The 1950s and 60s were a heyday for great B-sci-fi horror movies. With the pursuit of space travel and the development of nuclear power there was a lot of anxiety and fear (on a world wide scale) surrounding the future of science and mankind.
Many of these films involved scenarios with aliens invading earth, scientists poking their noses where they shouldn't be, radiation creating mammoth sized creatures or other atrocities, and just overall horrific goofiness. B-sci-fi and horror films were the beginnings of my love for horror as a child.
In the late 1970s and all through the 80s filmmakers began to remake or pay homage to many of these classic sci-fi horror films. Movies such as The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Deadly Spawn are all throwbacks to the wondrous days of B-sci-fi horror. The 80s took what was great about the classics and expanded on them with the beauty of gore galore. This is why some of the best sci-fi horror films are from the 80s.
The alien that came from the asteroid sneaks into the basement of a nearby farmhouse where a family lives. In the morning it is raining pretty hard and the father of the family goes into the basement to check the water. He immediately runs into the spawn and is devoured.
Soon, the rest of the family realizes there may be something wrong. One of the sons is a Science Major and he and his friends find a large tadpole creature, one of the small versions of the spawn. When the they realize it is something they have never seen before they start to get scared.
Soon the entire countryside is being attacked by these little spawns, and the aliens are all growing. The spawns crash the grandmother's lunch party, attacking the old women and biting them in scene that is both disturbing and humorous at the same time. The family gets trapped in the upstairs of the farmhouse as the largest spawn comes looking for them. It is up to the youngest boy in the family, who is a major fan of horror movies, to try and save his family.
The story is simple and straightforward and is exactly what a horror fan would want from a movie of this caliber. The acting along with the script give us the feeling of glimpsing into a small slice of middle class midwestern life. This makes the story seem quaint and more disturbing. Of course, being a b-style movie, the acting isn't always perfect. However, it is sufficient for this movie and holds up well in the gruesome little story.
As I already mentioned before, I love the soundtrack. However, the sound editing is a little off at moments. The entire opening "credit" sequence was just a black screen with music in the background. It sort of reminded me of listening to an overture during a musical. But for a horror movie it was a little weird. Additionally, the music will seem to randomly cut off at moments when a scene changes.
All of these little hiccups are completely forgivable considering the budget and caliber of the movie. In spite of its little mistakes it manages to be an impressive and entertaining entry in the sci-fi horror genre.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 8
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 4
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 3.5
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