Jim Wynorski's the kind of dude I'd like to hang out with. Just getting to listen to him talk about starting out cutting trailers for B-movie legend Roger Corman and going on to helm such campy entertainment as Deathstalker II and Chopping Mall would be a Hell of a fun evening. Plus, judging from what we saw in the great 2009 documentary Popatopolis he'd be pretty hilarious doing so.

That's why when Corman chose him to helm a remake of his 1957 potboiler Not of This Earth it felt like the perfect choice. Add into that mix that this would also mark the legitimate film debut for porn star Traci Lords and that Wynorski has seemingly took the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach while fulfilling all his adolescent fantasies and the result is this incredibly goofy, quickly shot, and low budget silliness that is just ridiculous enough to be watchable for fans of this type of stuff.

When we first meet Mr. Johnson (Arthur Roberts) he's just landed on Earth and has interrupted a couple making out in the backseat of their car in the middle of nowhere. Not only does this give us our first (of many) scenes of female nudity but it also lets us know Johnson is an alien who attacks his victims using deadly eye beams after removing his sunglasses before using a weird briefcase-like device to drain his victims of blood.

Soon he's taken on the attractive Nadine (Lords) to be his own personal nurse and administer the numerous blood transfusions he requires to stay alive. Eventually she becomes suspicious of just what her new boss is up to and in between humourous, sarcastic, exchanges with Johnson's butler Jeremy (Lenny Juliano) and her cop boyfriend trying to track down the person responsible for various deaths of nubile girls around town (one guess) she sets out to uncover the truth: that her employer is actually "Not of This Earth" and has been sent down to collect as much human blood as he can and save his race.

I can guarantee you that Corman's original comes nowhere near the camp or batshit craziness of what's on display here. It's almost like Wynorski and his co-writer R.J. Robertson just sat around trying to think of the silliest things they could and worked in the premise around it. There's more than enough nudity here to satisfy your inner pervert, the tone is completely tongue-in-cheek as evident from stuff like Becky LeBeau's awesome bit role as a nearsighted strip-o-gram girl, and there's even a slasher movie inspired set piece that takes itself more seriously than anything else here and is actually pretty cool to boot - even if it felt out of place. Everything gets all willy-nilly in a chaotic chase filled finale but there are enough amusing moments to keep you watching until the end.

Considering all Lords did before this was of the XXX variety (which was notorious for her being underage at the time), she's actually pretty good here. Her repertoire with co-star Juliano is pretty darn good and their arguing and mock flirting gets the most chuckles. I also dug Roberts as our blood-craving villain as his monotone line delivery is spot on and compliments his cool outfit of dark shades and a fedora. Juliano is at his smarmy best, Wynorski regular Ace Mask has fun as a skeptic doctor, and Roger Lodge is passable as Nadine's beau and would later host the syndicate sleaze reality show "Blind Date". Keep an eye open for an almost unrecognizable Monique Gabrielle (Bachelor Party) making a cameo as a crazy lady sitting at a bus stop as well as Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall) in a small role.

Not of This Earth is a b-movie through and through. It's absurd, it's lowbrow, and it's cheap. If that sounds appealing to you then check it out. It's not great but it was an agreeable 81 minutes. It would be wrong not to also mention the awesome credits sequence with clips from other Corman flicks as well as Chuck Cirino's typically bombastic score. Corman would remake this again in 2005 - about the same time he did retreads of past flicks Piranha, Humanoids from the Deep and Wasp Woman. (Chris Hartley, 7/5/13)

Directed By: Jim Wynorski.
Written By: R.J. Robertson, Jim Wynorski.

Starring: Traci Lords, Arthur Roberts, Lenny Juliano, Roger Lodge.