TerrorVision (1986) Empire/Sci-Fi-Horror-Comedy RT: 83 minutes Rated R (language, violence, gross slimy effects, nude art work, sexual content) Director: Ted Nicolaou Screenplay: Charles Band and Ted Nicolaou Music: Richard Band Cinematography: Romano Albani February 14, 1986 (US) Cast: Diane Franklin, Gerrit Graham, Mary Woronov, Chad Allen, Bert Remsen, Jonathan Gries, Alejandro Rey, Randi Brooks, Jennifer Richards, Sonny Carl Davis, Ian Patrick Williams, William Paulson, John Leamer, Frank Welker (vocal effects). Box Office: $320,256 (US)
Rating: ***
I heard that people experience problems with their satellite dishes, but I always assumed that meant issues with reception and positioning. I never dreamed they could potentially bring about the annihilation of mankind by serving as a portal for alien monsters. Such is the premise of TerrorVision, a goofy sci-fi/horror/comedy from the studio that brought you such cinematic treasures as Troll and Ghoulies. This one is equally as goofy with its story of a family terrorized by a slimy, disgusting alien that materializes in their home after being zapped into their TV by way of signals sent from the planet Pluton. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
I have to admit that I didn’t like TerrorVision very much the first time I saw it way back in summer ’86. I brought it home from the local video store expecting more of a gory sci-fi-horror. I didn’t expect something so cartoonish and silly. I didn’t bother with it again until recently when somebody hooked me up with the Blu-Ray. I thought “Why not?” and gave it a long-LONG-delayed second viewing. It’s a real blast! This time, I got the joke. It’s a total goof on sci-fi-horror movies and can’t be taken seriously with its cheap special effects and exaggerated characters. It’s a live-action cartoon for teens.
Our tale begins on Pluton with employees of the Mutant Creature Disposal Unit of the Sanitation Department getting rid of some alien garbage; specifically, an enormous slimy alien blob with a huge appetite. What they do is convert the undesirable creatures to energy and zap them into outer space. This time, something goes wrong and the nasty alien finds its way into the Putterman house, a much exaggerated version of the not-so-typical American family.
The parents, Stanley (Graham, Used Cars) and Raquel (Woronov, Eating Raoul), are swingers and completely oblivious to what’s going on in their tackily decorated home. Punked-out teenage daughter Suzy (Franklin, Better Off Dead) thinks only about watching MTV and going out with her latest boyfriend, a dimwitted metal head named O.D. (Gries, Napoleon Dynamite). The only ones aware of the alien presence are son Sherman (Allen, My Two Dads), a preteen soldier-wannabe with an active imagination, and Grampa (Remsen, Code of Silence), a survivalist with a thing for lizard tail jerky. Naturally, the others are too self-absorbed to listen to what Sherman is trying to tell them. The police think he’s playing a joke and threaten to arrest him when he calls for help. Even Medusa (Richards), the sexy hostess of a late night horror movie program doesn’t believe him. Things at the Putterman home just keep getting weirder until …… uh uh, that would be telling!
One of the best things about TerrorVision is Diane Franklin, a young actress who I always liked. Her most well-known titles are The Last American Virgin, Amityville II: The Possession, Better Off Dead and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. She’s so charming and endearing it’s a wonder she didn’t get more recognition at the time. She’s one of the better young actresses of that era along with Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather) and Stacey Nelkin (Halloween III). She and the rest of the cast look like they’re having a lot of fun so why rain on the parade with a critique of their performances. They turn in the kinds of performances required in a goofball movie like TerrorVision.
It’s definitely a product of the 80s with the clothing and hairstyles. The special effects are absolutely cheesy, but work nonetheless because that’s what the movie requires. Think about it, would TerrorVision have been as much fun as a big budget production? I would say not. It’s a supremely silly movie that never asks to be taken seriously. The makers successfully keep it on a double-digit IQ level.
I’d say that TerrorVision is a swell movie for kids but for the fact it carries an R rating. That’s not because it’s bloody or scary (it’s neither), it’s more for the gross slimy alien effects and the sexual stuff involving the parents. It’s a decent choice for a preteen’s first R-rated horror movie. Here’s the thing, TerrorVision is a fun, low budget sci-fi/horror/comedy flick. It’s a demented cinematic ditty that deserves to be rediscovered. You’ll never think of satellite TV the same way again. Darn those pesky aliens!
