I fondly remember going to the movie store during my youth and always walking quickly by the horror section, stealing furtive glances at the boxes. I loved/feared those nightmare- inducing images of vampires and ghouls--it was, I think, a formative experience.
When I was in my teens, I often sought out these films, wanting to encounter the horror that undoubtedly lurked beneath the menacing packaging. I was so disappointed. These films-- Ghoulies, Critters, CHUD, and this one here--weren't terrifying; they didn't leave me anxious and paralyzed as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween did. They were just funny.
XTRO was soooooo bad. I can't even recall the plot, really, but I'll try and unwittingly combine it with other schlock I saw at the time: A kid's dad is abducted by aliens but returns a few years later, except it isn't his dad--it's an alien impersonating his dad! And that alien gives the kid powers for some reason. That's it. Oh, I'm sure other stuff happens, but you don't really watch this type of movie for the plot. You watch it for what's on the cover of the VHS cassette tape box.
I truly wish IMDb had an image of the picture I know, love, and cherish. It's a starscape backdrop replete with spacecraft. In the lower right, there's a young man with marvelous hair and a turtleneck. He looks mysterious, interesting. Behind him, jaws agape, is the bust of a terrifying monster from behind the stars. He's brown, has giant red eyes, nifty fangs, and drool. He looks a little like a housefly mated with a human skeleton. He's remarkable. Unfortunately, the beast in the film doesn't quite live up to his artistic rendering. Neither does the young man for that matter.
Do you like bad horror films from the 1980s? If so, you should see this. It's quite terrible, but it had nice artwork on its box. Now there's some photo of the alien on the DVD case and it's so totally lame.
When I was in my teens, I often sought out these films, wanting to encounter the horror that undoubtedly lurked beneath the menacing packaging. I was so disappointed. These films-- Ghoulies, Critters, CHUD, and this one here--weren't terrifying; they didn't leave me anxious and paralyzed as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween did. They were just funny.
XTRO was soooooo bad. I can't even recall the plot, really, but I'll try and unwittingly combine it with other schlock I saw at the time: A kid's dad is abducted by aliens but returns a few years later, except it isn't his dad--it's an alien impersonating his dad! And that alien gives the kid powers for some reason. That's it. Oh, I'm sure other stuff happens, but you don't really watch this type of movie for the plot. You watch it for what's on the cover of the VHS cassette tape box.
I truly wish IMDb had an image of the picture I know, love, and cherish. It's a starscape backdrop replete with spacecraft. In the lower right, there's a young man with marvelous hair and a turtleneck. He looks mysterious, interesting. Behind him, jaws agape, is the bust of a terrifying monster from behind the stars. He's brown, has giant red eyes, nifty fangs, and drool. He looks a little like a housefly mated with a human skeleton. He's remarkable. Unfortunately, the beast in the film doesn't quite live up to his artistic rendering. Neither does the young man for that matter.
Do you like bad horror films from the 1980s? If so, you should see this. It's quite terrible, but it had nice artwork on its box. Now there's some photo of the alien on the DVD case and it's so totally lame.