They came to Earth one evening, their landing witnessed by one little boy. The extraterrestrials were large, ugly creatures, ruled by a glass-enclosed, tentacled "brain." And they were doing something strange to the population of the small, American town.

Viewed even decades later, the 1953 film, "Invaders From Mars," has a nightmarish, frantic quality, ranking it as a science fiction classic. It has attracted a cult following, despite the hokiness of the special effects and the glitches in costuming; when one of the Martians ran away, you could see the zipper in the suit.

The child star of the film was Hunt, now 46, a Simi Valley resident. He was 12 years old when the movie was made. It was his first and only starring role.

Hunt played in a number of movies as a youngster, then left it all behind, apparently with regret, to pursue sports in school.

But the past has a way of catching up with you: The Martians are returning, in a remake of the film, and Hunt has been offered a part in the new version - the role of chief of police, one of the larger, non-principle speaking parts.

Just this month, director Tobe Hooper began shooting scenes for the new version of "Invaders from Mars." Hooper, director of "Life Force," "The Texas Chainsaw Masacre" and "Poltergeist" (filmed in Simi Valley), is shooting the "Invaders" remake in Malibu and in a rugged area south of the Ventura freeway, just east of the Ventura County line.

The movie is being made by Cannon Films Inc., with executive producers Menachem Goaln and Yoram Globus. The screenplay is by Dan O'Brien and Don Jacoby, based on the by John Tucker Battle and Richard Blake.

Principle actors in the film are Karen Black as Linda Magnuson, school nurse; Hunter Carson (Black's son), playing Hunt's old role as the young boy; Laraine Newman and Timothy Bottoms as Ellen And George Gardner, the boy's parents; and Louise Fletcher as Mrs. McKeltch, a schoolteacher.

Hooper apparently is from the school of directors that find a sense of fun in tipping their hat to the old touches of the horror-science fiction genre.

Not only is Hunt tapped to play a new role in the remake, but a number of other film references abound in Hooper's film; the mailbox on the Gardner house, for example, gives the city as "Santa Mira" - the anme of the town in the even more classic "Invasion from Mars." Both films had a similar spirit, in that people became possessed by the unearthly.

"It's like going back in time a little," Hunt said in an interview recently at his Simi Valley home. "It's been 32 years."

Hunt likened the invitation to act in the movie "like playing your first Little League game again. It's a lark.

"But," he hastened to add, "I'm not quitting my job."

About four years ago, Hunt was contacted by Scot Holton and Robert Skotak, who were writing a definitive article on "Invaders from Mars." The duo interviewed Hunt, and during the interview, the trio joked about the possibility of Hunt playing in a remake of the movie.

Jests have a way on turning into reality, as Hunt discovered. And, ironically, Holton also is connected with the remake production, as a publicist for the film. (Given his own long-term efforts in trying to get a remake made, he was a natural for the publicity job.)

Hunt might not have landed the role if a friend of his hadn't called the "Invaders" production company several times and insisted they put Hunt into the film in a cameo.

And now it's going to be more than a cameo - a full-fledged speaking role. "I'm not too nervous about it now," Hunt said. "But when I get on the set, I'll be as nervous as can be."

Hunt's first film role was in "High Barbaree," where at age 6 he played Van Johnson as a young boy. His grammar school was only six blocks away from the studio, and it seemed natural for a Hollywood lad to test for the movies.

When they needed a young boy, Hunt was on the spot; he was one of the youngsters in the Clifton Webb-Myrna Loy film, "Cheaper by the Dozen." And he was Ronald Reagen's son in a movie called "Louisa."

He was a Western kid in "Lone Hand" and "Saddle Tramp" with Joel McCrea, one of Hunt's personal favorite actors.

In "The Fuller Brush Man" with Red Skelton, he was "the mean little kid."

"I never studied acting," said Hunt.

He was a natural, as children often are.

Hunt developed an interest in sports, and often went on film interviews right after games, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "And that was what they were looking for - the natural look."

Hunt said he hated his curly hair and freckles, but the all-American boy appearance was what the studios sought.

And Hunt had his share of knocks, a veteran of injuries before he hit his teen years. He had his foot broken in one Western movie, and broke his arm in a film with Van Heflin called "Weekend with Father."

"We decided to jump backward in a potato sack," said Hunt, explaining how he and Heflin managed to tip themselves over and fracture, accidentally, Hunt's arm.

"But they made a special sling, and I finished the movie."

Eventually, Hunt became reluctant to take the five or six weeks off school for filming each project, and then try to fit back in later with the other students. And he missed summer vacations; when other were playing, he had to work.

"I just wanted to be a kid," he said.

He began declining roles in junior and senior high.

Today, Hunt is a sales manager for Southwest Industrial Tools and Supplies. His territory is the southwestern United States, and he has a number of salespeople working under him.

"'Invaders' was my first big starring role. My name was up there," Hunt said.

The movie was shot at Republic Studios, on a stage that contained Hunt's house, the sand pits where the Martians landed, and other sets of the movie.

"The movie was shot in three to 3 1/2 weeks," Hunt said. "It was the hardest job I've ever done. They expect a lot out of you."

"They didn't know how to end that movie until the last day," said Hunt, recalling the 1953 production.

"It was the ultimate child's nightmare," he said, describing the plot. "Someone is after you, and no one wants to believe you. And then they're on 'their' side."

There were some special problems associated with the original "Invaders from Mars." First, they had to convey the idea of a Martian "brain," which turned out to be a lady midget with a frame and tentacles around her.

"I don't know how they did it," confessed Hunt.

They also needed a couple of real big guys, around 8-feet-tall (one weighing about 475 pounds) to play - what else? - Martians. Padding and lifts added to the illusion.

Problem was, recalled Hunt, "you could see the zipper up the back when they ran away. They glued bulging eyes on them, and they couldn't see, so they banged into things."

Another illusion was created when the smaller of two "giants" carried a midget dressed in a soldier's outfit to create the big and little contrast of Martian vs. Human.

"It was one of my most memorable movies," said Hunt. "There were better movies I was in, like 'cheaper by the Dozen,' but none that people remember better. People will come up to me and say, 'don't I know you? And they'll remember me as the little kid."

"Invaders from Mars" evokes some of the scariest fears of childhood - the idea that people might change and turn against you.

"The mood was very bleak," Hunt recalled about the film. "There were stark trees, without leaves. They used high angles, to show a kids perspective."

Hunt says his part in the remake is a one-shot deal; he has no interest in reviving his film career. He is devoted to his family - "my wife, Roswitha, is the best part of my life."

Still, there's a great deal of anticipation about the upcoming movie.

"My family, especially the kids, are excited about it," said Hunt.

His children, however, don't want to go into the movies themselves. His oldest son, Randy, has been involved in a mission in Korea for the Mormon Church. His other son, Ron, plays football and runs track for Simi Valley High School.

The family has developed its roots in Simi Valley, a place that, ironically, continues to be a haven for films crews seeking the look of "Anytown, USA."

Hunt said he's happy here: "I don't know of any other city I want them (his children) to grow up in."