BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE (1984) Blu-ray/DVD combo
Director: Glen Coburn
Vinegar Syndrome

The red state gets redder in the Texan regional straight-to-video horror comedy BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE, on Blu-ray/DVD combo from Vinegar Syndrome.

The small Texas town of Hazledale has been assailed by a spree of murders in which the victims had their throats ripped out and their blood completely drained. The sheriff suspects a run-of-the-mill serial killer, Deputy Sam (Christopher Heldman) tries to downplay the latest killing to press friend Jeff (Thom Meyer) lest he start a public panic, and farmer Buford (Jim Stafford) suspects the Presbyterian "devil-worshipping homos" next door. Little do they know that Jeff's own scientist brother Ralph (writer/director Glen Coburn, TABLOID) is studying the problem at Research City where head researcher Dr. Pace (John Webb) has already been transformed and is being studied by colleagues Jett (Kris Nicolau-Sharpley) and Barton (Wayne Greene). Mulling over his uncle Joe's (Robert Bradeen) demand that he give up journalism and work on the farm or lose his inheritance, Jeff meets cute with motorist Julie (Laura Ellis) and they discover amidst the vampire mayhem that the alien force that is turning has a special destiny for both. Meanwhile, warmonger General Sanders (Dennis Letts, PASSENGER 57) is all in favor of the nuclear solution despite the objections of Major Hood (Rick Garlington) and the President of the United States himself (SMOTHERS BROTHERS regular Pat Paulsen).

A regional horror comedy in which the latter genre is so painfully forced ("Damn, that incidental music is scary"), BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE boasts some reasonably atmospheric locations and occasionally striking images in the otherwise workmanlike 16mm photography. Meyer, Ellis and a few others stand out as reasonably professional while Letts in his late in life screen debut goes over the top. Letts would become a character actor in film and television from the eighties until his death in 2008 while appearing in the play "August: Osage County" written by his son Tracy Letts whose previous plays "Bug" and "Killer Joe" were adapted into films directed by William Friedkin. The film is generally played for laughs, including the few rudimentary gory make-up effects, but one sequence in an abandoned town may have been inspired by SALEM'S LOT and anticipates the Larry Cohen sequel. Intermittently entertaining, BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE is one of those regional productions where the behind the scenes is far more interesting that the final product.

Released direct-to-VHS by Lorimar Home Video in 1986, BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE comes to Blu-ray/DVD combo in a 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen encode from a 2K scan of the original 16mm negative. The image is fairly grainy as it should be but free of any distracting damage apart from a couple scratches that could have happened in the camera. The blood is saturated enough to suppose that the paler colors of the rest of the film are those of the locations and clothing choices along with the make-up since some overly pink or orange make-up jobs on the "living" characters are noted on the commentary track. Perhaps an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 might have been a better choice as otherwise fine widescreen framing does crop what looks like a shot of one of the vampires giving the finger to a car that has just run him over. The DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono track sports clear music and sparse usage of sound effects while the scoring and original songs are rather lacking in presence as a limitation of the original mix. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

The film is accompanied by an audio commentary by writer/director Coburn, actor Meyers, and cinematographer Chad D. Smith which mixes factoids and anecdote with more forced humor than the film itself. Smith spends a lot of time discussing the technical aspects of the photography from balancing daylight and interior lighting to the few camera movements he was allowed to do (as well as a couple setups that were the input of another which he agrees were more effective). Coburn discusses the many happy discovers at found locations as well as the original songs (which were subsequently performed live on the local NPR station) while Meyers discusses his performance and those of the others. More interesting and exhaustive is “34 Years Later” (51:44), a making-of documentary seemingly composed of both new and archival interview material with Coburn discussing how he took inspiration from 1950s B horror movies with the young lovers as well as the scientists studying the threat while the military wants to destroy it. Sound man Michael Hanes recalls how the staggered weekend shoots were a vacation from his work on commercial and corporate films, Tim McDowell discusses the make-up effects as well as continuity issues with the cosmetic make-up for the actors, while Meyers, Ellis, Prince, Braeden, and Nicolau – who discovered that she was too old for the ingénue role she desired – discuss the performances and working with the extras, among others.

The “Back to Bloodsucker Town” (15:51) locations featurette features more of the mix of new an archival interviews, focusing on the Enloe, Texas shoot with the make-up artists having to do the actors and twenty extras and Meyers and stunt performer James Prince recalling their inexperience with car stunts as the former had to hit the latter with a car at an undercranked thirty miles per hour. The “Bloody Arm Rip 101” (4:43) special effects featurette finds ATOM THE AMAZING ZOMBIE KILLER directors Zack Beins and Richard Taylor stating that their film was inspired by the gore of BLOOD SUCKERS FROM OUTER SPACE and their attempt to recreate the arm severing sequence substituting Karo syrup for generic corn syrup, black cherry Kool Aid for food coloring, and a squirt of dish soap. An extensive stills gallery (10:22) from Coburn's collection is also included. The cover is reversible with some more striking artwork on the inside. (Eric Cotenas)

BACK TO REVIEWS

HOME