Filmed
on location in Florida in 1979, this blend
of horror, action and sci-fi is an early
indicator of what was to come from director
Fred Olen Ray, the man who subsequently
delivered such low-budget classics as BEVERLY
HILLS VAMP, HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS and
the recent THE UNLIVING (starring Spanish
horror icon Paul Naschy and rumored to be
undergoing a title change).
ALIEN DEAD is an interesting
show of Fred's developing talent, including
his ability to wring every possible dollar
from a miniscule budget, his way with a
script, and how he can punch up inane storylines
with oddball concepts and humor. And best
of all it shows why this film, despite its
limitations, is still better than many of
the low-budget, straight-to-video flicks
that have emerged from companies like Full
Moon over the years.
Tom Corman (a number of characters
are named in reverent nods to low-budget
king Roger Corman) is a reporter in a sleepy
Florida town, and the flick opens with him
reminiscing about the "strange things"
that started occurring there. In other words,
people with bad Southern accents are being
attacked by people with blue complexions
while spooky music plays in the background.
Obviously these are the "alien dead"
of the title. Well, Tom goes to investigate
these "strange things" and meets
up with a backwoods chickie-pooh who helps
him out.
As Tom, backwoods chick and
the haggard sheriff (played with prerequisite
bluster by Buster Crabbe... yes, that Buster
Crabbe, appearing in his last sci-fi flick)
search for the truth, they find that a houseboat
was hit by a meteorite, turning everyone
on board into zombies who need to suck human
blood. Once this key point is exposed, ALIEN
DEAD kicks into overdrive and we get zombie
attack after zombie attack after zombie
attack, hairpick-to-the-eyes-kata, slo-mo
zombie attack, a tribute to NIGHT OF THE
LIVING DEAD, and much more.
Watching the flick, it's apparent
that those who call Ray "The King of
the B's" know what they are talking
about. The man knows how to make an enjoyable
exploitation flick, and he punctuates TAD
with nudity, gore, horror, whacked ideas
and the type of off-the-wall dialogue that
turned up in New World releases of the 1970s.
(My favorite? "She's deader than Mother's
Day at an orphanage.")
While THE ALIEN DEAD would
best be enjoyed under the stars with a cooler
of Buds and Betty Sue by your side, it still
stands as a textbook example of what drive-ins
once were, before they started showing the
same crap you won't pay eight bucks to see
indoors. Oh, and look for Fred in a cameo
as a redneck pool player. If you're willing
to go into it with an open mind and accept
its budget limitations, THE ALIEN DEAD will
be a fun time for all.
NOTE: The DVD of the flick
– available from The
Retromedia Store at fredolenray.com
– includes a commentary track from
FOR.
