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The Outer Limits
S1.E11
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
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IMDbPro

It Crawled Out of the Woodwork

  • Episode aired Dec 9, 1963
  • 51m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
792
YOUR RATING
The Outer Limits (1963)
DramaFantasyHorrorMysterySci-FiThriller

A dustball caught in a vacuum cleaner gives birth to a mindless energy creature, which a research director uses to mercilessly exert unconditional control over his staff.A dustball caught in a vacuum cleaner gives birth to a mindless energy creature, which a research director uses to mercilessly exert unconditional control over his staff.A dustball caught in a vacuum cleaner gives birth to a mindless energy creature, which a research director uses to mercilessly exert unconditional control over his staff.

  • Director
    • Gerd Oswald
  • Writers
    • Joseph Stefano
    • Leslie Stevens
  • Stars
    • Scott Marlowe
    • Kent Smith
    • BarBara Luna
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    792
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gerd Oswald
    • Writers
      • Joseph Stefano
      • Leslie Stevens
    • Stars
      • Scott Marlowe
      • Kent Smith
      • BarBara Luna
    • 23User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

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    Top cast12

    Edit
    Scott Marlowe
    Scott Marlowe
    • Jory Peters
    Kent Smith
    Kent Smith
    • Dr. Bloch
    BarBara Luna
    BarBara Luna
    • Gaby Christian
    • (as Barbara Luna)
    Michael Forest
    Michael Forest
    • Prof. Stuart Peters
    Joan Camden
    Joan Camden
    • Prof. Stephanie Linden
    Ted de Corsia
    Ted de Corsia
    • New Sentry
    Gene Darfler
    Gene Darfler
    • Warren Edgar Morley
    Tom Palmer
    Tom Palmer
    • Coroner
    Edward Asner
    Edward Asner
    • Detective Sgt. Thomas Siroleo
    Bob Johnson
    • NORCO Intercom Voice
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Lea Marmer
    Lea Marmer
    • Cleaning Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin
    • Control Voice
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gerd Oswald
    • Writers
      • Joseph Stefano
      • Leslie Stevens
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    7.2792
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    10

    Featured reviews

    9Sleepin_Dragon

    What the fluff.

    A cleaner at a research Centre hoovers up a piece of dust, which for no fathomable reason transforms into a mindless, shapeless killing machine, rather than destroy it, The Director at The Centre uses it for his own purposes.

    Some episodes are bizarre, this one is downright zany, but you have got to hand it to writer Joseph Stefano, he absolutely nailed it, to take something so inconsequential as a dust ball and turns it into such a destructive force, that took some doing.

    This is definitely one of my favourites, I loved the many thoughts about energy, some very interesting ideas about how destructive a force it can be, and one that must be endured.

    Expect lots of pyrotechnics and the appropriate special effects for the time, with a limited budget they made it look pretty good.

    I thought Ed Asner was terrific as Sergeant Siroleo, a prolific, talented, much missed actor, someone I always picture as a villain, but he played the part of the straight talking cop very well.

    One of the best, 9/10.
    7elo-equipamentos

    An unknown creature of utter energy of a dust shape !!!

    Weird episode over two brothers who goes to California to works at Norco, a center of studies and research of experimental physics, the old brother Dr. Stuart was hire, however he was induced to enter in a narrow passageway that ends up in a pit, two doors control the access, suddenly the last door opens and release an unknown creature of utter energy of a dust shape, he died of fear, it was appeared on the lab out from nowhere, therefore the director Dr. Bloch got to rise again with a special cardiac peacemaker, but no longer as a usual human being, the young brother Jory Peters received a sudden visit of the disappeared, after a little chat on the bathroom he feels that his brother is too shallow and odd, Dr. Stuart fell down in bathtub, in contact with water he receives an electric discharge from the peacemaker and going to die, aftermath on the lab the Seargent Siroleo has been making his regular inquire, then Jory appears later, together they can solve the murders and what's really was the unrestrained creature!!!

    Resume:

    First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7
    6claudio_carvalho

    The Law of Conservation of Energy

    Prof. Stuart Peters is hired by NORCO physics research center and his younger brother Jory Peters drives him to California in his car. They receive a strange note from the security guard warning them that the place is doomed. On the next morning, Stuart has a short interview with Dr. Bloch that takes him to Prof. Stephanie Linden´s laboratory since they will work together. Stephanie closes Stuart in a corridor and releases an energy-being; Stuart has a heart attack and dies. Meanwhile Jory lodges in a nearby hotel and feels worried with the disappearance of Stuart. Out of the blue, Stuart returns with a pacemaker but he accidentally slips and fall into a bathtub being electrocuted by the device. Detective Sgt. Thomas Siroleo is in charge of the investigation but in accordance with the autopsy, there is something strange in the death of Stuart. Now he will investigate the mystery.

    "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" is a reasonable episode of "The Outer Limits", with the storyline of an energy monster accidentally created in a power plant and the insanity of its creator. Unfortunately the intriguing storyline is wasted by a confused screenplay. My vote is six.

    Title (Brazil): "Ele Veio das Profundezas do Inferno" ("It Has Come from the Depth of Hell")
    StuOz

    Shades of The Smoke Monster from Lost (2004)

    Yet another energy being creates death and terror.

    This series was beginning to repeat itself in plots and the lead actor (Scott Marlowe) is now way too associated with another Limits episode (The Forms Of Things Unknown) where he played a much more memorable/colourful character: "Andre".

    I am so glad that shows like The Outer Limits and QM's The Invaders had a massive parade of guest stars each week, it gave the shows variety in faces on the screen, the only negative side to that is that both shows often demanded each guest star come back for a second or third episode playing a totally different character in the same series. Not a big issue but in the case of "Woodwork" this got on my nerves.

    "Woodwork" might not be a favourite but it is still good entertainment.
    10joesoundman

    The Scariest One Of All

    I was 8 when this show aired. All of us kids in the neighborhood were nearly traumatized by it every week yet couldn't not watch it. Yet nothing but nothing terrorized me more than the truly alien "life form" of this episode. As frightening as the Zanti Misfits were, this is the only thing from my entire childhood besides Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West that actually gave me nightmares. Superbly imaginative rendering of a thing as truly alien and terrorizing as could be. The film noir and desolate presentation is reminiscent of Carpenter's "The Thing".

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although Jory Peters is said to be 20 years old, Scott Marlowe was already 31 when this episode was made.
    • Goofs
      Detective Sgt. Siroleo (Ed Asner) doesn't appear to have a concealed gun. It would be useless against the creature, but at many menacing moments by Humans and the creature (before he is aware of its nature), and particularly when he is trapped behind a door with a glass window, he fails to produce one and always acts as if he is unarmed.
    • Quotes

      Control Voice: His name is Warren Edgar Morley. For the past six months, he has guarded this gate from eight in the morning until six at night, at which time he is replaced by another just like himself. These are the last few moments of his life.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Daystar Productions
      • Villa Di Stefano
      • United Artists Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 51m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1
      • 4:3

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