Ok, this time around we have two great under-appreciated gems from 1983, Xtro and The Deadly Spawn.
Before I jump into that, I do want to gleefully relate that both Phantasm and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead are being re-released on special edition DVD in April. I can't wait. The week that that occurs is going to be awesome, because, on the 6th Grindhouse comes out, and then on the 10th the Phantasm movies come out on DVD. Beautiful. Keep that shit marked on your calendars.
Title: Xtro
Director: Henry Bromley Davenport
Year: 1983
Holy shit yes. I'm not going to waste a whole lot of time defending this movie, because it really needs little defending. This British alien-among-us film goes exactly where you want a film like this to go: to a very, very slimy place. I think the thing that I love most about horror and sci-fi films from the 1980's is the creature/special makeup effects. While I think CGI can look incredible, and I won't knock the versatility that comes with the technology there's something much more visceral about seeing a swelling prosthetic penis-thing covered in slime and attempting to…uh…conjugate with a screaming woman. A real swelling slimy prosthetic, in real time. That's what I love about films from the 80s. There's always a HUGE gross-out factor with any creature effect. And that's what I like. From the (I imagine infamous) woman-giving-birth-to-a-full-grown-man scene, to the aforementioned slimy members, to a slew of other bizarre prosthetic effects, Xtro delivers exactly what one wants: an extremely complex and inexplicable alien life-cycle that certainly rivals Ridley Scott's Alien and with way more sex. Way way more sex. I guess it's sort of the 1980's equivalent of Species, except the alien is a creepy British dude. Decent production values, and generally above-average performances all around (including a surprisingly non-irritating child character) work together with the great special effects and deliberately mystifying plot. The DVD I have also contains an alternate ending. Both endings are creepy, although I prefer the theatrical ending for the slime factor. Altogether awesome. Underrated, unknown, but highly recommended. There's nudity too, if you're into that.
Title: The Deadly Spawn
Director: Douglas McKeown
Year: 1983
Once again, holy shit yes. This low-budget American movie deserves cult status if it doesn't have it already. A thoroughly disgusting alien, lots of gore, and some over-the-top sensibilities similar to Peter Jackson's Bad Taste combine to make a satisfying experience for the lover of trashy horror/sci-fi. As in the above review, I was surprised by the quality performances, and the fact that The Deadly Spawn manages to unobtrusively slip in some unique character development throughout that lets it stand slightly above mere low-budget status. I particularly liked the subtextual debate between science and 'imagination' that went on through the film, with the message that science can't advance without imaginative people. Also, people get their heads eaten off. And the skin on their faces eaten off. And their limbs devoured. And aliens come bursting out of corpses, or devour the brains out of skulls. And bite old women in the head. Ad infinitum. This movie rules, if a reviewer may take liberties to make such a statement. The creature effects and makeup effects are particularly well-done, and the ending is excellent. I personally didn't see it coming. All around a satisfying movie for those who watch movies to satisfy their violent urges. Like myself.
Before I jump into that, I do want to gleefully relate that both Phantasm and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead are being re-released on special edition DVD in April. I can't wait. The week that that occurs is going to be awesome, because, on the 6th Grindhouse comes out, and then on the 10th the Phantasm movies come out on DVD. Beautiful. Keep that shit marked on your calendars.
Title: XtroDirector: Henry Bromley Davenport
Year: 1983
Holy shit yes. I'm not going to waste a whole lot of time defending this movie, because it really needs little defending. This British alien-among-us film goes exactly where you want a film like this to go: to a very, very slimy place. I think the thing that I love most about horror and sci-fi films from the 1980's is the creature/special makeup effects. While I think CGI can look incredible, and I won't knock the versatility that comes with the technology there's something much more visceral about seeing a swelling prosthetic penis-thing covered in slime and attempting to…uh…conjugate with a screaming woman. A real swelling slimy prosthetic, in real time. That's what I love about films from the 80s. There's always a HUGE gross-out factor with any creature effect. And that's what I like. From the (I imagine infamous) woman-giving-birth-to-a-full-grown-man scene, to the aforementioned slimy members, to a slew of other bizarre prosthetic effects, Xtro delivers exactly what one wants: an extremely complex and inexplicable alien life-cycle that certainly rivals Ridley Scott's Alien and with way more sex. Way way more sex. I guess it's sort of the 1980's equivalent of Species, except the alien is a creepy British dude. Decent production values, and generally above-average performances all around (including a surprisingly non-irritating child character) work together with the great special effects and deliberately mystifying plot. The DVD I have also contains an alternate ending. Both endings are creepy, although I prefer the theatrical ending for the slime factor. Altogether awesome. Underrated, unknown, but highly recommended. There's nudity too, if you're into that.
Title: The Deadly SpawnDirector: Douglas McKeown
Year: 1983
Once again, holy shit yes. This low-budget American movie deserves cult status if it doesn't have it already. A thoroughly disgusting alien, lots of gore, and some over-the-top sensibilities similar to Peter Jackson's Bad Taste combine to make a satisfying experience for the lover of trashy horror/sci-fi. As in the above review, I was surprised by the quality performances, and the fact that The Deadly Spawn manages to unobtrusively slip in some unique character development throughout that lets it stand slightly above mere low-budget status. I particularly liked the subtextual debate between science and 'imagination' that went on through the film, with the message that science can't advance without imaginative people. Also, people get their heads eaten off. And the skin on their faces eaten off. And their limbs devoured. And aliens come bursting out of corpses, or devour the brains out of skulls. And bite old women in the head. Ad infinitum. This movie rules, if a reviewer may take liberties to make such a statement. The creature effects and makeup effects are particularly well-done, and the ending is excellent. I personally didn't see it coming. All around a satisfying movie for those who watch movies to satisfy their violent urges. Like myself.
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