Corpus Earthling

Paul Cameron (Robert Culp) finds himself between a rock and a hard place. With the presence of a metal plate in his head due to a war injury.

Cameron a surgeon goes to see his wife Laurie who works for a geologist named Dr Temple. He has been studying two new rocks in his laboratory.

Cameron somehow manages to hear these two alien rocks talking about taking over the world. Realising that he has heard them, the alien rocks compel Cameron to try and kill himself but his wife Laura comes to the rescue.

Eventually the alien beings inside the rock enter human bodies. The plan is to kill Cameron as he is on vacation in Mexico. Thinking he is suffering from hallucinations and needed a break.

The plot is a variation of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The kind of face hugger alien blobs might have been an influence on Ridley Scott.

The story is something that has already become a staple of The Outer Limits. The body horror effects does make it unsettling.

At first, when two rubbery rocks on a shelf start talking to each other like Pinky and The Brain, I thought this was going to be the wooden spoon episode of the season. But once the alien possession plot begins in earnest, this episode quickly improves. In fact the last act is quite frighteningly intense and comes to a bravely downbeat conclusion.

Salome Jens gives a terrific performance. The alien creatures true form may be an obvious puppet but thanks to its scuttling quick movement, its appearances are good shock moments. The film noir look is perfectly achieved and helps make this low budget TV series look a lot more cinematic and scary. Far from the weakest, this has become one of my favourites of the first season.

Robert Culp stars as Dr. Paul Cameron, who inadvertently learns of an alien invasion being planned by two sentient rocks(really polymorphic alien parasites with the ability to control minds and assault, then take over human bodies as hosts) when a lab explosion gives him a concussion. After leaving the hospital, Paul takes his wife(and lab assistant) Laurie to Mexico, where a colleague of theirs(played by Barry Atwater) has been possessed by one of the alien rocks, and wants to get them both, before taking on the world... Good acting and atmosphere just about mask the vague plot and silly premise, though this is still quite grim and serious.

Scientist Doctor Paul Cameron suffers a mishap in his laboratory, the result leaves him with the ability of being able to hear the conversations if two rocks, which happen to be alien beings with plans to take over The World.

I got about five minutes in, and honestly wondered if I could get through it, but I was told to stick with it, and gladly I did, it actually turned out to be a cracking episode. The plot may seem somewhat ludicrous, but trust me, this one works very well

It's hugely at atmospheric, it looks great. There are actually some very fine horror moments here to enjoy, that initial scene where the creature takes ahold of its victim is pretty bleak.

I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of Dr Who story, The Hand of Fear, with Tom Baker, that would transmit over a decade later, a very similar storyline.

Very solid acting, Robert Culp in particular plays the part of Paul with such sincerity.

Very good.

8/10.

The geologist Dr. Jonas Temple keeps two rocks in his laboratory without knowing that they are indeed alien invaders that plan to slave the human race. When Dr. Paul Cameron, who has a metal plate implanted in his skull, arrives at Temple´s laboratory, he overhears the conversation of the alien rocks. They try to force Cameron to commit suicide, but he is saved by his wife Laurie. Cameron believes he is deranged and travels to rest with Laurie to Tijuana in a second honeymoon. But the rocks sends D. Temple to hunt them down.

"Corpus Earthling" is so far the silliest episode of "The Outer Limits". The idea of alien beings that resemble rocks does not work. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Corpus Terreno" ("Corpus Earthling")