Deep Space (1988)

An American satellite with a new biological weapon gets out of control and crashes onto US territory. A slimy monster emerges and manages to escape, killing everyone who crosses his path. ... See full summary »

Director:

Fred Olen Ray

Writers:

Fred Olen Ray, T.L. Lankford

Stars:

Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, Bo Svenson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Napier	...	Ian McLemore
Ann Turkel	...	Carla Sandbourn
Bo Svenson	...	Captain Robertson
Ron Glass	...	Jerry Merris
Julie Newmar	...	Lady Elaine
James Booth	...	Dr. Forsythe
Norman Burton	...	General Randolph
Jesse Dabson	...	Jason
Elisabeth Brooks	...	Mrs. Ridley
Anthony Eisley	...	Dr. Rogers
Peter Palmer	...	Pike
Fox Harris	...	Prof. Whately
Michael Forest	...	Hawkins
William Fair	...	Michaelson
Richard Wiley	...	Tech #1

Storyline

An American satellite with a new biological weapon gets out of control and crashes onto US territory. A slimy monster emerges and manages to escape, killing everyone who crosses his path. Police Lieutenant McLemore gets the job to stop the killing machine.

---

Plot Keywords:

blonde | blonde woman | thin woman | woman with long hair | nudity | 

---

Taglines:

They created a monster over lunch. Now it's back for dinner...

---

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Del espacio profundo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trans World Entertainment (TWE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The creature is very similar in appearance to the creature in Alien (1979). It attacks by grabbing onto the mouth of its victim before entering the victim's body. It bursts out of the chest of the victim. When the creature opens its mouth, another extension comes out of the mouth and opens its mouth.

---

Goofs

(at around 55 mins) In the lab, just before the space object is drilled into, the lighting becomes substantially darker in the room between cuts (no doubt to increase the sense of fear), without anything to explain why.

---

Quotes

Det. Ian McLemore: Jerry, do you smell something?
Jerry Merris: Ah, smells like the old government cover-up.

---

Connections

Edited into Dark Universe (1993)

User Reviews

One too many dips in the "goofy" pool.

Veteran director Fred Olen Ray and cinematographer Gary Graver prove they have the skill to put together a good low budget rip-off of Alien--but that they aren't gonna any time soon.

The movie is essentially a long string of clichés: Napier and Glass play two cops who "don't play by the book" blow up a car by shooting it, killing a perp who's "just a kid", getting suspended by their hard-ass boss (but mysteriously continuing to work nonetheless), investigating a mysterious murder which is being covered up by the military which, naturally, has been engaged in creating a super-war machine, etc. etc. etc.

Ann Turkel does an admirable job, even though she's given the thankless task of being Napier's love interest and virtually falling apart every time something happens.

Then there's this whole business of stunt casting Julie Newmar as the psychic who tells Napier where the alien is.

The frustrating thing is that, in between the nonsense, FOR shows a real talent for pacing, action and shooting on a budget. He and Graver manage to create real atmosphere in the final scenes that, even though it's directly lifted from Ridley Scott's "Alien" (note the character name "Mrs. Ridley"), complete with inexplicable smoke, light, dripping water and even strobes, it's a tantalizing look at what the two are capable of when they set their minds to it.

But as much as I was rooting for it, when Napier says (in the post-coital dialogue with Turkel) "The street is my boss. Who's yours?" I realized that the movie had landed in camp-ville, like it or not, and there it would stay.