Arctic researchers discover a huge, frozen alien inside a crash-landed UFO, who emerges from icy captivity to terrorize humans.

In the midst of a snowfield in Antarctica, the scientists and workers of a small American research base are shocked when a helicopter begins to circle their camp, chasing and shooting at a dog. The helicopter is destroyed and the passenger's aboard are killed. The dog is let into the base. The helicopter is Norweign made and probably linked with the base that is close by. J.R. MacReady travels to the Norweigan base and finds the place destroyed. He...