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Today Cult gets preyed upon by something hungry and human shaped but will he become…
Today Cult gets preyed upon by something hungry and human shaped but will he become…
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Alien Prey (1977)
Aka Prey or The Destructer
Directed by Norman J. Warren
Country of origin: United Kingdom
IMDb (dates as ’81)
Rotten Tomatoes
Aka Prey or The Destructer
Directed by Norman J. Warren
Country of origin: United Kingdom
IMDb (dates as ’81)
Rotten Tomatoes
Cult's Thoughts...
I originally got very excited upon reading the synopsis for this film thinking it a precursor and source of influence for one of my all time celluloid favorites (I'll neglect to mention it as I've mentioned it enough in, it seems, near every one of my previous reviews). After viewing it however I'll openly admit that I was more than perhaps led astray by my own overwhelming sense of excitement and personal bias.
Prey aka Alien Prey
Opening scenes introduce the viewer to Jo and Jennifer, young single (?) ladies who live alone, in a residence that could house a small army, in the English countryside. They're soon joined by another individual who appears somewhat uncomfortable in his own skin, struggles with the English language and most certainly has issues with his surroundings. The film has no problem in showing why this is the case, he's not really himself in fact he's actually someone else entirely and he's probably still pissed at his date for not letting him into her pants (I can only wonder if this was due in part to the snug confines of the Volkswagen Bug in which they were cavorting, 'manchowder' is, after all, a pisser to remove on cloth seats and the result of a heinous crime committed in such a 'classic' vehicle).
You have a little red on you.
Jessica is concerned about their new guest. Has he recently been in an accident? Is he suffering from memory loss or does he have learning disabilities (is he somehow related to the writer of this article?)? Or is he a misplaced foreigner struggling to find his way back home? One of these is in part very accurate. Jo, however, is suspicious that 'Anders' (a moniker he has created for himself leading Jennifer to believe that he may in fact be Swedish) is a loony, escaped from a nearby asylum, interested in only one thing: taking her 'lover' from out of her grasp. Jo is overly controlling, obsessive and neurotic. Admittedly all great qualities for a character inside of a movie like this and facets that could give any feature a little added Oomph! They combine to work excellently in this one.
"Why don't you rub my umm... bunny"
This release overflows with sexual tension, behavior perilously close to what many might consider insane, several racy moments that border on an X rating and even a couple of nice WTF moments that only 'cabin fever' and a steady night's consumption of narcotics and/or alcohol might produce. Somehow 'Anders' finds himself to be the object of Jennifer's affections, this is where the movie picks up the pace.
"Have you ever noticed, aliens ruin everything."
Overtaken with jealousy Jo plummets down the same fence that her mental condition was previously balanced upon and lets slip details concerning an old friend that Jennifer has mulled over since the start of this feature (Where's Simon? Don't you find it strange that he doesn't visit anymore?). In later scenes, following a violent outburst of monolithic proportions directed at her hysterical lover, the audience is led to believe that others may also be part of Jo's long standing ruse/string of deceit.
You missed a spot
Jennifer upon finally realizing her friend is 'a taco short of a combo plate' becomes determined to leave, strange as it's her house and finds a scapegoat in 'Anders' who is a little more than confused at this point (at odds with the language and human customs he somehow finds it easy enough to count to fifty when asked in a game of drunken 'hide ‘n’ go seek'. Sorry, I found this quite hilarious!). Events somehow lead to the bedroom, (as they often did in the late seventies/early eighties in features of this kind) the shedding of cumbersome clothing, unabashed excitement and eventually a little bloodshed.
In conclusion this is rather a unique, at times quirky, film that puts me somewhat in mind of a number of Hammer Horror features rife with themes heavy in sexuality and lust released a few years previous, many with the word Dracula in the title! Produced on a small budget Alien Prey has a very limited number of actors (I counted less than ten!) and sports several scenes of explicit and lingering nudity (no complaints here), a factor that was exploited more and more in film making in that time period and IMO at the time also necessary in order to compete with the explosion and rising popularity of the sordid and 'envelope pushing' European celluloid marketplace (films from the likes of Lucio Fulci,Dario Argento, Joe D' Amato among a myriad of others). The effects are not as plentiful as I would have liked, though are somewhat decent when shown. One piece of makeup in particular (seen several times) has made many wonder why the movie wasn't instead titled Lesbians versus the Werewolf or some such thing.
Let's Dance!
The fact remains though that this is intended as a sci–fi/horror film as is reaffirmed by Anders phoning home (sorry couldn't resist!) several times to report on his findings. His final report says it all and is also the quote that led me to believe this might have been a forerunner to Bad Taste “send an advance ship... I've established that humans are high in protein and are easy prey” Twas a tad misleading but overall this is a film that many will enjoy. It sadly didn’t pass The Scribbler Clock Test, not because it wasn't well made and watchable but based more on my own personal tastes and easily distracted nature. Alien Prey is however a film that will be devoured and salivated over by a niche audiences, widely growing in numbers and those who enjoy features in a more classic style in the vein of the aforementioned Hammer films. - Cult
Director Norman J Warren
*Note of interest: Norman J. Warren, the director, is notable as also having directed Insemnoid (1981) that is notorious for explicit scenes depicting sexual acts committed upon the unwilling by a lust fueled alien. His films have been dubbed “New Wave” British horror, alongside those by fellow countryman Peter Walker, based on their upping the ante in terms of explicitness and that they were based in modern day Britain featuring a cast between the ages of 20 & 30. Several factors that set them apart from other genre films (mostly period pieces) that were more widely recognized as being predominantly British. His filmography has earned him a cult following and has led to a documentary being made about him in 1999 entitled Evil Heritage, a boxed set containing many of his films was released in 2004.
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