For a cult movie of the 80's I expected more
OK, people remember this movie as one of the great of the 80's, a movie
that represents horror movies in that period. Well, maybe it does, but I didn't like it. Asshole characters, every one of them, trying to act cool before an infestation of alien creatures. There were a lot of things that could have been done better. One of them was the convergence of slasher horror (the mad axe murderer) and the alien monster horror. It didn't really happen. Also, it had a lot of fun scenes, clearly meant to ironize some of the previous productions, but it just fell on deaf ears if the end was just a recipe monster flamethrower ending. Bottom line: I want more and I be damn if I am not going to get it! (Leaving home packing axe and alien larvae). 
Perfect campy 80s gorror
Space slugs? Check. Zombies (with exploding heads)? Check. Axe
murderers? Check. Zombie axe murderers? Check. Zombie cats and dogs? Check! Flamethrowers, shotguns, lawnmowers as weapons? Check, check, check! This is the quintessential 80s camp horror gore-fest flick. It's perfect in its own way, though it's not without its problems. The opening sequence showing the origin of the space slugs is, well, ridiculous, and actually totally unnecessary, especially in light of the 1959 prologue to the main story, which is in black-and-white, even though the opening scene with the space slug origin is in color. The director's cut of the end is also pretty unnecessary and only works when paired with the also unnecessary opening. But this is just nitpicking. The first half of the movie is painfully slow as the relationships between who end up being the main protagonists during the mass zombie invasion build, but this is all classic 80s fare. There are relatively few "scares" in the first half, which is really the biggest problem. Never mind the laughable dialogue, wooden acting, and gaping plot holes: it's par for the course! When the second half of the movie gets under way, things really start cooking. There are more exploding zombie heads than you can keep track of, and there are some really classic moments. The gore effects are perfect for this genre of film and there are some really classic one- liners (example: Detective Cameron: "I've got good news and bad news. Good news is... your dates are here." Sorority girl: "What's the bad news?" Cameron: "...They're dead."). This campy classic combines elements of zombie invasion, the alien experiment, teen scream/prom date horror, college slasher, and more to craft a perfectly terrible classic. Even though a lot of this film "sucks" in terms of true cinematic appraisal, it's perfect if you're a fan of cult horror and campy gore from the golden days of American horror.. |
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