I saw this curious gem on late night TV back in the early 1980s one night when there was nothing else interesting on the other channels. Note that this was before cable TV reached our area, so there were only the three major networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) from which to choose.
It was uneven in pace, very low budget, absolutely no movie stars to draw interest or even justify watching it. The production values were mediocre, the acting pretty corny, the story very thin. But, still, it had almost a hypnotic effect which locked us in place, just watching and watching without really thinking about it, and generally pretty bored, but not sufficiently motivated to change the channel.
My son and I, who are avid movie buffs, normally would make comments throughout a movie, and normally have the ending plotted out well ahead of time. I remember us remarking that this was really an unbelievably lousy movie, all told. Still, we kept watching under its hypnosis and the lack of competing programs of interest on other channels.
Then came the shockeroo, which woke us both up with a jolt. It occurs in Mike's outer space bedroom; however, this review will mention no further details, so as not to spoil the surprise for those who have yet to view this curious venture. It was one of those rare events in cinema that makes enduring a really lousy film totally worthwhile in contrast!
Angus Scrimm, the actor who portrayed the pivotal character is this story, was strange looking and appropriately unearthly, which added to the story line. I liked the musical jam between Bill Thornberry and Reggie Bannister, which provided a bit of normalcy for a break from this otherwise weird, weird production. Reggie's ice cream truck was also a link to normalcy and brought a bit of lightness to the otherwise fairly heavy atmosphere of the plot.
For the most part, the special effects are pretty corny, but they seem to fit right in somehow with the rest of the strangeness which is about all that this movie can offer. Although there were a few sequels to this original story, they were surely produced to milk easy profits from the cult which formed around this movie. But, only this first effort is worth your time or money.
Watch it with the lights off and a house full of friends, to get the most enjoyment out of the experience. Don't expect very much, but follow the storyline as best you can. Like I said earlier, the event near but not exactly at the end of the movie justifies the nearly two hours of viewing to arrive at that point, but is well worth the wait!
It was uneven in pace, very low budget, absolutely no movie stars to draw interest or even justify watching it. The production values were mediocre, the acting pretty corny, the story very thin. But, still, it had almost a hypnotic effect which locked us in place, just watching and watching without really thinking about it, and generally pretty bored, but not sufficiently motivated to change the channel.
My son and I, who are avid movie buffs, normally would make comments throughout a movie, and normally have the ending plotted out well ahead of time. I remember us remarking that this was really an unbelievably lousy movie, all told. Still, we kept watching under its hypnosis and the lack of competing programs of interest on other channels.
Then came the shockeroo, which woke us both up with a jolt. It occurs in Mike's outer space bedroom; however, this review will mention no further details, so as not to spoil the surprise for those who have yet to view this curious venture. It was one of those rare events in cinema that makes enduring a really lousy film totally worthwhile in contrast!
Angus Scrimm, the actor who portrayed the pivotal character is this story, was strange looking and appropriately unearthly, which added to the story line. I liked the musical jam between Bill Thornberry and Reggie Bannister, which provided a bit of normalcy for a break from this otherwise weird, weird production. Reggie's ice cream truck was also a link to normalcy and brought a bit of lightness to the otherwise fairly heavy atmosphere of the plot.
For the most part, the special effects are pretty corny, but they seem to fit right in somehow with the rest of the strangeness which is about all that this movie can offer. Although there were a few sequels to this original story, they were surely produced to milk easy profits from the cult which formed around this movie. But, only this first effort is worth your time or money.
Watch it with the lights off and a house full of friends, to get the most enjoyment out of the experience. Don't expect very much, but follow the storyline as best you can. Like I said earlier, the event near but not exactly at the end of the movie justifies the nearly two hours of viewing to arrive at that point, but is well worth the wait!