‘Gripping sci-fi terror from beyond…’
The Alien Factor is a 1978 sci-fi horror film about a spaceship with three dangerous specimens collected from around the universe that crash lands on Earth.
The movie was written and directed by Baltimore-based filmmaker Don Dohler [as Donald M. Dohler] (Blood Massacre; The Galaxy Invader; Nightbeast; Fiend), making his feature directorial debut.
The movie stars Don Leifert ( Crawler; Blood Massacre; The Galaxy Invader; Nightbeast; Fiend), Tom Griffiths (Nightbeast; Fiend), Richard Dyszel, Mary Mertens, Richard Geiwitz, George Stover (Killer Campout; Camp Blood 666; Sociopathia; The Galaxy Invader; Nightbeast), Eleanor Herman, Anne Frith, Dave Ellis, Dave Geatty, Margie Van Tassell, Tony Malanowski (director of Curse of the Screaming Dead; Night of Horror). Don Dohler has a cameo as Ernie.
The film features the special effects of Ernest D. Farino (The Terminator), John Cosentino and Larry Schlecter and was shown frequently on American TV throughout the 1980s, including Ted Turner’s Superstation.
The superb synth score was composed by Ken Walker (also The Deadly Spawn) who mainly worked as an animatronics special effects artist for films such as The Dark Half; Frankenhooker; Elves; Robot Holocaust and Spookies.
Dohler reworked the same plot in 1982 as NightBeast and made a sequel, Alien Factor 2: The Alien Rampage, in 2001.
Plot:
A young teenage couple is making out in a car when an insect-looking monster attacks. Sheriff Cinder must find out what’s causing the killings. Meanwhile, Mayor Wicker (Richard Dyszel) wants to keep a lid on the deaths so a multi-million dollar amusement park can be built…
Reviews:
“To be sure, there are plenty of technical flaws in The Alien Factor, but much like good punk rock, these flaws do not distract from the bigger picture thanks to the sheer amount of enthusiasm shown by the filmmakers. This feeling is further enhanced by the fact that this was Dohler’s first film, and it is clear that he was learning as he went.” Bad Movies for Bad People
“Extremely cheap-looking, amateurishly acted, poorly edited and filled with continuity errors, awful dialogue and cheesy SFX, this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. For others, however, it’s going to be a fun and charming no budget creature feature.” The Bloody Pit of Horror
“Dohler spends much of the effort looking for things to do, but his heart is in the right place, striving to generate a sense of time and location to help his endeavor, mixing Ed Wood-style limitation and indie filmmaking passion, coming up with a picture that’s not dynamic but carries a dented B-movie personality, perfect for a drowsy late-night viewing.” Blu-ray.com
“Scenes are decently shot and edited. Dialogue is overwritten and simple but this is part of the fun. Giving us a central character might of helped but an odd astronomer shows at halfway and becomes the hero. You’ll find you like him, and all the others, and everything else by the conclusion.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers
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“The Alien Factor is undeniably bad, but it does have a certain energy to it, credit for a guy who went out and just did it. I would not really recommend you go out of your way for it. It is not a good movie, just admirable for the conditions under which it was made.” Critical Outcast
” …incompetent-at-best Dohler’s amalgamation of a standard 1950s aliens on the loose plot line with diverse elements of Jaws and TV’s McCloud thrown in, has become a known entity for aficionados of bad, bad moviemaking thanks to repeated cable showings and a well-received skewering from Cinematic Titanic.” DVD Drive-In
“This one is in line with the monster movie formula, so its doesn’t earn much in terms of insanity points. But the cool creatures deserve a point and the few little twists in the story and a couple memorable performances contribute as well.” Marc Fusion
“The acting is non-existent when it isn’t bad, and the direction looks like it was inspired by Larry Buchanan, though without Buchanan’s slightly stronger sense of character. Sure, it has a bit of a twist at the end, but in order for a twist to work, you have to care about the rest of the movie.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“One could make quite a list of flaws, from dumb plot moments to editing glitches, but that misses the point: a group of friends who loved monsters and science fiction films got together and turned out a quite respectable 16mm film, one that is better than one might expect of its origins, even with an amateur cast, a virtually non-existent budget and limited experience.” Rivets on the Poster
” …of special interest to his small-but-loyal legion of fans simply for the fact that it came first and pretty much set the blueprint for all that was to follow, minus a small handful of tricks that he decided not to try again. It’s 80-or-so entertaining minutes of homemade-monster-movie nonsense, and around these parts that is hardly a derogatory description.” Trash Film Guru
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“The special effects for the cosmos are well done, but it’s the monster make-up that’s the highlight. The Alien Factor is fun in fits and starts, but the amateur cast pretty much sinks the flick. Their flat line readings and awkward screen presence makes even the simplest of scenes seem interminable. And because of that, it’s a long 79 minutes.” The Video Vacuum
“Executed with a genuine affection for the genre, this is a fine film for fans of both regional and amateur filmmaking. Worth a view, even if you’re not.” Videohound’s Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics
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