes of story: as it was made in English and much of the padding consists of scenery, skiing and other holiday pleasures, a boost to the Swedish tourist industry might be suspected. Whilst given a fairly strong personality early on, Diane ends up spending her time screaming and fainting (see Women in SF). The monster and special effects (a man in a suit destroying models) are unremarkable, but functional.
The film was sold to American producer Jerry Warren and – after editing – released in the USA as Invasion of the Animal People (1967), now only 55 minutes long though an eight-minute prologue was added. This begins with John Carradine as a scientist assuring us that "the main functions of science can be termed as primarily comprehension and control", but that if we fail to comprehend the "reality within ourselves ... then there can be no chance of any type of control". Nonetheless, "the stream of knowledge Evolution produces will become a powerful force, one easily able to conquer Time itself and the immeasurable distances of space". This is followed by a scene in a US city where Diane Wilson (an "average American girl living in a suburban community" Carradine assures us) is woken by the alien spaceship flying over and is subsequently picked up by the police wandering the streets in a confused state. Only then do we join the beginning of the original film, during which at least two more new scenes have been inserted, plus further Carradine narration. However, 55 minutes was too short for tv syndication, so it was then lengthened to 80 minutes by inserting a new scene after Diane was picked up by the police: here doctors discuss her case and – because there have been similar cases – conclude the cause was the UFO sighting that same night: this being "by far the most logical explanation". [SP]
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