Deadly Spawn, The (1982)

A meteor that looks like it has floated across the set of Plan 9 From Outer Space comes hurtling through the air and crash lands in front of what looks suspiciously like a backdrop painting Hammer-Style.  Two young lads who’ve not watched Don’t Go In The Woods Alone discover something horrible at the sight of the meteor crash.  Something is alive, and it’s hungry, and the sight of it chomping down in silhouette sets the tone perfectly for the next 75 minutes or so of kitchen sink mayhem of the most delectable kind. 

It seems a deluge of rain doesn’t have an end in sight.  It also looks like the hideous thing that ate the two young men in the opening scene has found its way into the basement of an All-American family.  Three young students get together for a study session that turns into a fight for survival as the creatures from outer space multiply and grow exponentially.  The endless supply of rainwater helps them grow most alarmingly.  There are scenes of incredible carnage with the filthy creatures, a little reminiscent of the turd from Shivers but with razor-sharp teeth.  These awful, toothy, wriggling turdlets from outer space are about to take over the world.  The only question that seems relevant at this stage is who can survive and what will be left of them. 

The film is so easy to fall in love with, and I am unashamed to say that I went to the cinema not once, but on two occasions to catch this wonder on the big screen.  The fact that this film wears its heart on its sleeve.  A love of monster movies drives it; the effects and monsters are pre-CGI brilliance.  It has all the ingredients of an excellent, glorified, homemade monster movie (which it was?).  More than a little rough around the edges, and yet it more than makes up for it for the delirious scenes of carnage and the blood splattering and, most of all, the divine chewing, crunching and burping sounds of the vile turdlets from dozakh (hell). 

The one scene of the lady’s Vegan festivities ends up in the most gleeful splatter and munch down on filmed until Dead Alive came along more than a decade later.  With that scene alone, a B-Horror movie gorehound gets more than his money’s worth—pure gruesome gold.

Besides its blood splatter and delectably filthy creatures, this film’s most vital point is that it has its heart entirely in the right place.  Instantly forgiven are the movie’s numerous flaws for the bigger picture.  The Deadly Spawn may suffer from uneven pacing, but it revels in its raggedness and rejoices in its horrid monsters and the mayhem they cause.  Considering the budget and independent nature of the film, it’s majestic.  Arguably marginally less frightening than Alien but perhaps as enjoyable.

The Deadly Spawn is a vintage B Movie featuring some wonderfully hideous creatures.  One of the best creature features of the 80s despite the ultra-low budget.  Unmissable for fans of the genre.