XTRO

How about this flick?  XTRO is a really cool alien movie with an awesome storyline.  Husband is abducted by aliens and comes back years later to his family with the intent to procreate with  the human race.  This is a low-budget movie with an (almost) entirely English cast.  The thing I love about this movie is that the story is actually really good.  The acting in the movie is also really good.  1983 did not have many alien movies, (KRULL and Return Of The Jedi) so this one is worth talking about.  I just don't think this film became awesome until years later.

The cast is relatively unknown except for the beautiful, Maryam d'Abo.  She is absolutely stunning in this movie and has been in other notable movies such as The Living Daylights and  Dorian Gray.  The feel of this movie is very cool for the time.  The film soundtrack is absolutely overwhelming and over-the-top at times which adds that much more to the film.

And let's not forget about the unbelievable "rape" scene.  (SPOILER) The alien attacks a woman and impregnates her with its spawn.  This scene is years ahead of the scenes in Species.  This is truly and unforgettable scene that should not be missed!  As for the rest of the movie, it drags on a bit but still manages to keep you watching.  There are really weird parts of the movie with a midget clown and a life-size army man that keeps you scratching your head a bit but entertained, none-the-less.

XTRO is a great sci-fi horror movie that should not be looked over.  I just watched it again(for the millionth time) and it is still really cool.  Great scenes of 80's gore and horror reside in this movie but no real scares.  The movie is somewhat predictable but never-the-less an enjoying experience.  There is an XTRO 2 and 3 with a 4th film currently in the works.  If you are an 80's gore junkie like me, you will have this one in your collection!

American Werewolf in London

Wow, my third favorite werewolf movie.  Third, you ask!  Yes,  I know this is an Oscar-winning masterpiece that delivers on all levels, but I stand by The Howling 1 and 2.  Anyways, I digress, American Werewolf in London has everything: great acting, humor, unbelievable special effects, and a few legitimate scares.  This tried-and-true film is truly, one of the greatest werewolf movies ever made.

From the very beginning, this film is awesome.  The opening sequence is priceless as well as scary.  I mean, who can forget the Slaughtered Lamb Pub and its peculiar occupants?  The concept of the film for this particular genre is great: werewolf is cursed to be stalked by the ghost's of the people he kills.  This concept is truly original and has not been repeated in another werewolf movie, to my knowledge. The musical soundtrack is also another neat detail that Mr. Landis added.  Every song in the movie involves the word, "moon" in it.  Very clever, sir!

I could go on and on about this film,  let's start with the director; the legendary John Landis.   The visionary of such films as Animal House, Innocent Blood, and Thriller.  I salute this man for his extreme attention to detail, atmosphere, humor, casting, and SFX.  This guy is truly a legend.  His genius puts together an awesome cast of actors that never did that much more than this film. (save Frank Oz)

And how about the special effects?  From zombies to Nazi zombies to werewolf to gore, this film lays it down proper.  The werewolf in this film is, bar none, the most original and terrifying, werewolf on film.  Finally, let's not forget the epic transformation sequence.  While not as terrifying as the one in The Howling, this scene is mind-blowing from a technical stance.  I love this film and you should to.  If you have not seen it or have not seen it in a while, it's a great date movie.

The Beast within (1982)

Let me start by saying, this movie is pretty good but barely made it in my reviews.  The plot of the movie is really neat: Husband's wife gets attacked and raped by some type of weird creature.  Wife gets pregnant.  17 years later, wife's son is experiencing some inner changes he has little control over.  I love the plot, I do.  The movie starts out very cool but settles into the all-to-familiar rhythm of nothing really happening.  Still though, I will say this, there is enough plot twists and unexpected happenings to make the audience WANT to finish the movie.  Personally, I really like this film.  Never really got great ratings, but it is a great period movie of the very early 80's.  The movie almost has a made-for-TV feel with an excellent, over-the-top soundtrack that adds to the overall atmosphere.

There are not any really notable actors in this movie except for the lead played by the great, Ronny Cox.  He is known, of course, for his roles in Robocop, Total Recall, Deliverance, and Beverly Hills Cop.  With that being said, the acting is good but there are a lot of cliched moments of ignorance and oblivion from the characters.  This leads to a lot of gaps in the plot that you just have to roll with.

While this movie, by no means, is a classic (it fell under my radar for years) it has moments of coolness but no real terror.  As with other transformation-centered films of this era, this movie relies on some really good special effects as well as a fantastic climatic showcase of these effects.  If you ever watch this movie more than once, you will find yourself wanting to skip to the awesome transformation sequence near the end.  Reminiscent of The Howling, the special effects are really cool, but ultimately fail in the area of any true terror.

This movie wants to be terrifying and it tries hard but misses the mark.  However, you have to see it at least once because it is pretty cool.  This movie lies somewhere between an old school mystery, slasher, and werewolf movie. Overall, the final special effect scenes involving transformation and pretty cool kill scenes allow it to slide into a review spot.

The Howling (1981)

What can I say, this film is not only the greatest werewolf movie ever made, but it is a cinematic masterpiece.  Directed the same year as John Landis' American Werewolf In London, The Howling outshines on all levels of darkness, atmosphere, and scares.  The one area it does not do better than American Werewolf in London is its humor.  Though the movie tries it is not as deliberate as its competition.  With that being said, The Howling's intent was to be somewhat comical.  Thankfully, it turned out to be more terrifying than funny.

Joe Dante directed this film which is one of the reasons it is awesome.  Joe Dante is a master of horror most notable for films like Piranha, and Gremlins 1 and 2.  It is safe to say, Mr. Dante is seasoned in the area of creature special effects.  In the howling, Joe Dante turned werewolf movies on there ass with his vision of truly animalistic creatures that were not humanoid at all.  The special effects in this movie are, bar none, the coolest you will ever see. They do not make them like this anymore, folks.  Top that with incredibly dark cinematography, you have one scary film.

The acting in this movie is incredible.  There are so many cool people in this film it's ridiculous!  I'll start with the late, great Elisabeth Brooks. (Marcia Quist)  Her role as Marcia is unforgettable.  In my opinion, if you have read the original novel written by Gary Bradner, you will appreciate how Elisabeth brings the role of Marcia to life.  It is spot on.  Of course, let's not forget the legendary Dee Wallace.  Total babe, total scream queen of the 80's to the present.  Her presence in any movie to this day takes me right back to the terrified yet fearless heroin of this movie.

This movie will scare the hell out of you even if you have seen it a million times.  For those who have seen it, I dare you to turn the lights out and re-watch this masterpiece.  If you were born under a rock or are just really young, you have not lived until you have experienced The Howling.  Incidentally, this movie spawned a slew of sequels that are (arguably) pretty awesome in their own right.  One of these days I will showcase the entire series.

Metamorphosis:The Alien Factor (1990)

It doesn't get better that this!  I just finished watching this movie for the thousandth time.  However, I have not seen it in a good while.  If you are following my website, I love 80's Gore.com, this review is part of my look into the transformation movies of 80's.  This is an extremely low-budget movie that was actually made in 1990,  I am including it in my reviews because it is an 80's film, no matter what.  If you'll notice the header on the movie poster brags, "3D-Electronic Video Packaging!" If you were around to rent this when it came out, his eyes had glowing lights that were installed in the packaging!  How awesome is that!

The plot of the film is simple: Scientist gets bit by an alien he is studying, man slowly transforms into a hideous anteater/alligator-type monster!  Mayhem ensues properly!  The thing I love about this movie is the special effects.  Without them, there would be no movie.  For the time (and the budget) they are top notch and gross!  The level of detail put into the creatures and the kill scenes are really cool.  Another plus is the level of detail that went into the production sets.  This detail really makes you feel like your in some super-classified research facility somewhere.

Overall, the acting is horrible but tolerable.  This is not nessessarily a bad thing.  Campy acting goes perfect with the entire feel of the movie.  My question to you is, "Is it possible to re-create or emulate the feel of this type of movie and so many others from this era?" You will find me asking you this question from time to time.  This movie is that cool!  The cast is made up of nobody's but there is one notable character played by Dianna Flaherty.  She is notable for her roles in a couple REALLY BAD movies, Class Of Nukem High and Toxic Avenger.  I know, I just called those two movies REALLY BAD!  Again, that is not a bad thing.  In the future, I will explore Troma.  I digress, though.

If you have not seen or heard of Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor, I suggest and recommend you give it a shot.  If you love low-budget 80's gore as much as I do, you must include this gem in your movie collection.

Curse II: The Bite (1989)

Welcome to my very first blog!  This movie is awesome on so many levels.  You can't go wrong with a plot like this: Man gets bit by radioactive snake, hand turns into snake, snake hand kills people, man  now on the run with girlfriend.  All of this leading up to an epic conclusion involving, in my opinion, one of the best transformation sequences on film.  I know, that is a bold statement seeing that I am indeed comparing this scene with the likes of The Howling, to name just one. However, I stand by this statement as the final climatic ending to this film is truly terrifying.

Curse II is a true gem in 80's movie gore. Made in 1989, Curse II is an unrelated sequel to another awesome movie, The Curse.  1989 is a year of other incredible horror movies that would start to dwindle going into the 90's.  Actually, there are several awesome transformation movies from 1989. (Metamorphosis:The Alien Factor, Howling V, Leviathan, Tetsuo: The Iron man.)  I'm getting off track though.  Curse II was a straight to video movie that floated under the radar; my kind of movie.  The acting is good for this type of movie with some pretty good actors in it.  Jamie Farr is the most well known actor, who is famous for his long-time role in MASH.  However, the real star of the movie is Scream Queen, Jill Schoelen, who is famous for her roles in The Stepfather, Cutting Class, and Popcorn.

The overall pace of the movie is pretty good.  Jamie Farr's role as the traveling salesman as well as Beef the trucker (and the other truckers) adds a bit of comedic element that works.  Overall, it is a well-paced movie that leaves all the great content until the  end.  When the ending does come, it is truly a site to see.  The climax of this movie is terrifying.  Terrifying is a word I do not just throw around, but the ending of this movie deserves such praise.  Scared the crap out of me as a young boy.  If you have not seen this movie and you love 80's gore as much as I do, find it and watch it.  The cool thing is you can get this movie from amazon bundled with the original Curse movie on one disk.