Fun Alien(s) Knockoffs available on BD List

[See Rad]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

How can an inspiration be a knock-off ?

How can a joke be missed?

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

This was my first thought when I saw the thread title.

Here's my movie content review of Forbidden World that I wrote a few years back, and compared it overtly to Alien...


Forbidden World, another glorious Roger Corman production, not only rips off the plot of Alien, but it also rips off footage from a previous Corman release, Battle Beyond the Stars. The fact that this movie is not only watchable, but actually quite fun, is a testament to the abilities of the low-budget film crew, all of whom were quite enthusiastic about the project.

Jesse Vint, who is best known for a myriad of supporting roles during the late 1970s and early 1980s, plays an intergalactic federal marshal who is assigned to investigate problems at a genetics laboratory on an isolated planet. It tuns out that the scientists' plans to engineer a life form capable of feeding the population has spiraled out of control, resulting in a massive mutant creature that turns humans into gross indistinct masses of protein for its own food source.

This plot is basically just an excuse for copious amounts of gore and gratuitous nudity, but the end result is nonetheless entertaining. I love that the two female scientists, played by June Chadwick and Dawn Dunlap, walk around the laboratory in clear stripper high heels and have a propensity to have long serious conversations while washing each other's hair in the shower.

The mutant looks like a knockoff Walmart version of the creature in Alien, but effective camerawork and quick editing make it halfway fearsome during the confrontation scenes.

Years have passed since the last time that I saw Forbidden World, but I quite enjoyed revisiting it last night. It's another example of how even the bad sci-fi movies of the 1980s were still good simply because they were so...so 1980s. If you're a 1980s kid like me, in fact, then you'll remember June Chadwick from her role in the original V miniseries as the blonde alien who is Diana's second-in-command.

It was a fun movie, Owl. I prefer Galaxy of Terror though. What did you think about that one?

[Vandal Savage]

If you're looking for old-school Alien knock-offs, you need to watch The Intruder Within, a 1981 television movie. It's essentially the plot of Alien set on an oil rig, complete with mysterious eggs and a Gigerseque monster.

I don't think it has been released on DVD or blu-ray, but it can be viewed on youtube.

[redrunner97]

This one is soooo bad but pretty entertaining too.

[Stanis]

How has no one mentioned Star Crystal yet? My #1 worst all time movie, it rips off Alien so hard Ridley should have gotten residuals.
It has a blu ray!
So you get through 2/3rds of a horror knock off and then it swerves into

[Show spoiler] ET ripoff with 100x the literal "Jesus Saves!"

happy ending, a ghastly drippy rubber murder monster shipwreck on all levels! I wonder if it wasn't mentioned since most people avoid it like the plague. Amen.

[KIDplus]

Can't think of any others that are on blu, but I have a few DVD/VHS only titles that are worth mentioning.

Unknown Origin - Worth watching because of how blatant a ripoff it is. Haven't seen this in years but I remember it being such a bold Alien/The Thing/Leviathan ripoff I'm surprised nobody sued.

Inseminoid - Nasty little aliens-got-me-pregnant horror movie.

The Terror Within - Another fun Corman knockoff of Alien. There's a sequel that's on blu but I haven't seen it.

The Dark Side of the Moon - More of an Event Horizon hell ship kind of movie.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by Stanis

How has no one mentioned Star Crystal yet? My #1 worst all time movie, it rips off Alien so hard Ridley should have gotten residuals.
It has a blu ray!
So you get through 2/3rds of a horror knock off and then it swerves into

[Show spoiler] ET ripoff with 100x the literal "Jesus Saves!"

happy ending, a ghastly drippy rubber murder monster shipwreck on all levels! I wonder if it wasn't mentioned since most people avoid it like the plague. Amen.

Yeah, the point of this thread was to bring up fun knockoffs, not horribly irredeemable dreck like Star Crystal but kudos to you for bringing it up as an Alien knockoff.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

It was a fun movie, Owl. I prefer Galaxy of Terror though. What did you think about that one?

I prefer Forbidden World by a slim margin, but Galaxy of Terror also rocks.

Here is my old review of the film...

Galaxy of Terror, another glorious Roger Corman production that stretches a low-budget to accommodate plenty of crudely innovative special effects, along with helpings of gore and nudity, is another Alien ripoff that nonetheless stands on its own due to a cooly enigmatic storyline. When a rescue ship touches down on a remote planet, the crew discover an alien pyramid and, upon entering it, are all confronted by their innermost fears.

This movie used to air on HBO during my childhood, and one particular scene, where a giant maggot-like creature attacks and rapes a female crew member, was the main topic of day-after discussion among all who watched it.

A young James Cameron helmed the production design for Galaxy of Terror, and the look of this film is uncannily similar to the look of the outdoor scenes in Aliens, which he directed years later. Robert Englund, whom we all recognize as Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street, has a prominent role in the film. Ray Walston, who starred as the title character of the My Favorite Martian television show and as a teacher in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is great as another one of the unfortunate crew members. Erin Moran, whom we all recognize as Joanie from Joanie Loves Chachi television show, is quite good as one of the female crew members, as is the beautiful Taaffe O'Connell, who should probably get bonus points for keeping a straight face during the filming of her scene with the giant maggot. Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects, Pit Stop, Spider Baby) has a mostly non-dialogue role, but still manages a good screen presence. My favorite cast member in this picture, however, is Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, The Grudge) as an uncannily sexy older female crew member.

[MovieHermit]

For those that don’t know Forbidden World was originally titled Mutant, and the blu ray has a reversible cover with the Mutant title. You can see the art online, it’s awesome! Very Alien like. Search Mutant 1982 movie.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by See Rad

How can a joke be missed?

When they aren't funny !

[Kakihara]

Thought I'd revive this thread now that we have Creature released via the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome! I'm still waiting on my copy but it looks to be an awesome release.

Any other Alien or Aliens knockoffs you'd like to see get a BD/UHD release?