Not of This Earth (1988 film)
| Not of This Earth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jim Wynorski |
| Produced by |
Roger Corman Murray Miller Jim Wynorski |
| Written by |
Charles B. Griffith Mark Hanna |
| Screenplay by |
R.J. Robertson Jim Wynorski |
| Based on |
Not of This Earth by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna |
| Starring |
Traci Lords Arthur Roberts Lenny Juliano Rebecca Perle |
| Music by | Chuck Cirino |
| Cinematography | Zoran Hochstätter |
| Edited by | Kevin Tent |
Production company |
Miracle Pictures Pacific Trust |
| Distributed by | Concorde Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Not of This Earth is a 1988 science fiction horror comedy film, directed by Jim Wynorski. It is a remake of Roger Corman's 1957 film of the same name, written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna. It stars Traci Lords, Arthur Roberts, Lenny Juliano and Rebecca Perle. The film follows the character of Nadine Story, a young nurse who is assigned to help one of the patients requiring regular blood transfusions at his home. The strange man hiding under the name of Mr. Johnson is an alien sent to Earth to find out if transfusions of human plasma might be a cure for his dying race.
Not of This Earth was made as a result of a wager where Wynorski bet he could remake the film in the same (inflation-adjusted) budget and schedule as the 1957 version by Corman. Lords was cast in the film immediately and the part of Nadine Story became her first mainstream film role after her departure from the adult film industry.[1][2] Like any number of Roger Corman productions, this one includes scenes lifted from earlier films as filler, such as the dog in the foggy woods and the woman being stalked from outside her home, as originally seen in Humanoids from the Deep, as well as the scene of the caped, knife-wielding stalker from Hollywood Boulevard.
Plot
Nadine Story (Traci Lords) is a nurse working in the office of Dr. Rochelle (Ace Mask). She encounters an unusual patient Mr. Johnson (Arthur Roberts), who is always dressed in black, wears dark sunglasses and demands a blood transfusion. After Dr. Rochelle tests Johnson's blood, he's surprised to discover the man's body isn't producing blood in the usual manner, and Johnson hires Nadine to work in his home and give him regular transfusions. With the help of her boyfriend Harry (Roger Lodge), she soon discovers that Johnson an emissary from the planet Davanna, who is looking for a ready supply of human blood his people need to survive.
Cast
- Traci Lords as Nadine Story
- Arthur Roberts as Mr. Johnson
- Lenny Juliano as Jeremy
- Ace Mask as Dr. Rochelle
- Roger Lodge as Harry
- Rebecca Perle as Davanna Girl
- Michael Delano as Vacuum Cleaner Salesman
- Becky LeBeau as Happy Birthday Girl
- Monique Gabrielle as Agnes
- Kelli Maroney as Nurse Oxford
Production
Development
The director Jim Wynorski first got the idea of remaking the film after he found an original print of Roger Corman's 1957 original.[3] He wagered that he could remake the film on the original shooting schedule and budget, adjusted for inflation.[4]
Casting
"While we were at an optical house doing some effects work for Big Bad Mamma II (1987), I came across an original print of the old Corman film. Kelli Maroney was there, and Raven, and we had a big hoot watching it. So I said "I think we could have a blast remaking this picture." And they said "Well, who are you going to get to play the Beverly Garland part?" There were some newspapers lying around, and I saw a story in one of them about Traci Lords. So I said "Let's get Traci Lords!" She even looks a little bit like Beverly Garland."[3]
Release
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Los Angeles Times wrote the film was "a curiosity that definitely entertains," and pointed out that it was a "pretty decent stab at poking gentle fun at budget-genre film making." They added that it was also "old-fashioned, silly, slap-dash and innocently bold." The writer also added: "The surprising aspect of ex-porn actress Lords' casting is that she actually appears to have a natural flair for comedy. She and the other performers push hard against the campy underpinnings of the film but manage not to step into the realm of the inane."[5]
Home media
On November 2, 2010, Shout! Factory released the film on DVD as part of its Roger Corman Cult Classics collection.[6]
References
- ↑ Waddell, Calum (2009). Jack Hill: The Exploitation and Blaxploitation Master, Film by Film. McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 0-7864-3609-3.
- ↑ Maltin, Leonard (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin Group. p. 1000. ISBN 0-452-28978-5.
- 1 2 McCarty, John (January 25, 2016). The Sleaze Merchants: Adventures in Exploitation Filmmaking from the ’50s to the ’90s. Crossroad Press. p. 120. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ↑ Horwath, Alexander; Elsaesser, Thomas; King, Noel (2004). The Last Great American Picture Show: New Hollywood Cinema in the 1970s. Amsterdam University Press. p. 129. ISBN 90-5356-631-7. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ↑ Klady, Leonard (May 20, 1988). "Movie Reviews : 'Not of This Earth' an Amusing Curiosity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
- ↑ "Shout! Factory website". Shout! Factory. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
External links
- Not of This Earth at the Internet Movie Database
- Not of This Earth at AllMovie
- Not of This Earth at Rotten Tomatoes