Invaders from Mars (1986)

In this remake of the classic 50s SF tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents, his least-liked schoolteacher and other ... See full summary »

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Richard Blake (story), Don Jakoby,

Stars:

Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karen Black	...	Linda Magnusson
Hunter Carson	...	David Gardner
Timothy Bottoms	...	George Gardner
Laraine Newman	...	Ellen Gardner
James Karen	...	Gen. Climet Wilson
Bud Cort	...	Mark Weinstein
Louise Fletcher	...	Mrs. McKeltch
Eric Pierpoint	...	Sgt. Maj. Rinaldi
Christopher Allport	...	Captain Curtis
Donald Hotton	...	Old NASA Scientist
Kenneth Kimmins	...	Officer Kenney
Charlie Dell	...	Mr. Cross
Jimmy Hunt	...	Police Chief
William Bassett	...	NASA Scientist
Virginya Keehne	...	Heather (as Virginia Keehne)

Storyline

In this remake of the classic 50s SF tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents, his least-liked schoolteacher and other townspeople. With the aid of the school nurse the boy enlists the aid of the U.S. Marines.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | alien | school | remake | nurse | 

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Taglines:

Their conquest has already begun... He know they're here.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invasores de Marte

Filming Locations:

Eagle Rock Elementary School, 2057 Fair Park Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,884,663 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the scene where U.S. Marines invade the school, the extras are actual Marines from 4th FAAD Battery, a Marine Reserve unit in Pasadena, California.

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Goofs

During a battle scene, two Marines who get zapped by the Martian leader start convulsing before the electricity actually hits them.

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Quotes

Supreme Intelligence: [Mocking David] Poor little guy... Poor little guy...

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Black Cauldron (2009)

User Reviews

Revenge of the 80's: The remake.

Invaders from Mars (1986) was a remake of the 1950's science fiction classic. Tobe Hooper slightly reinvents the original and updates the storyline. The story revolves around a strange alien craft that lands in a field. A young boy spots the craft but no ones listens to him or takes him seriously. Soon everyone around him begins to act very cold and strange. What can be the cause of this? Maybe the strange spaceship that landed in the abandoned field is causing this? Well it was the 80's.

Tobe Hooper made a very surreal and cool film. The special effects are excellent and the direction is on par. The acting is somewhat uneven. But the dialog and photography makes up for it. I enjoyed this movie when I was in junior high school and I still enjoy it to this very day. Another great film from Tobe Hooper.

Just don't take it too seriously. The movie is part homage and part remake of the original film and others like it that were made during the fifties.

Highly recommended.

Karen Black co-stars as the school nurse who believes the kid.