Sci-Fi Flicks D-F

D-F

THE DARK (1980)

D. John “Bud” Cardos W. Stanford Whitmore

A great cast battles a giant space creature wandering the streets of LA, zapping folks with his laser beam eyes. Story is ultimately done-in by slow pacing and a dumb script. Best scene has a midget news paper peddler yelling out, “The Mangler’s a zombie, read all about it!” Was originally to be directed by Tobe Hooper.

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1989)

D. D.J. Webster W. Carey & Chad Hayes

Cool thriller concerns a “Bermuda Triangle” in space where intergalactic explorers have been disappearing for eons. A bit slow in the middle, it starts to rock as it moves towards its Twilight Zone-ish ending. Check it out.

DARK UNIVERSE (1993)

D. Steve Latshaw W. Pat Moran

Astronaut returning form a “fateful” space trip transforms into an alien creature that resembles a turd with teeth. He prowls the Florida swamplands preying on bad actors. Horrendous dialog and hokey-gooey effects make this one a winner for fans of “dumb-but-fun” space monster flicks. Produced by Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski.

DEMON SEED (1977)

D. Donald Cammell W. Robert Jaffe & Roger O. Hirson

Ninety-seven minute nightmare has Julie Christie artificially impregnated by a “living, thinking” computer, created by her brilliant but distant scientist husband Fritz Weaver. Proteus, the computer (coldly voiced by Robert Vaughn), controls all the door and window locks in the house and keeps Christie prisoner during her pregnancy with “his” child. Flick proposes a number of scary, disturbing ideas, especially when viewed now, in our computer crazed culture where the Internet actually does hold people “prisoner” in their homes for hours on end. Thought provoking and chilling. Based on an early novel by Dean Koontz.

EVENT HORIZON (1997)

D/W Paul Anderson

Sam Neill is a scientist who has invented a space ship capable of creating a temporary black hole in which to achieve travel at the speed of light. The ship is lost and then reappears years later. Seems the craft slipped through a black hole and ended up in Hell where the crew was slaughtered. Each member of the rescue team is slaughtered as the ship is now a living thing in need of human souls. With buckets of blood and gore. Not great but worth a watch.

THE FACULTY (1998)

D. Robert Rodriguez W. Kevin Williamson

Exciting teen sci-fi/horror/action hybrid that pits a group of misfit teens against a new “pod menace.” The pods take over the teachers and adults first and then go to work converting the student body. Story pays homage to classic ‘50s films such as INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, among others. The young cast is great and the flick offers some beautifully rendered special effects. Cool, hip, scary and funny.

THE FLY II (1989)

D. Chris Walas W. Mick Garris, Jim & Ken Wheat & Frank Darabont

Great rampaging monster movie that foregoes the human tragedy of the Cronenberg original (’86 remake) and gets down to the monster bashing gore and violence. Eric Stoltz is the son of the Jeff Goldblum character who suffers from accelerated aging. (He’s 25 when he should be 5!) He’s racing against the clock to find a way of stopping the process, but the government people he works for are less concerned with a cure and more concerned with finding a way to use the fly genes as a military weapon. There are all kinds of twists and double crosses along the way. You would expect more from the stable of talented writers who worked on the screenplay, but considering director Walas came from an effects background, it only makes sense he would emphasis effects over story.

FORBIDDEN WORLD (1982)

D. Allan Holzman W. Tim Curnen

An experimental life form runs amuck and space cowboy Mike Colby is called into save the day. The film’s abbreviated running time is made up of cheesy sets, scenes taken from BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and lots and lots of gratuitous sex and gore. (And I mean GRATUITOUS!) Best scene has a doctor carving out a football-sized cancerous tumor from his gut, then hero Colby shoving it down the alien beastie’s throat! With Jesse Vint and Dawn Dunlap. From a story by Jim Wynorski and R.J. Robertson. AKA MUTANT.