The Alien Dead (1980)
Directed by Fred Olen Ray
What happens when swamp people turn into flesh-eating ghouls thanks to an alien crash? You get The Alien Dead—a regional horror curio that wears its budget on its sleeve like a badge of honor. Shot in Florida with amateur actors and homemade gore, this is lo-fi drive-in sci-fi at its most endearing. B-movie legend Buster Crabbe even shows up, lending a golden-age sci-fi glint to the otherwise murky bogs and campfire dialogue. The pacing’s uneven, but the enthusiasm? Off the charts.
Bonus Feature: Brain Leeches (1978)
Directed by Fred Olen Ray (on a $298 budget!)
Before the alien dead rose from the swamp, Fred Olen Ray gave us Brain Leeches—a homemade backyard invasion flick filmed on a Super 8 camera and fueled by sheer willpower and monster-movie love. Alien parasites are here to take over Congress (yes, really), and the result is a clunky, hilarious, barely-holding-it-together oddity that feels like Ed Wood made a student film in a garage. It’s glorious trash, and a perfect companion to The Alien Dead, showing how Ray’s DIY roots began.
Verdict:
This double-feature is a must for schlock lovers, VHS heads, and anyone who ever dreamed of making a movie with a few bucks, some fake blood, and an unshakable belief in the power of the absurd.
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