"the film is not out to win any awards, it's simply there to entertain and in the most energetically gruesome fashion possible"
-Cool Ass Cinema
As soon as i saw this movie was added to SHUDDER, i knew i had to watch it immediately. Practical effects aliens? 1983 New Jersey? that amazingly high def poster? all signs point to fuck yes, and a 10/10 movie.
The Deadly Spawn is a 1983 American science fiction horror film directed by Douglas McKeown and starring Charles George Hildebrandt. In some territories, the film's title was changed to Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn or The Return of the Alien's Deadly Spawn in an attempt to cash in on the worldwide success of Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. Two campers in the New Jersey woods have their outdoor fun interrupted by the arrival of a meteorite crashing nearby. They go to investigate the crater, but are suddenly attacked and devoured by alien parasites who have hitched a ride to Earth. After finishing off the campers, the hungry space monsters head for a nearby town, where they make their domain in the basement of an old house soon begin polishing off one hapless inhabitant after another. Four young teenagers, plus one pre-teen boy, try to find a way to stop the angry space monsters before they reproduce and literally eat humanity.
a lot of movies like this would normally lean into horror comedy territory to disguise/excuse the low budget, but i was surprised at just how seriously this movie takes itself. Its opening scene is surprisingly haunting even with the bad acting, and the crazy Practical alien effects get you hyped to see them more close up. Every actor in this movie is taking there job 100% seriously and giving an equally serious no nonsense performance, and i cant decide if that lack of fun is a good or bad thing. The poster suggests a big cheesy colorful wacky 80s horror movie, and this movie really doesn't fit under that description. this is no KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, its a lot closer in tone to Hertzog's NOSFERATU. its strangely surreal at times which i find endless interesting, but its far to flimsy to ever be regarded as a cult favorite of hidden gem.
It reminds of of the seemingly endless talking in early sci-fi films of the 50s and 60s, and the characters we are supposed to give a shit about are totally uninteresting. All of the pho smart guy talk gets old real fast, and you spend a lot of time praying for another nasty alien kill scene. there is no real suspense, no real mystery or intrigue, your just stuck at your weird aunts house for way to long. sometimes it works, such as the interview with a horror loving kid, but that's only sometimes.
i probably could have told you this without ever watching this movie, but the best part by far is the alien creature and its nasty nasty kills. the effects for this movie must have taken most if not all of the budget, and the shear number of variety in this movies effects is beyond impressive. a woman getting her face ripped of, half a torso being eaten, countless versions and evolutions of the alien creature, a worm autopsy, a skull being picked clean, and so much more. all of the blood is fire engine red, but the effects are so incredible i really don't care. Its not just all the blood and guts i love about this movie, its how they are shot. all of the shots in the basement of the house (where the creature lives for most of the movie) are amazingly freaky, and its clear this movie was helmed by a talented director who knows how to scare you. this movie is full of over the top sound cues, but the horror largely comes with no music at all which i love. i often find horror is far more effective when its downplayed, and this movie is a fine example. most of the time.
So what do you get when you remove all of the fun and charm from an 80s movie and crank the gore up to 11?
a mostly boring movie with Picasso level effects
7/10
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