Strange Invaders
by Michael Laughlin
List Price:
Our Price: $2.99
You Save: $11.96 (80%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.79 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Diana Scarwid, Louise Fletcher, Michael Lerner, Nancy Allen, Paul Le MatDirector: Michael Laughlin
Cinematographer: Louis Horvath
Writer: Michael Laughlin
Editor: John W. Wheeler
Producer: Richard Moore
Producer: Walter Coblenz
Writer: Bill Condon
Writer: Walter Halsey Davis
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-11-20
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Strange Invaders
Movie Review: Oh, The Memories!
Summary: 4 Stars
Did you ever watch a film as a kid and see images you'll never forget, but have no idea what the friggin' movie was called? Sure, it's happened to most of us. When I was about six years old, I was watching HBO(of course) at about 5 in the morning and saw a little boy laying in bed with a brownish alien in overalls standing over him. The alien put his hand on the boy and the poor kid shriveled up like a prune and turned into a glowing ball of blue light. Scared the hell outta me. This image stayed with me for years, and I watched about every alien invasion film trying to find out what the hell the name of this movie was.
Well, in 2001, MGM put out Strange Invaders as part of their Midnite Movies collection. I watched it and guess what I saw?? The shriveled boy didn't have the same effect through adult eyes, but it's still rather gruesome and disturbing for a PG rated film. I've seen the film about four or five times since it's DVD release, and I'm surprised it's not a bigger cult hit.
In the movie, aliens invade Centerville, Illinois in 1958 to study the human race. Entomologist, Charles(Paul Le Mat, who we all know from The Puppet Master) married a woman from Centerville, Margaret(Diana Scarwid, the hot nun from Psycho 3), and had a daughter, Elizabeth. When Margaret is summoned from New York back to Centerville, Charles goes on a search for her when she seemingly disappears. He discovers a town stuck in the 1950s, with odd folks who don't seem to care for his presence. He's also attacked by an alien! Going back to New York, he tries to convince anyone about what he saw, but naturally no one believes him. No one except a shady government agent played by Louise Fletcher, and a tabloid reporter played by the yummy Nancy Allen. The aliens follow Charles to New York to kidnap his daughter, Elizabeth, who they want to return home with them. Now Charles and his new girlfriend head back to Centerville to get Elizabeth back. Joining them is Michael Lerner, a guy who had a run in with the aliens years before(and the unfortunate father of the shriveled prune boy). Together they try to pull off a rescue and escape the clutches of the Strange Invaders.
I have to say that for this kind of film, the whole thing is pretty above average. It's good with the suspense and mystery, the story is interesting, the aliens look good, and the effects aren't all that bad either. Though a B film, and a nod to 50s sci-fi flicks, the tone is actually more serious than campy. But for the most part, it actually does work. I am a bit surprised that the movie isn't more well known.
I'd certainly recommend this to folks who dig alien invasion movies and B sci-fi in general. Be on the lookout for Wallace"Inconceivable!"Shawn and June Lockhart in tiny roles.
Summary of Strange Invaders
Timelessly entertaining and worthy of cult status, Strange Invaders is beloved among sci-fi enthusiasts as an early-'80s tribute to its 1950s counterparts. It's got a touch of satire that Joe Dante fans will appreciate, but director Michael Laughlin seems more intent on honoring alien-invasion classics like The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers while offering a low-budget alternative to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There's even a quick Steven Spielberg sight gag as an affectionate sign of the times, and the film's deliberately cheap-looking style blends well with eerie special effects and gooey alien makeup. The plot is simple--Paul LeMat investigates the disappearance of his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid) in a small Illinois town that's been occupied by aliens for 25 years--but the movie's creepy atmosphere and well-chosen cast (including Nancy Allen, Louise Fletcher, and The Thing's Kenneth Tobey) make it a fine companion to the films that inspired it. --Jeff ShannonArt House & International DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Relatively unknown Sci-fi /Horror DVD's that everyone should own
StuckImage Entertainment; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $6.88
Price in other shops:
![The Keep [VHS] Image](/images/The-Keep-VHS-6300214346-X.jpg){kind=small}
The Keep [VHS]Paramount; Release date: 1998-11-11; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
FeedTLA RELEASING; Release date: 2006-07-25; DVD
Best price: $9.72
Price in other shops:
TriloquistWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2008-07-01; DVD
Best price: $6.86
Price in other shops:
Feast II: Sloppy SecondsRelease date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $4.71
Price in other shops:
OtisWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops:
Rawhead RexRelease date: 1999-10-19; DVD
Best price: $249.98
TeethWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2008-05-06; DVD
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops:
GummoWarner Brothers; Release date: 2001-03-20; DVD
Best price: $9.91
Price in other shops:
The Cellar DoorMONTEREY HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2008-04-08; DVD
Best price: $9.21
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Little Shop of HorrorsWarner Brothers; Release date: 2000-05-23; DVD
Best price: $5.09
Price in other shops:
Forbidden Planet (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-11-14; DVD
Best price: $10.28
Price in other shops:
10,000 B.C.Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-24; DVD
Best price: $1.89
Price in other shops:
The Final Countdown (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2004-03-30; DVD
Best price: $10.28
Price in other shops:
Invaders from Mars (Special Edition)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2002-12-03; DVD
Best price: $4.97
Price in other shops:
Invasion of the Body SnatchersLions Gate; Release date: 1998-07-01; DVD
Best price: $8.45
Price in other shops:
This Island EarthUNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2006-08-22; DVD
Best price: $7.28
Price in other shops:
When Worlds CollideParamount; Release date: 2001-09-25; DVD
Best price: $4.18
Price in other shops:
Time After TimeWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-09-02; DVD
Best price: $7.53
Price in other shops:
Invaders From MarsRelease date: 2001-08-28; DVD
Best price: $6.92
Price in other shops: