The Alpha Incident

Director - Bill Rebane (Blood Harvest, Twister's Revenge)

Starring - Ralph Meeker (The Dirty Dozen, The Food of the Gods), Stafford Morgan (The Witch Who Came from the Sea, Cleopatra Jones), and John F. Goff (The Fog, They Live)

Release Date - 1978

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "It was a gift from the red planet... Uncle Sam had the ultimate solution"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My Bill Rebane marathon has now reached the halfway mark.  So far I haven't been disappointed.  Sure, Monster a Go-Go could have been better but I've seen a hell of a lot worse horror titles out there.  However, I was really surprised by Invasion from Inner Earth.  I really liked that one which made me even more excited to go deeper into the Weird Wisconsin set.  The next film in the set was The Alpha Incident which has an amazing poster.  Most vintage posters do a poor job at stirring imagination but I fucking loved the artwork on the poster and this was a solid entry in the box set as well.  

     The film follows the employees of a train station who are forced to quarantine when the conductor of a train carrying a microorganism from space accidentally breaks open a vial.  Tension builds as the staff becomes uncooporative with the scientist accompanying the shipment forces them to stay in the station against their will.

      The Alpha Incident is not as fun as Invasion from Inner Earth but I enjoyed it.  It's a small scale thriller that features a simple story and great acting.  It's not the most memorable film in the set but it works for a first time watch.  The acting in this one is very well done.  I really enjoyed the wide range of characters.  The cast does a phenomenal job at bringing them all to life.  With that being said, they are very plain and generic but they fit the film very well.  The story for this one is simple but it works for the scenario that we get.  I really enjoyed the small setting the film takes place in and the suspense really makes it stand out.  It does get dull at times but if you stick with it the pay off is worth it.  Finally, the film doesn't have a high body count but we do get one very enjoyable death that I'm still thinking about.  The practical effects are a little on the goofy side but this death scene was worth it.  I truly enjoyed it and wish the film had several more just like it.  Overall, The Alpha Incident is a slow burn and very dialogue rich but I really enjoyed it.  Some of the bulk could have been cut from this one but it's fun as is.  I highly recommend it.