Phobe: The Xenophobic Experiments

I'd love to give this a great score simply because everyone gave it their all for no money, but they fail at pretty much every aspect of filmmaking that it would be wrong. Bad acting, framing, sound recording, effects, plot, etc, etc. There's a DIY charm for sure, but with too many overlong scenes of walking it's a slog to get through. Needs something to latch on to, even if just to laugh at, but it's just bad. Sorry!

Sergeant Gregory Dapp (John Rubick) is a "specialist" of some sort who is given the task of hunting down the title "Phobe". This thing is an experimental alien life form designed as a weapon, but naturally it got loose. Dapp tracks it to Earth, where he hooks up with high school cheerleader Jennifer (Tina Dumoulin). She is confronted by the creature while walking home from school, he saves her life, and she becomes his steadfast companion.

Back in the mid-1990s, writer / producer / director / etc. Erica Benedikty was working part time at a local cable channel in St. Catharines, Ontario. While she was there, she managed to make this feature length movie utilizing the scant budget of $250. After she was done, she was able to convince her employers to air the movie, and "Phobe" became a smash hit locally. It even got invited to screen at festivals. For all that success to come from something so cheaply done is pretty impressive.

As you can see, this is one of those cases where the "making of" story is actually more interesting than the story in the movie. But, given that this is as cheesy as most regionally-made schlock, it also shows off some ambition. There are some particularly effective crane shots. The special effects and makeup are enjoyable, and the music (by Jeff Egerter) is actually rather good - for the most part. The performances are as amateurish as one could expect, but the main actors are sincere nevertheless.

Benedikty's pacing can be quite slow at times, but she shows fans of D.I.Y. cinema a fairly good time overall. There IS a bonus for people who sit through the end crawl: the kind of wacky credits that one would see in films by the Zucker / Abrahams / Zucker team.

Micro budget lightsaber battles and Rubicks' glorious mullet are also part of this endearing little package.

Six out of 10.