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Explorer From Another World

It’s Friday night during the summer in Beutter county, an idyllic farming community in Indiana, and the good folks are settling in for what should be another humdinger of an evening. Until their plans are shattered by the arrival of an Explorer From Another World! This turns out to be an alien (Gemma Sterling) who starts savagely killing people from the moment it disembarks from its flying saucer. Local kids Eddie (Colin McCorquodale), Marybeth (Sage Marchand) and Culpepper (Nolan Gay) are planning on seeing a movie, but it looks like they’ll be battling for the very survival of the human race instead!

Explorer From Another World is a wonderfully done throwback to the B-movies of the 1950s and 1960s. Ably directed by Woody Edwards (who gives himself a small cameo as Hank in the sheriff’s jail cell), the film is forty five minutes long, but manages to tell its torrid but funny story very effectively in the time allotted. And the short running time tracks when you consider that many of the B-movies released during their 50s/60s golden age were barely an hour long in length (gotta pack in those extra showings in the theater).

Instead of using black and white, which was the cheaper option for most B-movies of that age, Edwards wisely decided to shoot his opus in color that’s so crisp and clear it easily shows off all of the details. And what details there are! The make-up effects freely show people’s heads being ripped off, as well as their heads exploding, along with various other body parts being ripped, torn, and just generally messed up--all on camera. The film’s not rated, but this movie would get a hard R rating in the theaters just for the gore alone.

But the gore effects, along with the alien make up and costume--are all very well done. The makers of Explorer From Another World--just 19 people in all--clearly love the genre that they’re sending up. The film is basically a love letter to these B-movies, and it’s recommended for B-movie fans, as well as for fans of the ‘Mars Attacks!’ trading cards, thanks to its blisteringly funny take on the various deaths that people suffer from this malevolent little alien. And while the main story has an ending, there’s a tease for a sequel. Bring it on! --SF

I watched Explorer From Another World on the Amazon streaming service.
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