Xtro

A great UK alien horror which has stood the test of time incredibly well. Another film I saw whilst quite young which was subsequently banned during the 'video nasties' hysteria but has 're-emerged' once again for its latest dvd release. There are no extras at all on the dvd and it appears that the print is straight from video judging by the film quality; the picture stutters a bit early on, this is not a fault with the disc as I remember this being the case whilst watching it on video but in any case is all rather superficial and does not detract from the delights that await.Early on in the story a man is abducted by aliens in the form of an intense white light, witnessed by his young son. Forward three years later the son 'Tony' (still managing to look the same age, haircut etc) is still experiencing trauma, nightmares etc whilst his mother and wife of the abductee (Sam) believes her ex to have simply run off with someone else.Sam returns in unforgettable fashion, via the union of an alien host and a rather unfortunate young woman and sets out to relocate his son. Unfortunately for everyone else Sam has 'changed' and then some, since he left earth three years prior and doesn't possess much empathy for his fellow man anymore. There are some really nice, novel ideas and minor idiosyncracies in Xtro. I liked the way he nonchalantly uses the car of the couple he has killed, driving to London with the female dead in plain view in the passenger seat where he killed her, also the first time he tries to use a telephone.Anyway Sam manages to begin the process of 'changing' his son and Tony rapidly learns to use his newly acquired powers to suit his own sinister ends. Also featuring a malign dwarf, a hot naked French au pair, alien vampirism, extra-terrestrial insemination and slayings a-plenty there is quite a lot slotted in to a slim 83 mins running time. When I first possessed Xtro it was rated 18 and now is rated 15. I am very familiar with this film and having just watched this dvd release notice no discernable difference between the 18 and 15 version (it also has the same running time) certainly not with the main contentious scene which was largely responsible for it being banned. In fact having just seen it again I am a tad suprised it is only rated 15 now.Although in some ways it is low budget, the makers have spent the money in all the right areas which is why it still stands the test of time. The alien craft is just a light really but the pre-cgi special effects of the alien transformations, killings etc are very accomplished. Xtro is a very good 80's excursion into British horror, I did get rid of it foolishly on two prior occasions, once for money and once because an ex thought it 'too unpleasant' but I have now realised the error of my ways. A very recommended guilty pleasure.

When it comes to killer alien movies, Ridley Scott's 1979 epic surely wins hands down, but when it comes to delivering some truly gross out angry alien gooeyness - this British shocker from 1982 comes a very close second. I recall first seeing it back in the mid '80s when I managed to get a copy of it from my local video emporium and blowing my (then 11 year old) mind! Throughout the years, its popped back into my life but have never felt the need to plunk down my hard earned and own this seminal chunkblower. Well, until now that is.When happy dad Sam (Philip Sayer) is taken away infront of his son Tony (Simon Nash), things take aturn for the worst for our pint sized hero. Flash forward a few years and his mother Rachel (a very good Bernice Stegers) has a new man in her life Joe (Danny Brainin) and employs a au pair in the form of Maryam d'Abo, when totally out of the blue - Sam returns. Unbeknownst to this all-new nuclear family, he was taken by aliens and has now returned to reclaim his son. With that pretty basic story in a nutshell, you would be led to believe this is going to be another low budget letdown - however, director Harry Bromley Davenport has other ideas and delivers some truly amazing gore sequences that will make even the most hardened horror fanatic squirm.Besides the much lauded 'alien birth sequence' (which still stands the test of time in the gob-smacking department), the movie is cram full of 'out there' ideas and visual craziness: You want insect-like aliens having a frolic in the woods? No problem. You wanna see an over-sized Action Man doll stab some old woman from 'Eastenders' to a bloody pulp? Step right up. You fancy seeing some weird father and son alien bonding that will make your stomach churn? Its all here and then some. The movie is chock-full of so many ideas that exist to either repulse or amaze even the most ardent gore fan, you just have to take your hat off to the amount of lunacy and gooey entrails on display. Its hard to clarify how great the ideas behind this movie are (as on the surface, its pure B-movie craziness) - but the sheer inventiveness make this film the gift that keeps on giving.Second Sights' Blu-Ray release is a slam dunk for fans of the movie. Besides various versions of the movie, we also get quite a handful of fun extras including: 'Xploring Xtro' - a great 57 minute documentary which covers the production, 'The World of Xtro' - focussing on ultimate Xtro fan Dennis Atherton, 'Loving The Alien: A Tribute to Philip Sayer', 'Xtro Xposed' - a fun archive interview with Bromley-Davenport which has been ported over from an old US DVD release but eradicates his discussions about the sequel - which is a shame. Rounding out the disc is 'Beyond Xtro' which gives us test footage for a proposed fourth entry (hmmmm...), a soft cover book written by Kevin Lyons and a brilliant re-issue of the original soundtrack album. All in all, this is definitely worth a peek for old school gore hounds looking to rekindle that old flame or newbie horror fans looking for some gooey weirdness. Just remember to watch this one very late at night with the lights out and don't eat anything beforehand - its a real stomach troubler.

I'm not really an alien type horror fan, but this film did have me questioning that for a bit. I really liked the alien in this and particularly like the scene where it is caught in the headlights. The stand out scene for me though, and one which definitely has it rising to the top, is the scene where he changes from alien to human. Absolutely brilliant special effects which was obviously thought up and brought to life by people at the top of their game. The actors were great in this, very convincing, including the Simon Nash who acted his socks off in the part of Tony.I loved all of it, the storyline, the special effects, the acting...so why the docked star? Oh those clown scenes were so awful. I absolutely hated them and fast forwarded every time they came on. I didn't think they were necessary to the plot and for me they almost ruined it. Apart from that a very unique and entertaining horror/scifi film (but I still prefer my monster horror flicks). Highly recommended.