It's still a chilling picture, gaining over Phil Kaufman's smart remake by virtue of its intimate small town setting, and it has one of the greatest endings ever filmed.
– Tom Charity,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
Don Siegel's superb little effort, with its matter-of-fact isolation of hero Kevin McCarthy (ironic, no?) from the smarmy complacency of a small town gone to hell -- and way beyond -- points the way to his gripping action films of the 60s and 70s.
– Don Druker,
Chicago Reader,
30 May 2007
fresh:
This tense, offbeat piece of science-fiction is occasionally difficult to follow due to the strangeness of its scientific premise. Action nevertheless is increasingly exciting.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
26 Nov 2008
fresh:
Few modern-day movies are more genuinely frightening.
– Joe Morgenstern,
Wall Street Journal,
23 Oct 2010
fresh:
This modest, sci-fi-inflected 1956 horror movie may come to be seen as the defining metaphorical work of the twentieth century.