Strange Invaders

Starring:Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher, Wallace Shawn, Fiona Lewis, Kenneth Tobey, June Lockhart, Charles Lane, Lulu Sylbert, Joel Cohen, Dan Shor, Dey Young, Jack Kehler, Mark Goddard, Thomas Kopache, Bobby Pickett, Connie Kellers, Nancy Johnson
Director: Michael Laughlin
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Description

STRANGE INVADERS: Audio Commentary by Director Michael Laughlin and Writer William Condon Original Theatrical Trailer Widescreen (2.35) English (Mono) Subtitles: French, Spanish INVADERS FROM MARS: Original Publicity Featurette Sci-Fi Promo Featurette

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT FILM.......2007-06-03

HI,

BOTH FILMS WERE GREAT! "STRANGE INVADERS" IS ABOUT ALIENS WHO TRY TO KIDNAP A LITTLE GIRL, WHO'S MOTHER IS ACTUALLY AN ALIEN.

IN "INVADERS FROM MARS", MARTIANS HAVE LANDED IN THE BACKYARD OF A LITTLE BOY'S HOUSE. WHY ARE THESE ALIENS HERE AND WHAT'S THEIR PURPOSE? YOU'LL FIND OUT, ONCE YOU BUY THIS GREAT FILM!

BUY THIS DVD SET AND YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

Wonderful Sci-Fi Package Of Films, Thanks MGM!.......2007-03-01

This is great package of two great sci-fi films Strange Invaders oh yes i remember this one, my scout leader show us boys this one over at his house when we had party one night, i tried to watch it but got too spooked and end up talking with him upstairs about stuff ahh the memories! i felt like such chicken, but the fellas did'nt give me a bad time, V the series was on that year and i was weirded out by things that ripped their faces off. i did'nt remember the title of the movie and want to buck up and see the ending because i felt cheated, well all those memories kick in when i began to watch it i did'nt really remember the starting just the middle as kid i probably was'nt paying too much attention to the starting. This really is a cool film and the effects hold up well there quite good. I really like it now and i'm less scared but still does give me the creeps a little the end is great. and Then there's Invaders From Mars this very excellent remake of the 1950's film very campy but a fun romp of film this one is creepy too, but by the time this one came out i was little bit older and could handle scary movies. I'm glad mgm decided to put both of these classic films together in one package dvd. Oh the main reason i bought this title is it had Invaders from Mars on it. but i'm glad i have the other film too Tobe Hooper directed this film and other horror classic Poltergiest.

Both PG For Profanity And Spooky Violence .

Highly Recommended Films.

P.S. For Older Kids 11 & UP

A perfect 2-for-1...and yes, it's anamorphic.......2006-02-18

Two classic "retro" sci-fi flicks from the 80s on a single disc (it's a double sided disc, one movie on each side). These two alien movies with a 50s feel star plenty of horror veterans including Karen Black, Nancy Allen, and Louise Fletcher (who's in BOTH!). Although it doesn't even say it on the DVD case both films have a 2:35:1 aspect ratio and are both enhanced for widescreen TVs. Strange Invaders is mono, Invaders from Mars is Stereo with rear channel surround track. The films themselves haven't been impressively remastered or anything, they both have some grain and tears on the prints--of course, that adds to the retro feel of the films.

Average customer rating:

Back in the 50's Again!
Earth girls (and tabloid reporters) are easy...
90 minutes of my life that I want back.
Flawed but fun
A major disappointment

Strange Invaders
Starring: Paul Le Mat , Nancy Allen , Diana Scarwid , Michael Lerner , and Louise Fletcher
Director: Michael Laughlin
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005O074
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Amazon.com

Timelessly entertaining and worthy of cult status, Strange Invaders is beloved among sci-fi enthusiasts as an early-'80s tribute to its 1950s counterparts. It's got a touch of satire that Joe Dante fans will appreciate, but director Michael Laughlin seems more intent on honoring alien-invasion classics like The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers while offering a low-budget alternative to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There's even a quick Steven Spielberg sight gag as an affectionate sign of the times, and the film's deliberately cheap-looking style blends well with eerie special effects and gooey alien makeup. The plot is simple--Paul LeMat investigates the disappearance of his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid) in a small Illinois town that's been occupied by aliens for 25 years--but the movie's creepy atmosphere and well-chosen cast (including Nancy Allen, Louise Fletcher, and The Thing's Kenneth Tobey) make it a fine companion to the films that inspired it. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Back in the 50's Again!.......2006-10-02

I loved this movie. The 50's environment was so exciting and since it was my favorite decade it was a pleasure to see. The storyline was simple but good - not great, but good and the characters were wonderful. This is pure entertainment with a 50's touch....right down to the music and Nancy Allen turning on a TV and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was playing. I enjoyed every minute of this movie and I think most people will too.

Earth girls (and tabloid reporters) are easy..........2006-04-13

I'm sure many of us have had a sinking suspicion at one time or another that aliens have possibly been among us for awhile (you can't tell me that creepy guy who lives down the street from you is of this Earth), having insinuated themselves among our society, perhaps even cross breeding with our species, but few films really had the guts to relate the situation like that of Strange Invaders (1983), the film the aliens, and the gooberment, didn't want you to see...directed by Michael Laughlin (Strange Behavior) and co-written by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey), the film stars Paul Le Mat (American Graffiti, Melvin and Howard) and Nancy Allen (Carrie, Dressed to Kill, RoboCop). Also appearing is Diana `no wire hangers' Scarwid (Mommie Dearest, Silkwood), Michael Lerner (Eight Men Out, Barton Fink), Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Brainstorm), Fiona Lewis (The Fearless Vampire Killers, Tintorera), and Kenneth Tobey (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, It Came from Beneath the Sea), probably best known for his role as Captain Patrick Hendry in Howard Hawks 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World...and keep and eye out for a couple of "Lost in Space" regulars in June `Maureen Robinson' Lockhart and Mark `Major Don West' Goddard in bit parts.

As the film begins it's the year 1958 and we find ourselves in the small, rural town of Centerville, Il. After some establishing shots we soon see a giant space phallus appear in the sky, heralding the arrival of non-indigenous life forms (I hope they brought some moon candy)...fast forward 25 years later and now we're in New York City attending a lecture on bugs hosted by professor of entomology Charles Bigelow (Le Mat). After the class Charles gets word from his ex-wife Margaret (Scarwid) that she has to return to her hometown of Centerville for personal business (a funeral), and Charles has to watch their daughter Elizabeth. After losing contact with Margaret (woo hoo, no more alimony checks!), Charles heads to Centerville to try and find her, which he doesn't, but he does find a whole lot of trouble as the aliens who took up residence so long ago, now posing as humans, give him (and his car) the business. Charles manages to escape and return to New York, but no one believes his fantastic tale, including Mrs. Benjamin (Fletcher), a gooberment bigwig with the National Center for U.F.O. Studies. After seeing a picture in a tabloid rag of a similar alien he saw back in Centerville, Charles contacts the reporter, named Betty Walker (Allen), who wrote the story, but it turns out it was all baloney, and the picture used just was one pulled from the files, received many years ago by some supposed crackpot. After some bizarre incidents (seems the aliens hopped a bus east and have been keeping tabs on Charles) including the return of Margaret and the kidnapping of Elizabeth, Charles and Betty head to Illinois to contact the person who originally took the picture in hopes of getting a lead on Charles' missing daughter, which eventually leads the pair into a conspiracy of epic proportions...

Being somewhat of an aficionado of classic science fiction films I found this feature to be fairly enjoyable given how much it had in common to those older films of yesteryear. The pacing of the film can be off at times, and the story uneven at points, but overall, taken in the right context, it's just a whole lot of fun. Paul Le Mat seemed an odd choice for the lead, as I've always thought he did better in more character driven roles like that of the film Melvin and Howard, but I thought Nancy Allen was dead on in her part as the streetwise, somewhat skeptical rag journalist, who apparently has a real affinity for kooks given how quickly she hooked up with Le Mat's character. Incidentally, I think Miss Allen was going through a `braless' phase here, as I haven't seen so much bounce since the last NCAA Final Four tournament. I was sort of puzzled by the end of the movie why so much emphasis was placed on Le Mat's character's profession, as it didn't play much of a part in the overall plot, but whatever...as far as the others, Louise Fletcher has a few scenes in the film, but not much comes of her role, which was too bad as I thought she could have added a lot more and Diana Scarwid does well enough in her part, although every time I saw her I kept expecting someone to pop out and whip her silly with a wire hanger (it had been a brief two years earlier when she appeared with Faye Dunaway in the career killer/cult classic Mommie Dearest). Both Kenneth Tobey and Fiona Lewis pop in and out of the picture, imparting very few lines but certainly passing themselves off admirably as human guised aliens determined to complete their mission, whatever the heck it was...there are specifics within the plot that are never really fully defined, but there is a scene near the end, as the aliens are gathering for some big event, where the head google-eyed space dude fills us in on some generalities towards the reasoning for their occupation, which, in my mind, was sufficient enough. I thought the special effects were decent as far as the true appearance of the aliens (there was a lengthy sequence involving an alien ripping of his fleshy, human covering from his head), and the various mental abilities they possessed, the most spectacular being able to shoot lighting from their fingertips (that'd be fun at a party). All in all I thought this was a fairly entertaining and respective tribute to science fiction features of the past, despite its' unevenness at times, worthy at least 3 ? stars.

The picture quality, presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), looks decent, even though it appears the film was originally shot with some type of diffuse filter, the effect being to soften the images. As far as the Dolby Digital mono audio, I thought it was slightly lacking, as it seemed the music was mixed louder than the dialog. There were times when I could barely discern what was being said, but I think this has more to do with the way the audio was originally recorded and/or processed, and not a flaw in the transfer. In terms of extras there's a theatrical trailer, French and Spanish subtitles, and an audio commentary track with the director Michael Laughlin (who also co-wrote the film) and writer Bill Condon. If you're interested in this release, I'd recommend searching out the double feature DVD release, also put out by MGM, which includes the feature Invaders from Mars (1986) as it's probably a better deal, especially if you own neither.

Cookieman108

90 minutes of my life that I want back........2005-03-23

One of those movies I've heard about since I came out back in the 80's and just never got around to watching it until now. Definitely could've lived without it.

In the 50's, the entire town of Centerville is abducted by aliens who then make an "arrangement" with our government (one of many plot points that is never fully explained here) to stay there disguised as residents and "study" earthlings. Cut to the 80's, a college professor's ex-wife turns out to be one of them, and they're getting ready to go home. Catch is, she's supposed to take their daughter with her. With the help of Nancy Allen as tabloid reporter, he tries to rescue his daughter.

Not funny enough to be a spoof, too dopey to be taken as serious sci-fi, and it seemed like there were a lot of parts where stuff had been taken out. Things that didn't click.

Now there are people out there who will like this movie. There are people out there who will like any sci-fi flick or any movie were people peel off their skin to reveal yucky aliens underneath. But for the more discriminating movie-goer (about 80% of the population), this movie doesn't have a whole lot to offer.

Flawed but fun .......2005-01-14

The premise of this movie is that the tales of aliens in our midst are true and indeed that they have been here for over two decades ,preparing the ground for an eventual takeover .They are now getting ready to make their move .
This looks good and the visual style of the movie belies its relatively modest budget .Add to this some impressive looking aliens and a cast of able performers .including PaulLeMat , Louise Fletcher ,Diane Scarwid and the always admirable Nancy Allen ,and the ingredients are in place for a minor classic of the genre .The big problem lies with the script which lacks sharpness and plot development resulting in a movie that is always enjoyable but never quite makes the transition from good to very good

Well worth watching though -but it could have beeb better with a sharper script

A major disappointment.......2002-09-29

It's obvious that the producers had good intentions for STRANGE INVADERS. Unfortunately I found the result tired, forced and lazy; despite the presence of cult faves Kenneth Tobey (THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS), June Lockhart (TV's LOST IN SPACE) and Fiona Lewis (DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN, THE FURY). The acting is ham-fisted and this "spoof" of 50s alien invasion movies is almost a complete wash out.

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