Not of This Earth (1988)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Please don't spend money on this.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Excellent but underrated film

Not of This Earth (1988) ** (out of 4) Remake of Roger Corman's 1957 film takes pretty much the same plot but throws in countless amounts of nudity to keep 80s VHS renters happy. Alien Mr. Johnson (Arthur Roberts) comes to Earth to see if human blood will work in his and his alien friends bodies. He hires a nurse (Traci Lords) to take care of his blood transfusions but this doesn't stop him from just going out and finding his own bodies to suck dry. I'm sure many people wondered why Corman would bother remaking his very own film but I think the answer was simple and that answer is Traci Lords. She was a rather hot name when this film was released and since most of her porn titles were pulled from shelves this here would be one of the few ways of someone actually seeing her. Apparently it worked as this film apparently became a hit on video but that doesn't translate to it being a good movie. Considering this movie was just meant to be cheap fun you can't really be too hard on it as I'm sure the main goal it set out to be was accomplished. The movie has an ultra cheap feel to it but then again it was shot in just twelve-days. The screenplay also manages to offer up some rather funny dialogue including a bit where the nurse talks about Laurel and Hardy and the alien, not knowing them, thinks she's referring to some doctors. The film knows what it is and that's a sexploitation type thing so you should expect tons of nudity and you get it. The movie kicks off with a couple in a car having sex and you know the woman shows off her breasts and then turns around for no reason other than to have her butt right at the camera. Lords also appears nude in a couple different scenes with the first being just as she steps out of the shower. I'm sure her porn fans will not see anything they haven't seen a lot more of but I'm sure the majority of people not wanting to go down a dark road would prefer this here. As far as her performance goes it's really no better or worse than the countless other blonde, big-breasted actresses would give in this type of movie. I think she has a certain amount of charm and her sassy attitude has no problems getting across. Roberts is decent in the role of the alien and Lenny Juliano, Roger Lodge and Ace Mask round out the cast. I think fans of the original movie will probably be disappointed with this thing. Not only is it a "remake" but it's not really trying to be scary or anything like that. It's just cheap sci-fi with nudity thrown in. Being a Corman-produced movie you can expect to see stock footage from other films including THE RAVEN, PIRANHA, Hollywood BOULEVARD, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, GALAXY OF TERROR and FORBIDDEN WORLD to name just a few.

Seeing any Jim Wynorski film without advance warning of what a tasteless and untalented hack he is, is the cinematic equivalent of finding that your lapdog has suddenly been taken by a extended fit of explosive, malodorous diarrhea. Before viewing any Wynorski film, view a list of his extensive credits; if you've seen a single one of his films, you will know the cheated feeling that every viewer of his films knows. If you never saw any of them, thank whatever god you worship that you managed to dodge 70 bullets (actually if you also count his writing and/or producing credits, there's some 150 sh*tbombs he's to be blamed for).If you've escaped this potentially fatal fusillade, do not defy this run of great luck by viewing any of them. Life is too brief. Professionally, I was required to view several of Wynorski's earliest works, and I blame this traumatic experience for ending my career in show biz.Traci Lords gave much better performances in any of her earlier films, all of which had better scripts, direction and production values than this steaming load.

Alien(Arthur Roberts), from a nuclear devastated planet, needs blood not only to keep himself strong, but for his people from home as war ravishes there. He brings in nurse Nadine(Traci Lords) to apply transfusions often so that his strength will remain. His eyes glow so he has to keep a pair of shades on unless retrieving the life force of victims..he also uses mind control over the inferior humans who are weak against his power. He has a blonde servant, known for his criminal activities, named Jeremy(Lenny Juliano). Nadine's boss, Dr. Rochelle(Ace Mask)is a mind control victim of the alien's and does as he wishes. If anyone even mentions his name as a possible suspect in the rash of crimes taking place, where corpses are being drained of blood, Rochelle will not implicate him. Various bimbos become victims as Nadine, her cop boyfriend Harry(Roger Lodge), & Jeremy begin to suspect their wealthy employer, Mr. Johnson being his disguised earth name, may be..Not of This Earth.Johnson keeps a gateway housed in his study which works as both a portal between worlds and a telecommunications device to his leader. Soon Johnson discovers that he'll possibly not be able to return home when a female alien passes through the portal to earth informing him that a bimbo he sent was crushed during the travel. Needing blood, the female alien is accidentally given blood, through a transfusion conducted by Johnson, infected with rabies that sends her into a violent frenzy wiping out a group of punks and hunting/executing an innocent woman. The discovery of the female(..coupled with Nadine and Jeremy's snooping) could lead to the revealing of Johnson's true identity.To be honest, my true recommendation towards others is seeing Traci Lords in various states of undress or wearing dresses and/or skimpy, scantily-clad clothing that reveals her magnificent body. She's undeniably a sexy woman who does a capable job in the starring role opposite the stone-faced Roberts as an emotion-less alien killing machine, while Juliano as the slimy Jeremy, with a thing for Nadine(..who could fault him for that?)is a hoot. The special effects sequences at the front are really not needed and rather detract from the rest of the film which has nothing to do with those images of various alien monsters terrorizing. There are a number of spirited weirdos who often frequent director Wynorski's trashy pictures. But, Lords is the film's highlight, ESPECIALLY in that blue bikini. As Lodge's cop Harry pronounces as she walks away from him.."Phew, have mercy." Have mercy is right!

'Not of This Earth' is a quickly made, low budget, R rated, sci-fi movie. It's made very much in the style of the B movies of the 50s and 60s except for the R rating. The R rating comes from several scenes of topless women and some sexual activity. The star of the film is Traci Lords in her first role in a non-porno film. It is also supposedly the last time she appears topless in any film. I'm sure this is one of the big attractions of the movie to a lot of viewers. She did surprise me though by her acting. It really wasn't bad. There are several scenes that were put in the film of other topless, big breasted actresses. These scenes weren't really necessary to the plot but I doubt that many of the male viewers will voice an objection to them. At the beginning of the film while showing the opening credits, there are a lot of exciting scenes shown quickly. These are not in the movie. Don't expect to see them again. Although this is not made clear or pointed out, they are from other films. It still is an interesting and fun movie and has some pretty good scenes of it's own. The film has plenty of mistakes and bloopers to look for that were left in due to the low budget. I saw this on a DVD that also had a version with commentary going through the film with you. I found it very interesting and recommend that you watch this commentary version after watching the movie. 'Not of This Earth' is a fun movie that combines some light comedy, horror and sci-fi. The movie is not meant to be taken too seriously. It's best viewed by a non critical eye with the intent of just having a good time. This can be a really enjoyable and fun modern B movie if watched in the right frame of mind.