Bill Farrell ((Tom Tryon) was having a last drinking spree with some pals, the night before his wedding. But the next day, Bill arrives late to the church, and on the honeymoon he seems strangely preoccupied and distant. His new bride, Marge (Gloria Talbot), is a bit worried by her husband's sudden change, but tries to keep going as if nothing has happened. But a year passes, and Bill is still acting weird -- so, for that matter, are his pals.

One night (after the mystery deaths of a couple of animals), Marge follows Bill into the woods -- only to see a strange glowing alien emerge from his body and enter a spaceship. Terrified, Marge tries to get help, but she has no way of knowing who's an alien and who isn't. And when she learns why the aliens have come, and why they've impersonated human males, she enlists the help of the remaining humans to help her.

"I Married A Monster" is an example of story triumphing over budgets and special effects. While the script isn't flawless (if the aliens can't tolerate alcohol, why doesn't Marge use that as a test?), the gradual buildup of tension, and the feeling of helplessness, is wonderfully done. Things as small as stumbling over a dead cat are imbued with horror, and the "less is more" exposure of the aliens in their true forms adds a great low-key tone to it. The special effects and costumes, though primitive by current standards, are surprisingly convincing.

One of the best aspects of this film is the handling of the aliens. They're not evil, just desperate to perpetuate their own kind. They're not invading for its own sake; they have a motive. But at the same time, they are clearly not acting acceptably, since they also kill off some humans (a young woman at a bar, and a nosy lech). Still, it's hard not to feel a pang when any of the aliens die, or when "Tom" explains their plight. Another nice touch is one of the aliens looking wistfully into a shop window.

Tryon does an excellent job, since he has to play an alien pretending to be a human -- cold, stiff, and a bit off-key. He does it wonderfully, with the right tinge of emotion when it's needed. Talbot does an equally good job. It would be too easy to make Marge an over-the-top hysteric, but she keeps the character reined in, so you can feel her panic.

It's a smart, well-written movie, like "Invasion of the Body-Snatchers" but with more suspense and more three-dimensional aliens. Recommended highly -- don't let the title scare you away.

A young newlywed woman comes to realize that her husband is not the man she married- (I know, I know) literally. But this movie deals less with wide-scale paranoia than with one woman's struggle for identity, even as she wonders about her husband's (Like, for example, if he and their baby are monsters from outer space.)

One extra level to the movie which is adequately but not sufficiently dealt with is the question of who, really, are the bad guys. The aliens kill to keep their secret, but are almost sympathetic. They impersonate earthmen to carry on their race and may even treat their wives more compassionately AFTER they are taken over by aliens, whereas before they could not wait to leave them and go sit in the local tavern. An interesting twist, and one which could come off as preachy, but manages not to because the story moves at a pretty good clip and there's enough monster action to drown out secondary things like messages or character development. (Ahem.)

IMAMFOS boasts wonderful sci-fi music, a good amount of fine special effects and a shoot-'em up action climax where the members of a small town band together against the invaders. Bonus points for a shaggy hound dog figuring into the proceedings.

See also: It Came From Outer Space; Astronaut's Wife was a semi-remake, but ... yuck.