Blood Suckers from Outer Space

 



Director - Glen Coburn (Hollywood Deadbeat, Tabloid)
Starring - Robert Bradeen (Bloodsucker Reunion), Big John Brigham, and Glen Coburn
Release Date - 1984
Genre - Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Nobody can escape..."
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     I always come across movies I want to watch but can never make the time for.  When I was in high school the local video store went out of business.  They were selling tapes for a couple quarters a piece so I grabbed what ones caught my eye.  I remember grabbing Neon Maniacs, Frankenhooker, Monster Squad, The Gate, and Bloodsuckers from Outer Space.  I got to watch them all except Blood Suckers.  The tape had mold on it and I couldn't get it clean enough to work.  Several years ago I found the DVD super cheap and grabbed it but I had already begun reviewing movies so my spare time to watch whatever I wanted was behind me.  That changed recently when Vinegar Syndrome released the 1984 Glen Coburn film on blu.  They were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a photo journalist and a woman he just met as they try to flee from a small, rural town that has been taken over by the locals who are turned into bloodsuckers by an invisible beam from outer space.  They must fight their way through the horde before a war hungry general launches a nuke on the town killing everyone in it's path.

     I knew this horror comedy was intended to spoof the invasion horror films of the late 70s but I had no idea how obsessed with it I would become after watching it.  I watched the film for the first time just a few days ago and now I've seen it over four times.  I absolutely loved it and I can't believe I've went this long before giving it a chance.  The acting in this one is far from perfect but I can't call it bad either.  The cast really embrace their characters but there was times where the acting doesn't work for the scene.  This does add to the cheese of the film which is something I always support.  The story for this one takes the story that was popular in the 70s and 80s and spoofs it while keeping the campy horror element very much alive.  The characters are very clichéd and the story is fun but there is several slow scenes that is a chore to make it through.  They do move the story along so they are not pointless but these few scenes could have been handled differently.  Finally, the film is a spoof of horror to an extent so there is several on screen death that are not meant to be taken seriously.   The effects are used in a comical way in some of the scenes and in others they are there to move the story along.  The gray paint on the infected was clearly done for comedic effect and the bright red blood only furthers the humor along.  Overall, Blood Suckers from Outer Space is a fucking fun 80s cheesefest that I can not recommend enough.  Be sure to check this out on blu from Vinegar Syndrome.