An alien creature impregnates a woman who gives
birth to a man abducted by them three years earlier. HORROR/SCI-FI
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Xtro (1982)Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport
Written by Iain Cassie and Robert Smith Starring Philip Sayer, Bernice Stegers, Simon Nash, Maryam d'Abo, Susie Silvey, Danny Brainin, Sean Crawford, Tim Dry |
If you follow the podcast or read my reviews, then you might know it's hard for me to get invested in weird shit like this. It's nothing personal; I just prefer a streamlined narrative and originality. Imagine my surprise that Xtro actually has both. The story is actually pretty engaging, and I can honestly say there are things in this movie I have never seen before and probably never will again. Sure, it's not perfect, but that's hardly a surprise. But I was never bored, and that's something. This film is a blatant rip-off of Alien, except for Xtro's alien creature never showing up again after the first ten minutes.
One day at his cottage, husband and father Sam (Sayer) is abducted by aliens in front of his son Tony (Nash). Three years later, the alien creature that took him returns to Earth and impregnates a random woman. This woman dies giving birth to Sam, who is now imbued with weird alien powers. You read that right. This is as bonkers as it gets. Sam goes home to find his wife Rachel (Stegers) is engaged to a photographer named Joe (Brainin), who is immediately hostile and unaccommodating. Sam gives Tony weird alien powers too, and shit just gets crazier from there. There's vampiric bloodsucking, toys coming to life, and a random panther. And that's just the tip of the bizarro iceberg. On paper, I should hate everything about Xtro. But I don't. It's a decent flick with a neat story, unforgettable visuals, and cool special effects for its time and budget. It loses points for a lack of plot resolution, but that's about it. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. |
There are films that have to be seen to be believed and Xtro is at the top of that pile for sure. Coming on the heels of more financially successful and critically hailed films like Alien and E.T., this movie flies in the face of good taste to create an experience that has garnered notoriety and a cult following that has persisted for almost 40 years.
The Italians are more known for their rip-off flicks and even had two of their own Alien copies with a personal favorite of mine being Luigi Cozzi's Contamination. With the help of a young executive from America named Bob Shaye in providing some of the funds, writer/director Harry Bromley Davenport "wanted to make a bloody horror film. Horrify everyone. Be disgusting." Xtro succeeds on those levels and then some with a certain scene being so ridiculous and gross that it has become an adjective and was recreated in a film released earlier this year called Fried Barry, such is the power and influence of Xtro. However, there is a little more going on than just a collection of absurd sequences and images. At the heart of the film is a movie about a family reuniting and that is where the acting chops of Bernice Stegers and Philip Sayer really shine. Their relationship feels real and the pain that Rachel feels is palpable when she confronts Sam after his return and, instead of a loving embrace, she slaps the shit out of him. Sam's return is where things start getting weird as he is clearly not who he was when he was abducted three years ago. There's some casual snake egg eating and gas sniffing along with a scene where he injects Tony with whatever the hell he's got coursing through his body giving Tony telekinetic powers and the ability to make anything come to life. Those powers come in to play later in the film and are responsible for some of the more ridiculous scenes in the film up to and including a little person clown and commando toy coming to life that Tony sends to kill his neighbor. The film weaves these absurd scenes throughout the grounded family drama scenes to create a unique experience that, once you've seen it, you never forget it. Out of all the party movies I have reviewed up to this point, Xtro has to be at the top of that list. Not only are the more ridiculous parts of the film unforgettable, the score (composed and performed by Harry Bromley Davenport no less) will stick with you long after the credits roll. Don't fight this movie, just allow it to wash over you and consume you. |