Invaders from Mars (1986)

[Andrew]

The alien monsters in Tobe Hooper's remake look pretty cool (though similar to cooked Cornish game hens) but it misses the point of the original film.

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[onionhead]

Toby Hooper's remake looks slicker than the 1953 original, but lacks the aura of dread that the first film easily conveyed.  Sure the lead alien looked ridiculous--just a head in a goldfish bowl, basically--and the drones evoked more laughs than gasps what with the zipper-up-the-back velour jumpsuits; but what was truly terrifying was  the sense of helplessnes elicited by little Jimmy Hunt as David  Maclean as he witnessed (or did he?) a tableau of nightmare following the landing of an alien spacecraft on a dark and stormy night.  William Cameron Menzies, director of Gone with the Wind, skillfully used colors, shadows, and one creepy musical score to spin his yarn of paranoia--it was the fifties, after all--and though it has it's faults (beyond the goofy aliens, the climax is a l o oo o o oo oo ooo oo  o ooo oo ooooo ng race against the clock), it's one of the spookier flicks to come out of the bug-eyed-alien era.

[diamondwaspvenom]

A decent flick at best. I find that the aliens look more like a cross between a tyrannosaurus and a tick.

[not quite my name]

Believe it or not, the school used in the film was my elementary school. I was in the school at the time they filmed it. I had NO idea till many years later when I saw it playing on syfi. I think they must have done it during spring break. Another freaky thing is the main characters last name is a slight variation of my own last name - so it was pretty surreal watching this and hearing them yell his name all the time.

[JPickettIII]

Believe it or not, the school used in the film was my elementary school. I was in the school at the time they filmed it. I had NO idea till many years later when I saw it playing on syfi. I think they must have done it during spring break. Another freaky thing is the main characters last name is a slight variation of my own last name - so it was pretty surreal watching this and hearing them yell his name all the time.

That is cool.  I got this movie in two pack from Wal-Mart.  Great movie.  A brain dead movie that you can set back and enjoy.

Great write up.

Later,

John

[karate-ka]

I just registered for an account on this website specifically for the reason to say THANK YOU! I have been trying to remember the name of this movie for quite some time now. I will definitely have to rewatch this sometime soon. I'm sure it won't seem that way now, but this movie literally scared the holy bejeebus out of me when I was a kid!