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The Alien Dead

  • 1980
  • R
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
2.8/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
The Alien Dead (1980)
ComedyHorrorSci-Fi

A meteor hits a houseboat, turning its occupants into zombies feeding on alligators. As reptiles dwindle, they target townspeople. A scientist investigates disappearances caused by the undea... Read allA meteor hits a houseboat, turning its occupants into zombies feeding on alligators. As reptiles dwindle, they target townspeople. A scientist investigates disappearances caused by the undead houseboat dwellers.A meteor hits a houseboat, turning its occupants into zombies feeding on alligators. As reptiles dwindle, they target townspeople. A scientist investigates disappearances caused by the undead houseboat dwellers.

  • Director
    • Fred Olen Ray
  • Writers
    • Fred Olen Ray
    • Martin Nicholas
  • Stars
    • Buster Crabbe
    • Ray Roberts
    • Linda Lewis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    2.8/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Fred Olen Ray
    • Writers
      • Fred Olen Ray
      • Martin Nicholas
    • Stars
      • Buster Crabbe
      • Ray Roberts
      • Linda Lewis
    • 44User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos13

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    Top cast51

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    Buster Crabbe
    Buster Crabbe
    • Sheriff Kowalski
    Ray Roberts
    • Tom Corman
    • (as Raymond Roberts)
    Linda Lewis
    • Shawn Michaels
    George Kelsey
    • Emmet Michaels
    Mike Bonavia
    • Miller Haze
    Dennis Underwood
    • Deputy Campbell
    John Leirier
    • Paisley
    Rich Vogan
    • Krelboin
    Martin Nicholas
    • Doc Ellerbe
    • (as Martin Alan Nicholas)
    Norman Riggins
    • Mr. Griffith
    Nancy Kranz
    • Mrs. Griffith
    • (as Nancy Karnz)
    Ellena Contello
    • Mae Hawkins
    • (as Ellena Contella)
    Shelley Youngren
    • Angry Wife
    Fred Olen Ray
    Fred Olen Ray
    • Pool Player
    Chuck Sumner
    • Gordon…
    Bernice Kelsey
    • Farmer's Wife
    Ken Triplet
    • Farmer…
    Jocelyn Davies
    • Girl Swimmer
    • Director
      • Fred Olen Ray
    • Writers
      • Fred Olen Ray
      • Martin Nicholas
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews44

    2.81.3K
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    Featured reviews

    ArizonaGeek

    If are looking for a movie real bad, this is a real bad movie

    I bought this movie on Ebay for $5 and watch it about once every 6 months or so. If I would have paid more than $5 for it, I would have felt cheated. This is a movie that you would watch just for the cheesy laughs you get out of it. There is gratuitous nudity and Buster Crabbe which was pretty much the reason why I bought this movie. This is a movie that cant be taken serious. Rent it or buy it purely for the lame "effects" and the terrible acting. It would not surprise me to find out that this film was made on a budget in par with some 10 year old kids milk money.
    Dethcharm

    "I Guess You Wanna Know About The Big One!"...

    Schlock-meister, Fred Olen Ray presents THE ALIEN DEAD, a sub-sludge opus with few equals. It is a "film" only in that watching it causes it to congeal on the brain like algae. Everything about it is a shambles, including every word of "dialogue", whether spoken in English or whatever pidgin hillbilly language is being uttered.

    This is matched only by the non-actors wandering in and out of scenes, pretending to be awake. The "zombies" are obviously people who accidentally walked onto the movie "set", and decided to walk a bit slower. Their makeup / masks range from flour smears to cow pie facials.

    Buster "Flash Gordon" Crabbe can be forgiven for appearing in just about anything at this point in his career. Hopefully, he never watched this! Non-produced, unedited, and nearly unwatchable, one hasn't truly lived until witnessing the slow-motion zombie attack / fondling match!

    REMEMBER: hair picks kill the undead, and nothing goes better with cannibalism than a country crooner singing along!...
    Manna-2

    Alien Dead is hard to explain!

    The Alien Dead is hard to explain. It was released during the so-called "horror explosion" of the 80's (back when Attack of the Killer Refridgerator was big) and it is another experiment into horror. What happens is a rock falls from space and crashes into a boat full of stoners (they're drinking their liquor of choice and smoking some skunk) and causes them to become flesh-hungry zombies. They then turn of the townsfolk and begin their rampage and feeding. Wew! Sounds cheesy and actually is. It's good watching but we found ourselves struggling towards the end and looking forward to the conclusion. This film runs 89 minutes and has an all-star cast of nobodies. If you're looking for a new (or not-so-new) twist on the zombie flick, The Alien Dead is an ideal starting point. Otherwise, stay away
    Joe 25

    Now This Movie.........

    Sure, this movie may not have the biggest budget, the greatest acting or the best direction, but it has a charm to it as all low budget flicks do. I'm a huge fan of z-grade films and this movie entertains me perfectly! But one thing I will say is why did Buster Crabbe choose to do this for his last role? I wouldn't have cared about it, but if it was his next to last, it may have been better. But putting that aside, if you're a bad movie fan or you're a Fred Olen Ray fan, even if you love cheesy z-grade movies that just beg for the guys in MST 3000 to riff it, then give it a whirl!
    5kzintichmee

    25th Anniversary!

    I saw this in Sun Coast, billed as the 25th Anniversary Edition. I saw Buster Crabbe's name and thought, "How bad can it be?". It is hilariously bad. My buddy who is a cono...conisue...knows a lot about zombie movies laughed just when it was supposed to be "serious". Good grade Z stuff. I sent Fred Olen Ray a thank you email. The DVD is worth it for the picture of Miss Kim in the website space in the special features. The guy that plays the idiotic deputy said in the interview(!) that he ended up with 300k. Not too shabby considering this movie only cost 12k. The chick on the cover looks kind of like Linda Blair from The Exorcist. Some nice looking babes in this, with some half decent t&a. Good for fans of low grade horror and I know you are out there.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      An earlier draft of the script was about giant killer leeches. This was later changed to zombies when Fred Olen Ray realized that leech costumes would be too expensive for the film's modest budget.
    • Goofs
      An old lady gets stabbed with a three-pronged pitchfork and four prongs come out of her back!
    • Quotes

      Tom Corman: What do you think about, Shawn?

      Shawn Michaels: I don't know. Growing up. Getting out of the swamp. Eating hamburgers. Stuff like that.

    • Connections
      Featured in You Won't Stop Screaming (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Bluegrass On My Mind
      (uncredited)

      Performed by The American Bluegrass Express

      [Played in the bar scene towards the beginning of movie]

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alien dead
    • Filming locations
      • Oviedo, Florida, USA
    • Production company
      • Firdbird International Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $12,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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