Alien Zone (1978)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Sharron Miller

Writer:

David O'Malley (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

don't you dare go in there!

Plot:

A man who is having an affair with a married woman is dropped off on the wrong street when going back to his hotel...

Plot Keywords:

Mortician | Affair | On The Run | Husband Wife Relationship | Supernatural

Cast

John Ericson	...	Talmudge
Ivor Francis	...	The Mortician
Judith Novgrod	...	Miss Sibiler
Burr DeBenning	...	Growski
Charles Aidman	...	Detective Malcolm Toliver
Bernard Fox	...	Inspector McDowal
Richard Gates	...	Cantwell
Elizabeth MacRae	...	Mrs. Lumquist
Linda Gibboney	...	Julie (as Kathie Gibboney)
Leslie Paxton	...	Marie
John King III	...	Marie's Husband (as John King)
Bo Byers	...	Growski Detective #1
David O'Malley	...	Detective #2
Robert Telford	...	Maitre'd
Michael Colley	...	Stan

Also Known As:

Last Stop on 13th St. (USA) (DVD box title)
The House of the Dead (USA) (alternative title)
Zone of the Dead

Runtime:

90 min | USA:100 min (DVD) | USA:79 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Oklahoma, USA

It's no Creepshow, but still enjoyable

What an unfortunately titled film. If it goes by House of the Dead, it inescapably gets mistaken for Uwe Boll's quote-unquote "masterpiece", and if it goes by Alien Zone it's doomed to deceive audiences into disappointment. Looking past the title however, this isn't a bad film. Though as far as I'm concerned Creepshow is and always will be the be-all-and-end-all horror anthologies, this is still a nice effort. The wrap-around story is pretty weak, though the way the stories are presented is pretty cool. Ivor Francis plays a rather creepy mortician telling the macabre stories of his "aquisitions" to a man who just had a bit of extra-marital fun.

The first story is pretty weak, about a mean spirited teacher who gets whats coming to her. The main actress is awful, the attempt at special effects is just as bad, and the story isn't all that strong to begin with.

It picks up some with the second story, which concerns a man who lures women to his apartment and films himself killing them. The main actor is pretty over-the-top, but he makes for a pretty good lunatic. Unfortunately his victims leave a lot to be desired. The story isn't very original, but it was still interesting.

Story #3 is easily the best of the lot. It's about the world's two greatest detectives teaming up on a case...or are they? The acting in this one is surprisingly good, the American detective reminded me of a cross between Al Pacino and a teacher at my school. The story was great, the ending, though obvious, was fitting....overall this was a great story.

The fourth and final story was pretty good too, though not as good as it's predecessor. It revolves around a miserable man who gets himself trapped in a building and tormented endlessly by an unseen force. The actor was decent, the plot was good and it ended well.

The closing of the wrap-around story wasn't very good...very predictable and a huge letdown after seeing two pretty good stories.

Overall, this anthology is definitely worth watching. The low budget shows, but it's entertaining and has at least a couple really good stories. It does have it's flaws though, such as terrible acting and a very weak first story, so I cant rate it too high. I recommend seeing it for yourself.

6/10