प्लॉट

The planet Jupiter has moved closer to the Earth causing an increased gravitation pull which affects the human brain, and people with certain blood types in higher elevations. The result is that the citizens in a town in the Rocky Mountains have become blood-hungry, flesh-eating, and insane.—jddmld@aol.com

1. Hidden gem from 1982 follows mountain mine operator Big Jim Drill who must rescue his family and beautiful girl from crazed citizens, zombies, and wildly deranged police force when the planets line up. Lots of action -- curious blend, since it takes place in a mountain town, of Western, Horror, sci-fi, excellent special effects by Peter Chesney (Peckinpah's "The Osterman Weekend") It's like, "Yellowstone" meets "Night of the Living Dead." Filmed on location in Colorado.

Jim Drill has been under investigation for harboring illegal aliens at his mine as he lands his plane in the high mountain town of Canon City. There, he argues with the Chief of Police, Switcher, a man already showing signs of severe dementia but the argument is interrupted by word from town: One of Drill's miners has murdered several customers of a local restaurant (the old Janey's Chili Wagon in the location town).

Another of Drill's miners (Gary Ross, also stunt coordinator on the film) has taken a hostage - the beautiful and girl Drill has been seeing, Bonnie (Sandra Shields). Drill rescues the girl only moments before Switcher's men kill the miners, finishing them off with shotguns. That night, Switcher is in his office spinning a cartridge in his .38 police revolver. He shoots his own foot. At Drill's ranch, Robert calls Jim's attention to the radio. A strange alignment of planets is affecting people in the higher altitudes. People of a certain blood type. People who are outdoors. People who are susceptible. The two visit Robert's friend, Nestor, one of the "Little people," who warns Jim to take precautions . A terrible gravity-related sickness is coming -- as predicted by Nostradamus centuries before. Drill accepts the warning in good humor but finds that at the airplane hangar, his mechanic, Pappy is grumpy. He's loyal and protective of Jim, but Drill wants to pilot the old Cessna into the mountains and Pappy -- out of fear for Drill - wants the plane to remain so he can work on it.

Switcher arrives, a terrible limp slowing him down, just as Drill is getting ready to take off, Drill's son, Robert, is attacked and Drill cold cocks Switcher, but the chief is at the end of the runway as Drill attempts to takeoff. Switcher begins firing, bullets ricocheting off the engine cowl as Drill guides the propeller right at Switcher. Its even worse at the mine.

Manager Harold Pilgrain tries to convince him how "lunatic" the miners have become, but it's worse than that, they are downright psychotic and Drill and Pilgrain barely make to the plane alive. One miner is impaled on a fast moving fork lift, others shot to pieces, another is beheaded in a very wet propeller accident. Pilgrain is killed by shovel wielding zombie-like miners.

Drill lands his plane at the ranch where his own German shepherd attacks him and his eye is torn out. Riding out, he finds the beautiful Bonnie amid an exodus of citizens -- hundreds of them evacuating -- but the police set a trap and massacre many. Drill rescues Bonnie and at a cave Nostradamus tells them about, find shelter. Two scientists (Thomas Fischer and Richard Fein) inform Drill the worst is yet to come. Scenes of the alignment of planets show perilous times are ahead. Back in the city, the local butcher attacks market customers with a cleaver. Other customers hold their hands and moan imitating those with stumps for arms. Outside there are car crashes and gunfire are everywhere. Citizens are running amok and zombie-like men attack everyone. At the hangar Chief Switcher takes Jenny and Robert hostage. Pappy is murdered. Drill's voice comes over the tarmac loudspeaker, but Pappy can't help. Throughout town there is mayhem as citizens, unaware of the alignment of planets is pulling their internal fluids of the brain into unbalance causing extreme behavior.

Drill and Bonnie share a tender moment, her in the hot waters of the shelter, as Drill tells her he is leaving. He must find his family and put them together again. The next scene we find him approaching the town. It is aflame and police have gone berserk as well. The crazed populace is terrifying and there are explosions, the downtown area is on fire and police are killing everyone. Drill is able to find and rescue the kids at the jail where Robert is being tortured. They escape but must split up. Police give chase, Drill on horseback with Jenny, and Robert is on a stolen motorcycle chased by a city police bike cop. Switcher commandeers a helicopter (a French A-Star) to chase Robert down. The motorcycle cop fires at the boy who is able to disappear into a ravine but the helicopter is already onto him. At the ranch a posse arrives at the same time as Drill. Drill and Jenny quietly get the plane ready -- Jenny names it after the three of them -- "The Spirits of Jupiter" -- but Robert arrives and a huge gunfight ensues. It's an all-out shoot out, that moves from the ranch house through the cattle and horse corrals and onto the open land where Drill and Robert fire continuously to get to the plane. Suddenly the motorcycle cop arrives and this time Drill -- who respects his as a "good cop any other time" -- throws a gas filled jerrycan and incinerates the cop in a ball of flame. In the explosion his gun is sent flying and Robert picks it up. When he turn around, his father is about to be killed by the wild eyed posse (Tom Massman and one other). Robert finally earns his father's respect when he kills the two.

The rest of the posse renews their attack, exchanging gunfire with Drill who covers Jenny and Robert first, then climbs aboard the newly named Spirit of Jupiter, and the three take off in the plane. But their wheels only barely leave the Earth when Switcher's jet helicopter is upon them, firing shotgun and bullets. The pursuit is through some of the roughest region in the Rockies," as Pappy called it, down perilous canyons of sheer granite and over gorges with rivers running below, but the plane keeps getting hit with bullets and can't take it any longer. The Spirit of Jupiter goes down in a terrible ball of flames. But the Drill's somehow survive, thrown clear of the wreckage, and Drill and the Chief draw final beads on each other as the helicopter circles them below, a pillar of black smoke and flame from the wreckage rising between them. At the last moment, the planets move out of alignment, enough that Switcher comes to his senses and relents. Hundreds of townspeople begin their return home, and beautiful Bonnie is among them, running to Jim Drill as the smoke and fire rise to the heavens and the credits roll.

Some people have called it ambitious and fun. Restored uncut (2024) version much superior to the rough cut bootleg. See this one.