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1982 - 81m.

The Deadly Spawn is one of those low-budget early 80's horror flicks you just have to see. Joining such fare as Basketcase and The Evil Dead, this 1982 effort shows just how resourceful and persistent young filmmakers were at the beginning of the decade to get their movies made - and to share with the audience their love of the genre.

A meteor streaking through the sky is the first image we see, and if you've seen enough of these types of films you know that's not a good sign. Soon enough some people camping nearby go to investigate and are attacked by some sort of clawed creature. The unrelenting series of attacks continues right after the opening credits as the owner of a nearby house goes into his basement to investigate why the electricity is acting up only to fall victim to a gigantic creature (an attack shown quite well using shadows) that has taken up residence down there. When his wife comes looking for him she feels hubby's hand grasping at her shoulder only to turn around and see it sticking out of the whirlwind razor toothed maw of the monster.

After a well done opening fifteen minutes that builds up good mood, has cool gore, and trots out an impressive looking main creature, The Deadly Spawn does something a lot of B-movies fail miserably at by filling the movie with good character development and realistic dialogue. There's the two brothers (the younger one being a total horror movie freak who uses his knowledge of the genre to fight the monster, an idea done two years before Corey Feldman's Tommy Jarvis character in Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter), the aunt and uncle who are visiting, and a few of the older brother's friends who have come over to take shelter from the torrential rainstorm outside. Little do they realize they're all just victims for the alien creature in the basement who is using the lower-level of the house as a spawning ground to mount an invasion on the Earth.

While there's a few slower moments in the mid-section, The Deadly Spawn is one entertaining little movie. The effects by John Dods (who would go on to do effects in a whole slew of low-budget and Hollywood films) are extremely good for the budget level, the monster attacks are decently done, and it even manages to build up some fine suspense during certain scenes such as when younger brother Charles (Charles George Hildenbrandt) first stumbles across the breeding chamber. Writer-director Douglas McKeown is also gutsy enough to kill off the older brother's love interest (and throw here newly decapitated body through a second story window), the entire thing exudes a charm not seen in a lot of independent movies being produced today, and it contains more bloodshed than expected.

If you're a fan of cult movies or a fan of low-budget monster movies then you'll be pleased as punch with The Deadly Spawn. If you're just looking for an entertaining evening and want to spend it with an ambitiously made hidden gem then this one is for you too as it delivers exactly what you'd expect it to. (Chris Hartley, 11/30/05)

Directed By: Douglas McKeown.
Written By: Douglas McKeown.

Starring: Charles George Hildenbrandt, Tom de Frano, Richard Lee Porter.

aka: Return Of The Aliens: The Deadly Spawn.