Alien Terror (1971)

In the European village of Gudenberg in 1890, Prof. Mayer and his assistant Isabel have created a powerful ray machine. One of the powerful rays is shot into space and attracts a flying ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jack Hill, Juan Ibáñez

Writers:

Juan Ibáñez, Karl Schanzer

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Enrique Guzmán, Christa Linder

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boris Karloff	...	Prof. John Mayer
Enrique Guzmán	...	Dr. Paul Rosten
Christa Linder	...	Laura
Maura Monti	...	Dr. Isabel Reed
Yerye Beirute	...	Thomas
Tere Valez	...	Nancy
Griselda Mejía	...	Prostitute
Sergio Kleiner	...	Alien
Rosángela Balbó	...	Martha - mayor's wife
Mariela Flores	...	Deaf-mute victim
Tito Novaro	...	Gen. Nord
Sergio Virel	...	Villager
Nathanael León	...	Villager (as Frankestein)
Victor Jordan
Julián de Meriche	...	Visiting dignitary

Storyline

In the European village of Gudenberg in 1890, Prof. Mayer and his assistant Isabel have created a powerful ray machine. One of the powerful rays is shot into space and attracts a flying saucer. The alien pilot decides that the ray poses too great a threat to the universe and must be destroyed. Sex murderer Thomas is possessed by an alien intelligence and infiltrates Mayer's household; Mayer himself is later taken over by an alien mind. Paul Rosten, a young scientist who is in love with Mayer's niece Laura, arrives. The alien "Mayer" and "Thomas" rig the ray gun to explode, killing all who know its secret. Thomas kills Isabel, but before he can murder Laura, Mayer throws off the alien intelligence and she is saved. Mayer realizes that the ray is too powerful for human use, and he destroys it. The flying saucer departs.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Horror

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Shown in the USA in Spanish language theaters before being dubbed into English and sold to television.

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Quotes

Professor John Mayer: Have you noticed that our bodies are becoming radioactive?
Thomas: Well... yes.
Professor John Mayer: It doesn't bother you?
Thomas: No.
Professor John Mayer: Well, it bothers me.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Targets (2016)

User Reviews

Bizarre Relic

This movie likely won't be of much use to the bulk of humans infesting the surface of the planet Earth. But it may interest Boris Karloff fans and amateur theatrical detectives who like to dissect bad movies like lab specimens. What you get here is one of the most disjointed and bizarre films ever made, a combination of what appear to be two films edited to seem like a larger whole. The first movie consists of about thirty minutes of footage featuring Boris Karloff playing a white suited scientist who invents a disintegrator ray device. The were filmed on soundstages in southern California, with some ending up in this film and others in FEAR CHAMBER, THE SNAKE PEOPLE and HOUSE OF EVIL.

The second movie was filmed after his scenes were completed in Mexico and attempts to match the Hollywood scenes with actors -- some the same -- wearing similar costumes on similar sets, reciting more or less similar toned dialog & engaged in similar actions. Idea being that they are on one side of the room and Karloff on the other: Sometimes characters who were present for both sessions walk back and forth between the scenes, which is quite strange. Their hairstyles and lighting changes subtly, creating a disjointed viewing experience that overwhelms whatever the script was about.

If memory serves, a space alien in what can only be described as an Art Neveau flying saucer gets wind of the disintegrator ray and decides it is too great a threat for mankind to posses. The alien looks like Yahoo Serious and wears a silver lame space jump suit that reminded me of David Bowie from THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. So did some of the flying saucer's design elements, consisting mostly of beakers with colored fluids bubbling through them. The spaceship is mostly shown from the inside too, requiring the viewer to sort of have to take the director's word for it's existence.

The alien takes possession of various cast members and compels them to sabotage the disintegrator ray, which is probably for the best after the local military gets wind of the situation and decides they want a portable version to serve as a weapon. This results in several conversation scenes where characters veer from the California shoot to the Mexican footage. It's a great lesson in how a film can be constructed, and we can only hope that we can learn from it or the seventy three minutes it runs is a waste.

Fans of Boris Karloff will likely be pleased, he's on screen a bit in this one and looks great in that white suit which sharp viewers will recognize as the same one from THE SNAKE PEOPLE, likely filmed earlier that day. Others are well warned to try something else.

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

April 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alien Terror

Filming Locations:

Estudios América, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Azteca Films, Columbia Pictures, Filmica Vergara S.A.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)