Alien Raiders (2008)

It's the end of yet another night at Hastings Supermarket, an idyllic family grocery store in Buck Lake, Arizona. But the normal monotony of rounding up shopping carts and settling out the ... See full summary »

Director:

Ben Rock

Writers:

Julia Fair (screenplay), David Simkins

Stars:

Carlos Bernard, Mathew St. Patrick, Rockmond Dunbar

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carlos Bernard	...	Aaron Ritter
Mathew St. Patrick	...	Seth Steadman
Rockmond Dunbar	...	Kane
Courtney Ford	...	Sterling
Jeffrey Licon	...	Benny (as Jeff Licon)
Samantha Streets	...	Whitney
Derek Basco	...	Manny
Bonita Friedericy	...	Charlotte
Bryan Krasner	...	Moody
Keith Hudson	...	Chambers
Joel McCrary	...	Tarkey
Joseph Steven Yang	...	Ulrich
Philip Newby	...	Spooky
Tom Kiesche	...	Logan (as Tom Kietsche)
Laura Cordova	...	Hispanic Nanny

Storyline

It's the end of yet another night at Hastings Supermarket, an idyllic family grocery store in Buck Lake, Arizona. But the normal monotony of rounding up shopping carts and settling out the cash drawers is broken at 11:07pm, just before closing when a group of masked and armed-to-the-teeth militants invades the store, immediately killing several of the employees and shoppers and holding the rest hostage. Though the hostage-takers at first appear to be robbers or terrorists, they reveal themselves to be a cadre of rogue scientists that has discovered and tracked an alien infestation to THIS STORE on THIS NIGHT, and they are determined to find out which of the survivors are extraterrestrials and end the invasion at any cost.

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Plot Keywords:

grocery store | alien | gore | death | incubation | 

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inhuman

Filming Locations:

Inglewood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Home Video, Raw Feed, Flame Ventures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Logan Cam" footage was shot by actor Tom Kiesche, who played Logan. Originally, the camera was just to be a prop for his character. But before shooting, Tom asked Ben, the director, for a functioning cam, with tapes and batteries. The first tape got misplaced by someone along the lines, because no one took it very seriously. Most people, both crew and actors, were surprised that he was actually shooting during "his" scenes. However, lots of the footage he shot, made the final film, giving the film an even grittier feel and giving the editor other options to cut to.

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Connections

Referenced in Terror Film Festival Promotional Video 2012 (2012)

User Reviews

Sci Fi Channel Should Take Notes

This movie is definitely not going to win any awards. It's also not going to make any top 10 lists at the end of the year. It won't even make cult status.

What it will do is entertain you & keep you on the edge of your seat.

The premise is simple. A group of independent "alien hunters" have descended on a small town, and specifically a grocery store where they seem to have found the original infection. Do they do the best job securing the location?? No. Do they seem dis organized, and nervous?? Yes. But I think that adds to the plot. These are not trained police officers, or ex military men. They are regular Joe's that have found something that needs to be stopped.

What's most impressive is the way the tension is built throughout the film. You feel the same claustrophobic tension that you get in Splinter, and there's a similar feeling to the great Spanish film "rec" This movie isn't quite as good in quality as those two movies, but there's a good mix of "what the heck is going on" and "how is this whole thing going to end."

There are very limited special effects in this movie, and when used they add to the story, they don't take away. There's almost no CGI, and that's a good thing. The Sci Fi channel could really learn something about creating movies like this, where you have alien invasions without using incredibly cheap and campy CGI, just a little make up, and some cool camera tricks and hold back the pay off till the last minute. It's an easy formula that's been missing from science fiction films for quite some time. Directors have fallen in love with being able to create big creatures, but don't know how to build tension.

Now, the movie does have plot wholes, and relies on some clichés. The one cop that happens to be a hostage negotiator from "the big city." The ending isn't as surprising as they want it to be. Still, for a direct to DVD movie, this is about as good as it gets.

It's science fiction, so suspend disbelief a bit, and imagine how you would react if you were in the characters shoes. It's an enjoyable little trip.