This is Halloween 3! - Reality-Bending Nosferatu, Invasions in the Homeland, and Christopher Lee!

Next up for the month, I decided to go down a more sci-fi path. Instead of trading punches with the supernatural, we got some pesky aliens to look at. As usual, I got four picks for this one. First up is one that may not count in the “evil invading aliens” topic, but I just re-watched Dark City from 1998, and I gotta talk about it. Next up is the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956. I was originally going to re-watch its 1978 remake for this, but I never saw the original. Next, I got Strange Invaders, a 1980’s throwback to 50’s B-movies. Yes, that doesn’t sound too great. Finally, we have End of the World from 1977 featuring Christopher Lee. I say featuring because he’s only around for like 8 minutes or something. Dang cover art!

Dark City (1998)

Dark City was released in 1998 and directed by Alex Proyas, director of The Crow… next time, fellas. We follow a man named John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), a man with no memory and wanted for a string of gruesome murders. While he’s on the run, he tries to piece together his life which involved a wife (Jennifer Connelly) and his doctor (Kiefer Sutherland). He finds that things are a bit awry in the city. A group of trenchcoated men with supernatural abilities chase him, and he even finds that he has abilities of some sort. He also notices that the people in this city all fall asleep at midnight and that the city morphs like it has a will of its own. With the help of his doctor and a detective (William Hurt), John tries to discover the secret of this… dark city.

If I found out my doctor worked for a bunch of alien parasites who take over dead bodies and dress like 2nd rate Cenobites, I'd be worried.

This was a solid re-watch. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer for this on some VHS long ago, and it creeped me out. I didn’t get to see it fully until I was an adult, but I know SfDebris covered it on his site years ago. This is one genre-twisting movie. It touches on quite a bit. It’s a noir mystery, it has horror elements, some sci-fi, and even a little bit of fantasy. The story is pretty effective with Murdoch (and pretty much the viewer) being offguard by everything shown. If you’ve only seen the director’s cut (the original cut apparently spelled everything out), you’re along for the ride and don’t know what to expect. The villains, called the Strangers, definitely feel inspired by classic horror villains. It was like Nosferatu was mixed with a Cenobite or something.

"John Murdoch is a man... who forgot he's married to Jennifer Connelly!"

The cast is pretty solid. Sewell handles everything pretty well as a guy trying to look for answers. I also thought William Hurt and Jennifer Connelly were cool, and nice singing voice on Connelly. The one performance that was weird and interesting was Kiefer Sutherland’s portrayal as Dr. Schreber, a somewhat bewildered scientist that the Strangers use to carry out their deeds. The look of the city itself is pretty good, the special effects were okay, and what little action we got was nice. I will say that the last act felt a bit rushed. It was like they needed to wrap things up quickly in order to get to the end. Let’s just say I can see that the Wachowskis didn’t just use some sets from the movie because the ending kinda goes the way of Matrix Revolutions. Overall, this is one underrated movie.

 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Invasion starts out with Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) recalling events of the last few days to the police in the city. He was just returning from a conference to his practice in Santa Mira when he finds that he has a long line of patients waiting. Apparently, most of the case have the same story: the patients feel like the people close to them have been acting strangely. He and others pass it off as a delusion, but a call to a friend’s house uncovers something pretty traumatic:  a lifeless body in the form of said friend. Little by little, he and the people closest to him find out that the whole town is being replaced by doppelgangers from space. Miles and his former love, Sally Withers (Jean Willes) try their best to escape the town and warn other towns of this invasion.

That's the same look I give when a goat is in the middle of the road.

This was a pretty good film. If you’re wondering where the idea of doppelgangers coming to replace the populace came from, look to this movie. It’s pretty much one that started it all. I was a little familiar with the movie thanks to those Crestwood books at the public library. I also saw the 1978 remake years ago. While the story could be looked at as simple, it is still a pretty engaging plot. You don’t understand what’s going on at first, but as things moves along, it all become clear. We even get a little bit of social commentary on the movie. It was critiquing things like McCarthyism and some communism. Even though it’s not present commentary, I still got the gist of it.

These are the looks you get when you explain the awesomeness of Meteor Man.

Even though the movie has no gore (it wasn’t allowed at this time) and doesn’t feel as scary, the suspense keeps you hooked. I pretty much watched it from beginning to end. The acting from the main cast is pretty good with Kevin McCarthy turning in a pretty good performance. You get to see him be suave as well as look like he’s lost his mind. I will say that some acting from others can be a little hokey, but this is the 50’s we’re talking about. I also thought the ending was alright. I think the really shocking ending from the remake spoiled me. If you haven’t watched yet, go for it. It’s a good one.

 

Strange Invaders (1983)

In the movie, Charles Bigelow’s ex-wife leaves their daughter with him as she goes to a funeral in Centreville, IL. Days pass by without a word from her, so Charles (Paul Le Mat) leaves his daughter with his mother and travels to Centreville. While he doesn’t find his ex-wife there, he does come upon a horrific find: aliens! After he’s able to escape the town, he tries to get some info from the government and local newspapers especially when he finds a picture of a similar alien in a tabloid. What he doesn’t know is that the aliens are on their way to find him and his daughter. He ends up befriending a reporter (Nancy Allen) and a man who has seen these aliens firsthand (Michael Lerner). Through a government liaison, they find out that these aliens have been there for years in secret and that they are soon leaving Earth. They end up returning to Centreville to go and save Charles’s family.

You know, with the influx of people to Tennessee, I wouldn't be surprised if I run into this guy.

Well, this was not all that good. I actually have a little history with this movie. I vaguely remember renting it back at Movie Gallery when it first opened in Pulaski. I tried to look for this movie for years, and once I found it, it wasn’t the greatest thing ever. Strange Invaders is pretty much a throwback to 50’s sci-fi similar to Little Shop or Horrors. Unlike that movie, this doesn’t have as much charm, but it tries it’s best. The story is pretty  confusing throughout the movie. Things just happen in order to move the plot along. We don’t even learn why the aliens are on Earth until the last few minutes of the movie. It also doesn’t help that our lead is kinda dull. I think almost everyone else in that cast had more energy than Paul Le Mat did. By the way… “Charles Bigelow?” Really?

Even Nancy Allen can't believe this dude's name is Charles Bigelow. Also, this might be the only role where Louise Fletcher isn't an antagonist.

Even though the movie isn’t good, I did have some fun with it. It’s pretty cheesy throughout with the aliens and even the humans being pretty silly. It’s definitely something you’re not meant to take seriously. Even the ending is so weird. It’s like they wanted to add a wholesome feel with all the creepy aliens running around and spewing green blood. Even though you don’t see them much, the alien masks were decent, and the unmasking scenes are pretty good. Even though Paul Le Mat as “Charles Bigelow” wasn’t all that great, I did enjoy the rest of the cast. You had actors like Nancy Allen, Louise Fletcher, Michael Lerner, and Wallace Shawn showing up. Overall, it’s not a good one, but if you’re looking for a somewhat scary movie to show to your 8 year-olds, go for it.

End of the World (1977)

In the movie, Prof. Andrew Boran (Kirk Scott) ends up discovering some weird alien radio signals that seem to come from Earth. He finds out that they are somehow linked to natural disasters that are happening around the world. He and his wife, Sylvia (Sue Lyon), end up finding the source of these strange signals at a secluded convent. At first, the convent’s priest, Father Pergado (Christopher Lee), tries to ward them off. They end up sneaking back afterwards and come to find out that the whole convent (Pergado and the nuns) have been replaced by aliens. Their main mission was to infiltrate Earth and destroy it. Andrew and Sylvia are forced to help these aliens, and they actually do so… trust me on this. It is called “End of the World” for a reason!

Now, this is the look of regret. I bet Christopher Lee had a better time on Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf than here!

Whelp, this post needed to end with a dud, and this movie is truly a dud. I don’t know what I was thinking when I saw Christopher Lee show up in the cover art. I was at least hoping to get me some good Lee and was quite disappointed! You’d have more entertainment watching paint dry than watching this movie. Everything is so painstakingly drawn out. The plot could’ve been interesting. Heck, it even starts out like some serious stuff is going to go down with Father Lee in a bar being barraged by weird alien powers! Unfortunately, the credits start rolling, and we don’t’ see much of Lee until much later. I think he's in the movie for about 10 minutes.

This is definitely the look of two people who just want to see the world burn, I guess. 

Our two leads are pretty dull with what they’re given. I will say that once we find out that the convent is overrun by aliens, things pick up a little bit… just a little. We only get one showing of the aliens’ true form and it’s so lackluster. You can find it floating around out there. I will say that this movie at least has a ballsy ending with the world actually ending. Yes, I’m spoiling a crappy 40-year-old movie, okay? Trust me, I’m saving you from this. In the end, not even the power of Count Dooku could save this movie.

………………………………..

In the end, these were an interesting batch of alien movies. Yeah, my invasion theme is kinda ruined with Dark City, but that was such a good movie. I had to include it! I definitely recommend the first two picks above. Strange Invaders is best for a good riff while End of the World should stay in the corner and be ashamed of what its done. Anyway, that’s all I got for now. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.

Also, if you see this kid, just run. Run!