dljms Reviews

Fire in the Sky (1993)

Oh they won't be back!

[7/10 · 11 October 2023]

Fire in the sky recreates the story and alleged UFO abduction of Travis Walton, a U. S logger, who along with 5 other men, are working in a secluded area of forest clearing timber under a government contract.

Late in the day and on their journey home just after sundown, the men see what appears to be a huge amber red light in the trees. Investigating, they discover a UFO hovering. One of the men "Travis Walton" gets closer to the strange craft in curiosity and is subsequently paralyzed by a beam from the craft completely immobilising him. The others in panic and assuming their fellow worker is now dead, flee the scene in panic. Later recounting their story to the local police and investigators who scarcely believe them. Five days pass since the incident and despite a full search of the area, no sign of Travis is found. Later the missing logger reappears one night and upon questioning by others, begins to slowly remember his traumatic and frightening encounter onboard the UFO.

A good film but not perfect and with a good support cast despite one or two hokey performances from certain characters. Robert Patrick ( Terminator T1000) and Henry Thomas (E. T) give good performances in lead roles here. Special mention for soundtrack composer Mark Isham who conducted the suitably eerie score. Well worth watching whether you believe in aliens or not!

The Deadly Spawn (1983)

I guess they just keep on growing!!!!

[7/10 · 24 April 2022]

A crashed meteorite is discovered by two kids in a nearby tent who are then eaten by its inhabitant.

The alien then finds its way into a cellar of a large house & proceeds to feast on everyone who lives there with the exception of a young boy , his brother & some teenage friends who try to prevent the creature & it's young from escaping & creating further mayhem.

A good low budget monster movie with some great special effects & an awesome 80s electronic sci-fi score although the characters & acting in general leave a lot to be desired.

For fans of similar films, Xtro, Night beast, Without warning etc, you'll love this!

The X-Files: Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster (2016) Season 10, Episode 3

Disappointing new series?!

[2/10 · 22 October 2021]

When season 9 finished in 2002, I thought that was that & the X files were no more with Duchovny & Anderson focusing on alternative projects.

So when rumours of a long awaited 10th season emerged & was finally commissioned, like many fans & casual viewers of this once great TV series, I waited to see the return of the FBI's finest & much loved agents from a bygone era.

Having bought the boxsets of the other series & the two films, I waited some time before deciding to purchase this one.... Perhaps I could have saved £10?

With only 6 episodes to offer, and with only Founders Mutation as a decent entry, this series is disappointing.

I've yet to see series 11 but as a diehard, I probably will go out & buy it just to complete the set.... I only hope it improves upon this lacklustre entry into a once great weekly sci-fi TV show!!!!!

Fight for Your Life (1977)

Bladerunners JF Sebastian in early role!!!

[24 May 2021]

Three convicts escape from prison & take refuge in a black ministers residence holding him & his family hostage while subjecting them to beatings & foul racist language abuse. An early appearance from actor William Sanderson (Bladerunner, X-files etc) as Jessie Kane in home Invasion/exploitation saga. The black family turn the tables however, exacting revenge on the would be intruders..violence breeds violence. Still banned in the UK & unlikely to ever be re-released in the current climate given the BLM movement & protests making headline news, although there is a region 1 dvd from the States if you have a multi-region player. Worth a watch but only for the least easily offended.

The New York Ripper (1982)

Banned until 2002!

[4/10 · 1 July 2020]

Here is one nasty mysogynistic film which wasn't available at all in the UK during the eighties but no doubt would have been drawn up on the official nasties list of that era. Apparently the distributors of the film were told to simply not present it for classification under any circumstances due to the graphic content. It wasn't until 2002 that it became available in a cut version courtesy of Shameless entertainment, however, I will describe the uncut version here! A killer is at large in the big apple who brutally slashes and slays a number of young women in gory detail. Hot on the trail is a chain smoking detective and a psychoanalyst attempting to reveal and apprehend the killer. Directed by the legendary Lucio fulci of Italian splatter who gave gorehounds such delights as Zombie flesh eaters, the film shows the viewer in close up of brutal attacks which in one particular sequence towards the end, shows a woman tied to a bed and being subjected to razor slashings and torture which is really quite difficult to view. It's easy to see why this one was so problematic with feminists and the bbfc alike in the past and despite the overdubbing of Italian actors and typical second rate acting generally found in these types of films, it should be approached with caution. Look out for the director himself making his usual cameo appearance as in all his films and also Paolo malco from another gory gem The house by the cemetery!

Xtro (1982)

The adult version of E. T!

[16 April 2020]

In 1982, following the release of Spielbergs E. T in cinemas, John Carpenter had remade The Thing. The classic story of an alien intruder at a military and scientific base, discovered frozen in a block of ice. While Carpenters version was initially met with disgust and disdain in equal measure, another film, a low budget outer space shocker involving another visitor from beyond, was wrapped in the UK. Somewhat overlooked but finding momentum in the vhs rental shops of eighties Britain and that of course was Xtro. There were some parallels with ET concerning a young boys special relationship with an alien but this film was much darker and disturbing. A father is abducted by a "light" in the sky and, after 3 years, returns home to relocate his wife and specifically his son. The father however, is much different now and conceals alien dna within having being "changed so i could live there" referring to the alien world in which he was taken. Reborn in the most gruesome and notorious sequence in the film ( hands over your eyes) which still stands out as a superb example of practical effects on a shoestring. The rest of the film becomes somekind of kitchen sink drama as the mans wife, her new partner, a french housesitter and the son become implicated in the events that unfold while trying to reveal the true motives of the husband!!! Two sequels were made, neither related to this or each other, some years later by the same director who also composed the soundtrack to the film. Not for everyone but worth viewing if you enjoy your horror or scifi with a serving of splatter!

The Thing (1982)

Man is the warmest place to hide!

[10/10 · 2 April 2020]

Most film fans, indeed most horror fans, will have seen this classic or own it in some media format but here is the sypnosis anyway. A science research team consisting of 12 men are disturbed when a Norwegian helecopter enters their base in pursuit of a sledgedog. Upon investigating further, they discover the Norwegian camp and remains of something not quite human. The dog meanwhile, is placed in a kennel facility with others and soon begins a hideous transformation revealing itself to be an alien being capable of replicating any living creature it comes into contact with. In a shortwhile, the scientists, find themselves fighting to survive against a creature, not afraid to reveal its gory self once exposed in a hostile environment. Watch as a dog gets turned inside out, watch as a man loses his arms during a heart resuscitation sequence and in the same scene, somebodys head is pulled clean of their torso in a blaze of splatter. In the wake of the success of Alien (1979), there were many similar films in the early eighties that attempted to gross out an audience but none of them could hold a candle to this iconic movie, which i was fortunate to see as a youngster, around 1984 or thereabouts. This is highly recommended and has enjoyed many re-releases over the years. Look at your neighbour, trust no-one, they might be The thing!