The Terror Within

The Terror Within (1989)

*** (out of 4)

Yet another ALIEN clone from producer Roger Corman. This one here takes place in a post-apocalypse world where a group of survivors live safely in a shelter. Their good lifestyle takes a turn for the worse when a large monsters gets inside and starts a killing rampage. THE TERROR WITHIN is in no way, shape or form an original movie but fans of mindless monster movies should really enjoy it as we get a fun cast, a great monster, several gory death scenes and an all around good time. The film not only has elements of ALIEN but we also gets bits and pieces taken from THE THING and also several very important "moments" from HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP. It's clear the goal of this film was to deliver an old-fashioned monster movie that you'd see at the drive-in in the 1950s but they took it a step further by adding in the gore and nudity that you'd expect to see in an exploitation film from this era. I think the most surprising thing is that a monster movie like this could get made and released in 1989 because this type of film pretty much died out at the start of the decade when slashers arrived on the scene. The cast includes a fun lead performance from the one and only Andrew Stevens and we get nice support from Starr Andreeff, John Lafayette and Oscar-winner George Kennedy who was square in the middle of his exploitation days. Another major plus is the wonderful costume design of the monster. The monster is without question one of the most memorable of the decade and the amount of detail in everything from his face to the body is just pretty remarkable and especially when you consider the budget. The film also offers up some pretty violent death scenes with a lot more blood than you were typically seeing in horror films during this period thanks to the MPAA. There's a delivery sequence that certainly goes over the top. THE TERROR WITHIN isn't a classic but I think it's a very good monster movie that has a lot going for it.

Every once in a while, Roger Corman produces something that, within its genre, is worth seeing. Enter THE TERROR WITHIN, one of the better ALIEN rip-offs that Corman has made(next ot GALAXY OF TERROR, of course).

The story is old, and to discuss it would just waste space, and not surprise anyone. What is surprising is the excessive amount of gore. There are neat creatures, buckets of blood, and tons of entrails. This is wholesale gore, and there is a little bit(very little) suspense as well.

For a post-apocalyptic slant on ALIEN, this one isn't bad.

Well, I had a chance to sit down in 2020 to watch the 1989 movie "The Terror Within" for the first time. I had already seen the 1991 sequel "The Terror Within II" and wasn't impressed with that, but still I managed to sit down to watch this first movie as I hadn't already seen it.

And while "The Terror Within" wasn't an overly impressive or outstanding movie, it was at least better than its sequel in many ways. But I will say that "The Terror Within" is not a bad movie, as there are far worse movies of this type out there. It is watchable and enjoyable enough for the cheesy movie that it is.

The storyline is pretty straight forward and very easy to follow. It is a storyline that is a lot akin to the story told in the "Alien" movie, like it or not. However, the movie was sort of dystopian future in its setting, and it actually worked out well enough.

As for the cast in the movie, then I was only familiar with George Kennedy, and it was sort of odd to see him in a movie such as this. While he fared well enough in "The Terror Within", he did feel a bit out of his element in this type of movie.

"The Terror Within" is a creature feature, and luckily we do get to see a lot of the creature that is stalking the characters in the subterranean complex. Sure, the creature design are old and bears witness to being made in 1989, but I am sure that back then they were pretty impressive. But by todays standards, then this was a mere rubber suit with a facial mask that was unable to articulate.

I am rating "The Terror Within" a mediocre five out of ten stars. The movie was watchable and sort of entertaining enough. However, this was by no account a milestone in cinematic history. Nor is it a movie that actually spurs a second viewing once you've seen it the first time.

Long story short, most reviews are accurate unless they say this movie sucks. In which case they don't enjoy movies. Maybe don't watch it if you are strobe sensitive.

It's an Alien rip-off, but as far as Alien rip-offs go, this one is pretty good.

It has all the kooky elements you can come to expect from a Roger Corman film. It looks cheap, the dialogue is strange, some plot elements make little sense, and the acting is about three inches above average. But Corman knows how to make a decent movie for less than a dollar and sell the hell out of it.