1985
Directed by Don Dohler
Written by Don Dohler, Ann Frith & David W Donoho
Starring George Stover, Richard Ruxton & Don Leifert
Tag Lines:
It Came From A Galaxy Far, Far Away. An Alien Explorer -- It's Mission ... TO SURVIVE!
It Came From A Galaxy Far, Far Away. An Alien Explorer -- It's Mission ... TO KILL!
Alien menace terrorizes trailer-trash rednecks!
Alternate Titles:
Εισβολεας απο αλλο γαλαξια (Invader From Another Galaxy) Greece
"The greatest scientific discovery of our time is being lassoed by rednecks!"
- Dr. William Tracy
When I think of "regional" genre films, Don Dohler immediately pops into my head. Dohler, the creator of CineMagic Magazine, wrote and directed a number of low to no budget schlockers all made in the Baltimore, MD area.
The Galaxy Invader is yet another movie that I used to eyeball at Video Paradise. The box art (above) was at once wonky and yet captivating. On the flip side of the box was a screen shot of the Invader in the woods holding his gun. I actually did not end up renting this one until I started working there after high school. The first time I watched it, I'll admit I wasn't completely sold on it. I was expecting the alien to land and start a massacre. What I got instead was a bunch of rednecks hunting down the poor guy so they can sell him. His weapon is of the most interest to the good ol' boys, who want to sell it to Russia for a million dollars.
 |
| The most expensive thing in this movie...... |
There are several scenes that are worth the price of admission, including a shoot-out between the Invader and a the group of rednecks that gather to hunt him. His weapon, which consists of what looks like a Nintendo Zapper (the light gun that came with the system) and a styrofoam ball that glows and flashes. Once The Galaxy Invader opens fire, you realized just how down-and-dirty-DIY this film really is. Essentially the projectiles are nothing more than Roman Candles being fired at the actors. Hilarious stuff.
The Invader costume is fairly impressive for a film of this budget (clearly that's where most of the money went....the costume!) it's a standard rubber suit complete with wobbly rubber toes and fingers that bend and shake when he's walking or running about. He's kinda a humanoid reptile/plant looking type of guy with skin that looks like a green tree with dutch elm disease.
 |
| Gatherin' up the posse. Oh yeah....that guy wears the ripped shirt through the WHOLE film... |
Midnight Cinephile Tally
Body Count: Okay, well it's hard to tell because the shootout in the woods is really poorly lit and it was hard to tell who died and who just ran away.....but if I had to venture a guess, I'd say the total body count is around 9!
Boob Count: No dice, Hondo.
Beast Count: Here you got one bona-fide Galaxy Invader!
Final Thoughts
If you go into this expecting a Night Beast kind of flick, you're barking up the wrong tree. If you're looking for something with terrible dialog, questionable special effects and quite possibly one of the most hilarious endings ever committed to celluloid, then this is your flick. It especially helps if you are a fan of "regional" films and like lots of static shots of the woods.
Final Score
Three out of Five Pizza Rolls
No comments:
Post a Comment