The Alien Factor [DVD]

I have to say, this limited edition Blu Ray is very impressive and features a bright, crisp, VIBRANT new transfer from the 16mm negative (struck, I am assuming, from the reversal positive).. If you're looking to get some version of this movie at all, then you already probably know something about it, you know, probably, that this is a "backyard sci-fi epic" filmed in Baltimore in the 1970's, it features monster suits and optical effects and a dizzily preposterous storyline, not to mention charming enthusiastic performances from many actors local to the Baltimore area. I imagine John Waters must get a kick out of this flick. Spaceship from who knows where crash-lands in snowy forest, bunch of weird alien monsters escape and begin to wreak havoc, mysterious stranger appears in the town claiming to be interested in the possible meteorite crash he thinks may have taken place up in the hills. Before you can say "Jinkies," a monster hunt is underway. This is a fine film created by Don Dohler (editor of Cinemagic Magazine) and his cohorts. What it is lacking in budget it makes up in entertainment value. Giddy silliness abounds. A lot of the fun comes from the fact that this was made by an almost totally non-professional crew of amateurs, and the locations are pretty much the filmmaker's woodsy backyard or any building, house, or business they could use for free. So "The Alien Factor" definitely has that "Let's put on a show! I can make the costumes!" atmosphere. And that, of course, is what Cinemagic Magazine was all about. It stands to reason, therefore, that if you enjoyed reading Cinemagic Magazine back in its day, and if you were one of those neighborhood people running around with a home movie camera making your own rough-edged backyard epics and maybe sending photos and production notes to Cinemagic Magazine (hoping they would list your stuff on their "Productions" pages), if you are one of THOSE people, you will have a special appreciation for the charm of this film and for the transfer that allows it to be seen and heard in such clarity. And you will forgive the clunky performances and endlessly cheesy dialogue. No: You will enjoy it BECAUSE of the clunky performances and the endlessly cheesy dialogue. You and your pals might even be laughing all the way through it. And then will come the sobering reflection that the last several times you bought a movie ticket to see some major studio flick that cost 200 million dollars, you weren't laughing or enjoying yourself anywhere near this much. The people who made this movie did it largely with their own personal resources, and all contributed to the film because it was what they WANTED to be doing.It seems reasonable to mention, at this point, that this limited-run special edition is obviously for serious low-budget sci-fi geeks--and it is not intended for, nor is it likely to satisfy, the typical mainstream moviegoer. I give it five stars very enthusiastically, but not because it is a good example of a normal, popular film. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the monsters in this film actually are decent considering their budget. But this is very low-rent genius, and the fact remains that one of the monster suits (the cockroach-looking "Inferbyce") is made largely of cardboard and papier-mache. Oh, they textured it and painted it and did their best to detail it. But it's still made mostly out of cardboard. Still interested? Good. How often do you see a person attacked in the wilderness by a guy in a cardboard monster suit?Disc features lots of extras (many created by star George "See this pencil line???" Stover, who lent a great deal of his time and effort to producing material for the special features, and who pieced together and edited a lengthy commentary track featuring interview clips with many people in the cast and crew--the George Stover who apparently signed 1000 paper cover inserts to please the adoring fans...this limited edition is really a "George Stover showcase," so if you're a fan of his, take note); There's a section featuring a LOT of featured actor Dick Dyszel promoting the film as "Count Gore DeVol" on his Creature Features program, so if you like Count Gore or just horror hosts in general, you are taken care of here. In other words, if you are the type of person who appreciates that special joy that comes from paying LOTS of attention to obscure low-budget efforts, you have my personal permission to proceed to geek out, beginning now.The impressive transfer, which is the glue that holds this whole production together, deserves a lot of praise. I don't think any fan of this fairly obscure film ever expected in his/her wildest sci-fi nerd dreams that we would ever be able to view such a crystal-clear version. This is very likely the best the film may ever look.

BOTTOM LINE: A shoestring budget sci-fi flick from Maryland's own Don Dohler, ALIEN FACTOR is 80 minutes of harmless no budget fun for fans of homemade cinema, and those looking for something other than the usual by-the-numbers Hollywood product. This backyard blockbuster has some okay thrills & chills. Just don't go in expecting too much or you're likely to be disappointed. The terrific, fully-loaded fan-pleasing Blu-ray is a rock solid effort. 5 STARSTHE STORY: An extraterrestrial craft crashlands on the snowy outskirts of the rural New England village of Perry Hill. A trio of antisocial aliens are soon stalking & slaying the hapless locals. A handful of frightened citizens band together to try and fight off the bizarre creatures, with the assistance of an oddball scientist from a nearby observatory, who conveniently shows up to help. Can the deadly menage-a-terror be stopped before everyone in Perry Hill is slaughtered?THOUGHTS: An cinematic throwback from the 1970's, and do-it-yourself director Don Dohler, who made a side career crafting no budget monster movies with help from his family, friends and other similar-minded film enthusiasts in the Baltimore area. Many kids of a certain age (growing up in the mid-1960's to mid-1980's), with access to their parents' home movie cameras, tried their hand at creating their very own mini-epics. Dohler took his ambitions a few steps further, actually getting his works released theatrically. Armed with his Super 8mm (and later a 16mm) film camera, lots of enthusiasm and no shortage of ideas, one-man-studio Dohler turned his dreams into reality, and gave us some pretty unique movies in the process. Besides ALIEN FACTOR, Dohler also directed the inevitable follow-up, "ALIEN FACTOR 2, as well as "FIEND," "NIGHTBEAST," "THE GALAXY INVADER" and others. While they'll never win any awards, his films are a lot of fun and a charming example of a fast fading period in obscure American independent cinema. Be forewarned however, that like so many films of this type, ALIEN FACTOR is ripe with lousy writing, tepid acting, bad production design, interminable padding (AF is filled with seemingly endless shots of the cast cluelessly wandering around in the snowy woods), and dimestore F/X. But in its defense, ALIEN FACTOR does have a few neat bits in it, and if you have patience, the film isn't without its minimalist rewards.THE BLU-RAY: Who would have ever dreamed that a zero dollar production like this would ever see legitimate mainstream home video release AND be remastered in the high definition Blu-ray format to boot? Certainly not Dohler. Undoubtedly, he would be tickled to see his works treated so lovingly, getting a whole new lease on life and exposing them to a fresh generation of film goers. The transfer for ALIEN FACTOR is impressive, especially considering that this is a 40 year-old independent film, shot on 16mm. Better than anything I could have imagined. The picture & sound for the film are quite good, all things considered. (The sound level is VERY strong. LOL!) Retromedia & its owner, low budget filmmaker Fred Olen Ray, are to be commended. Being a fellow homebrew cum mainstream director, Fred is obviously a fan of Dohler's works. It's great that he took this project on, and his love for such fare shows here, with a slew of great bonus content that make this Blu-ray a true 5 STAR release. Included are a cast & crew audio commentary track, a behind-the-scenes featurette, gag reel, alternate "Leemoid" alien sequence w/commentary, cast reunion footage, some local TV promos for the film, and more! (Please note however, that there are no SDH subtitles for either the film or bonus content, the only strike against this otherwise A+ release.) Ephemeral cinema fans & Z-flick enthusiasts are in for a real treat with the hi-def release of THE ALIEN FACTOR, and it comes highly recommended.

If you're into "so bad it's good" movies and are looking for something to riff on, you could choose The Alien Factor, or you could choose one of 20,000 other low-budget flicks out there in the world. This review is not that lazy.The Alien Factor is a late 1970s DIY alien/monster movie that was filmed on a microscopic budget with non-professional actors. Imagine if the background creatures in the Star Wars cantina scene got their own film. Everything about it feels homemade, from the creature costumes to the quaint FX to the sets. What the movie lacks in professional polish it makes up for in heart. Recommended for people who grew up reading Famous Monsters magazine, watched horror and sci fi flicks on late night TV when they should have been sleeping, and dreamed of growing up to be the next Boris Karloff or Christopher Lee. The Alien Factor is very far from a good film, but charming and enjoyable if you are still in touch with your inner child.Considering the source material, the blu ray looks surprisingly good. No complaints about the picture quality.

去年、羽咋市まで出かけたカナザワ映画祭の「宇宙怪談大会」で初めて知ったこの映画、宇宙人が地球の聖書で英語を学んだという設定から邦題を「宇宙人の聖書」とされてしまったのはアウトだと思ったが、全く予備知識なしで見始めると、死ぬほどかっちょいいグラフィックと電子音楽のオープニング(しかも上映会場ではほぼ爆音仕様)に脳がいきなりトリップ、続いて味わい深いモンスター数匹と宇宙人が田舎で第一第二第三・・・村人も巻き込んで遠慮がちににワーワーやっているという、スペースハンターものの逸品？なのであった。これのソフト絶対欲しいよな、と思っていたがBlu-rayはいつのまにか高額アイテムに。それが年末だったか年明けだったかにチェックしたらたぶんBlu-rayと同内容の安価なDVDが出ているではないですか！理想はBlu-rayで所持していたいが、70年代の限りなく自主映画に近いフィルムの画質はそう変わらんだろうとこちらを購入。大当たりでした。特典も出演者の一人がホストを務めて当時のキャストやスタッフを巡ってインタビューしたり、削除シーン、NG集、コンベンションの映像など至れり尽くせりの愛情こもった素晴らしいディスク。字幕は無いですが。映画としては、ドン・ドーラーなる激マイナー監督の他作品のレビューを見てもわかるようにいわゆるC級作品なのだが、それでもここにはSF愛がある！頑張ってるミニチュアとかモンスタースーツとか意外なほど出来のいいコマ撮りとか、ブルース・キャンベル似のロンリーな兄さん(バーで一人飲んでローカル・バンドの演奏を聴いて帰宅、ベッドの上で怪人怪獣雑誌をパラパラ見たあとモンスターに殺される薄幸！他人事とは思えません)とか、誤解が招いた涙を禁じ得ないラストとかもうたまらん魅力に溢れているのである。こういうC級ホラー/Sci-Fiをバカにして笑いながら見るという鼻持ちならない趣味のやつは絶対見るな。見巧者だけにお勧めします。私は「The Alien Factor」が大好きだ。