Director Don Dohler’s films always have a throwback sort of quality about them. Even though they were very much a product of their time, they still felt like something that could’ve played at the drive-in in the ‘50s. With Nightbeast, he added the allure of sex and gore, which instantly makes it more entertaining than his other movies. In fact, this might be his Citizen Kane.
An alien crashes his spaceship in a small Maryland town. Almost immediately, he begins blasting the shit out of anyone that tries to make first contact with him. The cops arrive and level the playing field by destroying his deadly ray gun, but the thing still has sharp claws and can rip people’s guts out like a knife through butter. Adding to the police’s woes is a killer biker who is on the loose.
You’ve got to love this movie. The first fifteen minutes has the creature going on a rampage and shooting dozens of people with his ray gun. Cops and local rednecks return fire, and a long shootout ensues with people getting vaporized left and right. It’s like the Saving Private Ryan of made-in-Maryland horror movies.
After about a half-hour or so, the pacing slows down considerably, and things become much more like your typical Don Dohler affair. At least the scenes of gut ripping and decapitations help to liven things up whenever the plot starts flagging. That and the rampant nudity (get a load of the blonde deputy who gets naked at the drop of a hat) ensure this is the best Dohler joint of all time.
As you might expect, Count Gore De Vol himself, Dick Dyzel takes the acting honors. He’s great as the perpetually drunk mayor who won’t let a little thing like an alien invasion get in the way with his political shindigs. His death scene is a definite highlight too.
This was also the first credit for J.J. Abrams. He did some of the music and provided sound effects for the flick. Incredibly, he was only sixteen when he worked on Nightbeast. I think it’s a lot more fun than The Force Awakens, that’s for sure.
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