The Being (1983)

Director:

Jackie Kong

Writer:

Jackie Kong (writer)

Release Date:

18 November 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The ultimate terror has taken form

Plot:

Toxic waste dumping in a small Idaho town turns a young boy into horrible mutant monster. The town's...

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Mutant | Toxic Waste | Police | Title Directed By Female

Cast

Martin Landau	...	Garson Jones
Marianne Gordon	...	Laurie
Bill Osco	...	Detective Mortimer Lutz (as Rexx Coltrane)
José Ferrer	...	Mayor Gordon Lane
Dorothy Malone	...	Marge Smith
Ruth Buzzi	...	Virginia Lane
Murray Langston	...	Arn
Kinky Friedman	...	Willis
Johnny Dark	...	John
Kent Perkins	...	Officer Dudley
Ellen Blake	...	Jenny
Roxanne Cybelle	...	Suzie (as Roxanne Cybelle Osco)
Jerry Maren	...	The Monster
Eric Helland	...	Doper #1
Bill Rawlinson	...	Doper #2
Richard Marcus	...	Joe The Lab Assistant
Nancy Osco	...	Woman Motorist
Jay Sherlock	...	Golf Buddy
James Simmerman	...	Golf Buddy
John Elliott	...	Golf Buddy
Tracy Barry	...	Newswoman
Patrick Cunningham	...	Drive-In Cashier
Brian Swain	...	Drive-In Manager
Jefferson Jewell	...	Prankster
Mary Hold	...	Prankster
Cory Germann	...	Prankster
Roger Smith	...	Tow Truck Driver
Brad Ginther	...	Running Boy
Roland Onffrey	...	Farmer On Tractor
Larry Babcock	...	Policeman At Station
Chief Sherwin	...	Policeman At Station
Dave Clark	...	Customer In Diner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vern Stierman	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Jackie Kong

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jackie Kong		writer

Produced by
Bill Osco	....	producer (as William Osco)

Original Music by
Don Preston

Cinematography by
Hanania Baer
Robert Ebinger

Film Editing by
Karin Nowarra

Costume Design by
Sarah Bardo

Special Effects by
Mark Bussan	....	makeup special effects
John Eggett	....	special effects
Thom Shouse	....	makeup special effects (as Tom Shouse)

Camera and Electrical Department
Nancy Osco	....	still photographer
Mark M. Pompian	....	electrician (uncredited)

Other crew
Betty Osco	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Astral Films

Distributors

• Best Film & Video Corp. (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Video (1984) (Canada) (VHS)
• Code Red DVD (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Focus Film Video (1987) (West Germany) (VHS) (as Focus Film + Video)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Shriek Show (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Toshiba Eizo Soft (1985) (Japan) (VHS)
• Tower Vision (????) (Sweden) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Boise, Idaho, USA

Company:

Astral Films

Trivia:

This film was made in 1980 as "Easter Sunday," but sat on the shelf for three years and finally received a brief theatrical release as "The Being."

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first scene where the creature is chasing the boy it starts off in broad daylight, but when he reaches the junkyard and steals a car it is night time.

Quotes:

Laurie:But if this thing is actually killing people, then why is the mayor trying to keep it quiet?
Detective Mortimer Lutz:Potatoes
Laurie:Potatoes?
Detective Mortimer Lutz:Around here that means big money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Monster Squad (1987)

Not THAT terrible.

I actually enjoyed "The Being" for the most part. Obviously it's awful but isn't that the point? The basic plot is a small town in Idaho is victimized by a big, blubbering, wet and greasy, reddish-pink blob with one eye. He kills people at random and a determined detective is going to get to the bottom of it. Martin Landau plays a 'scientist' who is heading up a toxic waste dump research project who tries at first to stand in the detective's way, but then conceded that 'yes in fact, there is a problem in Pottsville...' Along the way we meet some awful actors and actresses and we are treated to many cheeseball performances and some lame killings. We get a nice view of the monster in the end and it actually is a little creepy. One thing we can say about this flick is that it is never really boring, no; it moves along pretty quickly with a decent amount of action.

All in all, I've seen worse, but I've definitely seen better within the genre. The genre of whence I speak being 80's drive-in trash, I mean what do you want?

5 out of 10, kids.