Biohazard (1985) User Reviews

This isn't a B movie, it's a D movie

[macabro357 · 4/10 · 9 January 2004]

I couldn't believe some of the horrible dialog coming out of people's mouths, and the end reel of bloopers attached to body of the film was a real hoot. And we get titty shots of Angelique Pettyjohn (sort of) and Loren Crabtree to boot.

A teleportation device activated by psychic Angelique Pettyjohn brings an alien container to an underground lab out in the desert. According to director Fred Olen Ray, they were leftover sets from the Klaus Kinski film, ANDROID which gives the film an increased value beyond how cheap it looks.

Inside the container is a midget alien (played by Ray's son) who starts clawing people to death. It was pretty funny watching this little 'creature' in a black reptile suit with what looks like large beetle shells attached to it, running around in the dark. We even get to see the little thing stamp and tear at a poster of ET, which I thought was hilarious.

And then there's what looks like a snake that also comes out of the container that gets hammered to death by William Fair, after the mini creature chews into Frank McDonald's neck in the kitchen. A low budget take on ALIEN, I suppose...

The whole thing ends abruptly, looking like they ran out of film at the end before the blooper reel comes in with the end credits. Talk about a lack of funding...

Fred Olen Ray also mentions in the director's commentary that they also weren't sure if Aldo Ray would make through the shooting and remember his lines. He barely did.

Low budget cheese sneeze. It's fun to watch, I'll grant ya that.

4 out of 10

Genre stinker is worthy of some chuckles.

[Hey_Sweden · 5/10 · 22 July 2015]

Some Typical Scientists are up to ridiculous things in "Biohazard". Working in isolation in rural America, they're experimenting in transferring matter from other dimensions. One object that they successfully transfer is a container; said container just so happens to have a creature inside it. Naturally, the creature gets loose, and slaughters various unlucky dummies. Supposedly the creature only does this out of fear, but who knows? The hero on the case is the intrepid Mitchell Carter (William Fair), who hooks up with Lisa Martyn (sexy Angelique Pettyjohn), a psychic working on the project.

This offering from the prolific B movie veteran Fred Olen Ray was two years in the making, as hard as that may be to believe. It looks like it could have been cobbled together in a matter of days. It's *that* cheap and *that* inept. Still, like so many other movies of this variety, it entertains in its own stumbling way. A lot of the elements required for such a lark are present and accounted for: laughable acting across the board (star attraction Aldo Ray, who's actually barely in the thing, is visibly drunk), a serving of bare breasts, an utterly horrid rubber creature suit (worn by the directors' son Christopher, who was just five years old at the time), wonderfully tacky gore as the monster mutilates its victims, a delicious synth score, a respectable amount of cheese, etc. That's Carroll Borland from Tod Brownings' 1935 film "Mark of the Vampire" as local woman Rula Murphy.

The ending is sudden, VERY silly, and unsatisfying, and it does lead one to believe that the production just ran out of time and money. After that, we get a very protracted end credits sequence that's padded out with plentiful outtake footage - which isn't all that funny.

If you adore bad movies, you might like this one, but fair warning: there's often more talk than action, and sometimes it's kind of dull. It does have one hilariously stupid moment involving an "E.T." poster.

Ray and assistant director Donald G. Jackson play the medics.

Five out of 10.

Dumb fun and some boobs

[jmngrdnr · 3/10 · 27 March 2024]

This one has some terrible dialogue and sub par special effects. It also has an alcoholic Aldo Ray as some kind of government employee. Angelique Pettyjohn shows off her "assets" in a few scenes but her wig is obvious and nearly falls off! The alien monster is the director's son. The plot revolves around Angelique's ability to channel psychic vibes and transfer creatures (and a tiny little statue!?!) from outer space to the Earth. Of course this is done with the help of a scientist and his laboratory deep in the southwest, probably where many westerns of the 50s and 60s were filmed. A lot of the scenes are shot at night. There's also a little gore and some creature makeup. Good late night viewing! Especially if you put your brain on idle for a while. 3 out of 10 .

C'mon -- it's a Fred Olen Ray film!

[Sparky-48 · 1/10 · 13 January 1999]

If you're watching this movie, you're either a Fred Olen Ray fan, you found it on the $4.99 shelf at Suncoast and thought "what do I have to lose?", or you spun around the video store with your eyes closed and rented the first movie your finger touched.

This movie is hysterically bad. It's got everything a terrible movie needs: a screenplay featuring jaw-dropping dialogue and baffling detours in the plot, wacky science involving psychics and other dimensions, continuity that seems to travel through wormholes in time and space, actors that are not only wooden, but seems to border on befuddled, gratuitous nudity (not all of it is what you necessarily would ask for), and of course, a 5' monster played by what I assume is Fred Olen Ray's kid.

Underneath it all, however, there is something resembling heart -- as if Mickey & Judy decided to get together all the kids in the neighborhood and make a monster movie (hey! my dad can direct it! yeah! We can use red paint from my johnny's dad's hardware store, and I know this ex-stripper who can act in it!).

Watch for the blooper reel over the credits -- you get to find out why the final cut of the movie was so crappy.

Incidentally, Biohazard II...the Alien Force is also worth a look, but doesn't have the same enjoyably crappy veneer this one does.

I really don't know what's wrong with me for renting this....

[WritnGuy-2 · 28 July 2000]

I saw this at the video store, and after passing it a few definite times, the oversized box and cheesy cover art finally got to me, and I knew I just had to rent this. I don't really know what compelled me, but I really do regret it.

I couldn't follow the plot, but here's the gist of it: Scientists use psychic Lisa (Angelique Pettyjohn) to do something that will entail contacting an alien or something stupid like that. All I know is that eventually, a transported case with some alien bursts open, and ET--after a kill or two--breaks free and runs around the middle of nowhere killing people. For some reason, Lisa and one of the scientists (who is also a love interest) are needed to help find this thing, as it kills randomly for the rest of the movie. Then again, there could be more, but I watched through fast-forward for the last twenty minutes, and was only interested by the "shock" ending.

The one thing that surprised me the most was the fact that this movie was only ONE HOUR long! I mean, with a running time like that, you would think it would be nonstop fun. Umm...no. It's dull as hell, with Ray's son in a rubber costume running around killing hobos, old people, young couples, etc, from time to time, and Lisa and Mr. Scientist Love Interest chasing it down with other stock characters. *sighs* I can't believe how bad this was.

The blooper reel during the closing credits was mildly entertaining, and filled another ten minutes into the movie, making it a whopping 70 minutes, but that didn't even save this bomb. I really can't say I recommend this the least bit. (And anyway, I had no idea what was going on, becuase I fast-forwarded so much. You may do the same, if you dare watch this.)

Remarkably dull, tedious, and of no interest to anyone for any reason

[Groverdox · 4/10 · 26 March 2016]

"Biohazard" is a jarringly tedious grade z "horror" movie with no horror and very little movie. At barely over an hour long it's tempting to call it mercifully brief, but no movie this bad could be short enough. It makes one hour feel like five.

Calling it an "Alien" rip off is being too kind. I guess that's what "inspired" it, or at least made the filmmakers think there'd be easy money in a zero budget retread. Really, the only thing it has in common with its source material is the look of the baby alien thing, which is glimpsed once or twice.

It was funny seeing the "psychic medium" the army has gotten for their top secret experiment that has something to do with the plot. She looks like every other b-movie actress, so you know she's only there to take her clothes off, which she does in a surprisingly brief scene in which her bra is too small and reveals her nipples.

There's some other, typical clichéd horror garbage like people who are about to have sex getting killed and people stalking the monster deciding to split up.

The blooper real at the end of the movie is easily the highlight. It's the only time you see anything like life in this remarkably dull, tedious movie.

Small budget, small alien.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 21 July 2020]

Fred Olen Ray, director of over 150 movies, currently pays the bills making trashy Hallmark-style Christmas movies. While this might seem like an undignified way for such a prolific film-maker to round out his career, I should remind you that there's never been anything dignified about Fred's movies: they've always been trash.

Biohazard, Ray's fifth movie, is a low-budget piece of Earth-bound sci-fi schlock of the type that clogged the lower shelves of video rental shops in the '80s: badly written, poorly acted, with unconvincing special effects, and only really good for a few unintentional giggles if the latest Arnie or Stallone film wasn't available.

The Alien-inspired premise for Biohazard sees a U. S. military scientist using the psychic abilities of his assistant Lisa (Angelique Pettyjohn) to pull objects from other dimensions. The experiment goes awry, however, when Lisa's latest inter-dimensional acquisition turns out to be an extremely vicious creature. What makes this film particularly funny is that the monster is played by the director's five-year-old son Christopher in a crappy rubber costume, meaning that it's about three-and-a-half feet tall and not in the slightest bit scary.

As the diminutive alien runs around the desert killing everyone it meets (which at least results in some cheap and cheerful gore), heroic military man Mitchell Carter (William Fair) and Lisa try to track it down, pausing only for a quick fumble on Lisa's couch (which allows Pettyjohn to free her impressive puppies). Olen Ray pads out his film with assorted characters whose only purpose is to be killed, including several hobos, the town drunk and his wife, and a guy called Roger (Richard Hench), whose busty blonde wife Jenny (Loren Crabtree) just so happens to be taking a bath. Unfortunately, there's quite a lot of filler in the form of dull conversation as well.

Like the films of fellow trashmeister Jim Wynorski, Biohazard isn't intended to be any kind of masterpiece - which is good, 'cos it's not, as evidenced by a very silly ending that shows that Ray had no idea how to wrap things up in a satisfactory manner. Still, the sight of Pettyjohn tearing open her breasts and head to reveal that she is a monster is wonderfully wacky, and the end-credits out-takes are quite fun.

Ever wonder why this films so rare? Its for a good reason!

[andybob-3 · 2/10 · 31 August 2000]

I was always curious about this film because it is so tough to find, so when I stumbled upon it on Ebay I forked over the $10 and bought it, now I understand why its so rare! This film is SO bad, so terribly written and hopelessly low budget that the ending credits, which show all of the cut scenes where they fumbled their lines, are literally the movie's highlight. The film is about a psychic (Pettyjohn) whom uses her powers with an experimental machine to pull objects from another dimension into this reality. When she pulls in some kind of box like object the military nonchalantly throws it into the open back of a truck with one soldier to guard it, and gee, what do you know? SURPRISE! A kid in a foam-rubber monster costume pops out, instantly kills the soldier with a scratch across his face, then escapes to a nearby city. But rather than deploy half the armed forces of the county to find it and protect the public those in charge just leave it up to Pettyjohn and Ray to find it on their own, but no matter, this movie blows all its credibility LONG before then. This barely escapes being voted a 1 by me only because of unintentional laughs, somebody needs to alert the producers of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" if they don't know about it already! 2 out 10, really, REALLY bad!

"Perhaps it has a sophisticated laser weapon of some sort"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 3/10 · 23 April 2021]

Let me get this right. Statuesque Lisa Martyn is a psychic but secretly an alien who gets a job in Dr. Wlliam's research laboratory and demonstrates with her 'gift' that she can pull objects out of the universe and does so, pulling into our world a box containing a short alien, which is a prototype model of a super soldier that her alien race want tested? If that isn't the story I've missed something.

Should have missed out on the film. It has flat acting, paltry effects, an infantile script and a child running around in a badly made alien suit trying to be scary. From the director of 'Bikini Pirates' and 'Mystery On Makeout Mountain'.

Huffing

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 28 May 2022]

You know, there's lots to love in this goofy little movie, from Angelique Pettyjohn being a psychic used to bring objects out of another dimension to a monster played by director Fred Olen Ray's seven-year-old son Christopher to Aldo Ray playing a general and songs by Johnny Legend. It's a rubber suit monster romp that really has no interest in being anything else which you have to respect.

This was released as Space Gremlins in other countries and I love that name.

Psychic Materialization, drugs, monsters, busty psychics, the military industrial complex, bad computer graphics, a comedy relief hobo in love with the E. T. poster he's found and a shock ending that mixes blood, boobs and beasts all at once -- you know that Biohazard isn't good for you but have you ever huffed paint? Let me tell you, it's cheap and it hurts your head for days and you know that you'll be slowed down for a few minutes, probably unable to stand and then you realize that you're doing way more than smoking or drinking, you're messing with your brain for life because that rag or bottle you're sneaking smells out of makes you forget things, sometimes for so long that you never remember them again.

You can't make Alien on 100$

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 18 May 2022]

Fred Olen Ray is one of the great schlockmeisters of our time. While he's not as big a hack as say, Larry Buchanan, he's close. He's done hundreds of movies, all of which, like this are crap. This is his usual badly written, acted and special effects efforts. His kid played the alien-probably because they didn't have enough money to make a full suit. One of the only reasons to see this is Angelique Pettyjohn (Shanna from the Gamesters of Triskelion episode of the original Star Trek, showing her breasts). The gore is minimal and unconvincing and I think this lame shock ending came about because they ran out of money. This is worth seeing-barely-once.

An enjoyably crummy earthbound "Alien" rip-off by the ever-reliable Fred Olen Ray

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 March 2008]

An entertaining, incredibly idiotic, and basically all-thumbs mid-80's earthbound "Alien" clone from the forever fumble-fingered Grade D dreckmonger Fred Olen Ray, who once again shows off his characteristic consummate ineptitude and flagrant disregard for anything remotely resembling professional film-making. Besides an obviously inebriated Aldo Ray delivering one of his single most horrendous performances as an irascible, constantly tongue-tied army general, Fred's then five-year-old son Christopher shambling about in a pitifully unconvincing rubber monster suit, a hilarious rockabilly ending credits theme song called "Rockabilly Rumble" performed by Johnny Legend and the Skullcaps, and plenty of Fred's patented crappy touches (dreadful acting, some bloody, but phony gore, excruciatingly labored attempts at no-brainer lowbrow humor, a little gratuitous bare female skin, a smug smartaleck attitude which suggests that Ray might be churning out these cheapie clunkers strictly for the money, and dimly lit nighttime cinematography that's guaranteed to make you blurry-eyed), the key reason to give this supremely shoddy stinker a look-see is to watch remarkably buxom erstwhile porn actress Angelique Pettyjohn show off her amazingly ample breasts in a couple of almost literally eye-popping scenes. Now, what more could you possibly ask for in an admittedly el zilcho two-cent "Alien" rip-off? Well, how about Fred in a quick cameo along with fellow partner-in-schlocky-celluloid-crime Donald G. Jackson (he who blessed us with "Hell Comes to Frogtown") as a medic. Best and funniest moment: When the irate dwarf creature shreds an "E.T." poster and stomps all over it in an angry jealous rage! A deliciously cheesy hoot and a half.

An above average addition to the science fiction horror genre

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

Biohazard (1985) is a movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a science experiment gone wrong that creates a monster with psychic abilities that can reproduce quickly. Can the scientists survive the creature and stop it before taking over the planet?

This movie is directed by Fred Olen Ray (The Phantom Empire) and stars Aldo Ray (We're No Angels), Angelique Pettyjohn (Repo Man), Bret Miller (Some Are Born), David O'Hara (Nightingale: A Melody of Life) and Art Payton (Never too Young to Die).

The costumes, sets and props are a lot of fun and classic 80s. The alien is a man in a costume and looks like it, but it's still fun to watch. As you would expect in this picture there's lots of flashes of topless scenes and the ladies are absolutely gorgeous. The cast delivers strong performances and the dialogue is well written with some fun comedy and zings. The horror special effects are limited and the kills are fairly mediocre, though the baby creatures were entertaining. There is a nice twist at the end.

Overall, this is an above average addition to the science fiction horror genre that I would score a 5.5/10 and strongly recommend.

Want to have a real great time looking at trash?

[Laserhotline · 24 November 2002]

Well, movie fans, it is not a question of whether you like or don't like this movie - it is simply a question of wether you are into trash or not. Should you be one of the happy movie goers who have cultivated the watching of trash to an art form you definitely won't be disappointed with Fred Olen Ray's masterpiece of fun trash - BIOHAZARD! The first time you see this movie you may ask yourself why someone gets money to do such a film. On the other hand, if you really can't help stopping to laugh about what is happening on screen, you probably know how well the money was spent on this project. But I must warn all you trash lovers: BIOHAZARD will make you an addict to this film genre. Since having watched BIOHAZARD for the first time several years ago I probably must have watched it ten times or even more at least! And it still gets me laughing out loud! Be sure to invite some of your friends for a DVD session of this film - you all will have a really great time! Make sure to provide enough pop corn, though!

Mediocre alien film with bad acting and a worse script

[abduktionsphanomen · 6/10 · 28 April 2024]

#194 Biohazard - 1985 (This Films Rates a C ) In a remote research lab, scientists are working on experiments involving the transferring of matter from other dimensions. It's so remote that even the army has a hard time locating it. The film involves an army officer named Mitchell who teams up with a psychic, Lisa, who is a part of the experiments. "Her mental energy will receive and transmit to this location anything her mind can attract". But, because of a lose cable outside of the area is unsecured it brings back a large "metal trunk". The government wants the trunk and are going to cart it out through the desert in a military vehicle. The alien creature escapes into the desert of course. It is short, dressed in a black rubber suit and likes to kill. There is also a snake like creature that doesn't last long but is fun to laugh at. Meanwhile a group bans together to hunt it down. "You go down on him and when I hear your moans, I'll come running". They ultimately split up into groups as predicted. The crazy twist ending seems to fit even if wacky and tacky. It has beautiful desert scenery, which is a highlight of the film, plus the gore effects are a bit bloody. This is as good as a $250,000 budget can bring you. The alien creature ripping down and stomping on the ET movie poster was priceless. To its discredit however, the script and acting are dumb, jumpy and disjointed. It is truly terrible. One character has his throat ripped out but "they stopped the bleeding, and he is going to be ok" also they are about to kill this alien creature and instead get into a fist fight right in front of it, and then instead of killing this thing, he walks away? There is brief sex and psychic boobage but not enough to elevate the film. There is just so much that doesn't work here. It's just a romp into something mediocre.

Imitative monster pic

[lor_ · 23 February 2023]

My review was written in August 1985 after watching the movie on Continental video cassette.

Made in 1981 and just released on video cassette, "Biohazard" is a silly horror film that slavishly imitates (as have many other low-budgeters) the monster effects in the 1979 hit "Alien". Ironically, pic made for 21st Century release retained its moniker though 20 Century Fox reportedly tried to buy the name to affix to its recent "Warning Sign" film. Postscript is that 20th Fox is itself back in production with the Sigourney Weaver-starred sequel "Aliens".

Thin story has Dr. Williams (Arthur Payton) experimenting in his remote desert research lab on matter transfer, not the process used in the Fox classic "The Fly" but rather bringing objects here from another, unknown dimension. One such foot-long object has been materialized and is being shown to military observers led by Gen. Randolph (Aldo Ray). The object is stolen by a journalist who wishes to write about it, and it opens, releasing a series of monsters that go on the rampage.

Mitchell Carter (William Fair) of the Army tries to track down the monsters, using a geiger counter (they are radioactive). He is aided by Lisa (Angelique Pettyjohn), an ESP-sensitive who has been instrumental in Dr. Williams' experiments. Climax has a leading character revealed to be one of the monsters.

Spectacle of seeing the "Alien" monster imitated in each of its guises is a sad excuse for a film, loaded with gore and in-jokes (at one point a monster angrily tears up a poster displaying "E. T."). This short feature ends ludicrously with the director audibly yelling "Cut!" from off-screen, followed by nearly 10 minutes of outtakes as padding. Funniest bit is when mature bombshell Angelique Pettyjohn's platinum blonde wig slips off during a sex scene, duly recorded in the outtake section.