The Alien Factor (1978)

[+]

Alien Factor

Tagline(s):	Gripping Sci-Fi Terror from Beyond...
	A Galactic Frightmare...
	They brought terror from beyond our galaxy!

Nomination Year: 2006

SYNOPSIS: Townfolk in rural Wisconsin are being killed by strange creatures in the woods. The mayor and a mysterious professor from a nearby university discover a crashed alien spaceship and discover that the attacking creatures are escapees from an alien research vessel. The local efforts to kill the creatures are ineffective, but the mysterious professor seems to know the weakness of each creature. The insect creature is vulnerable to high pitched sound. There's a simple toxin that kills the furry stilt critter. And the claymation lizard is only visible in low light. In the final fight, the professor's disguise is damaged, revealing that he is also an alien creature. The sheriff, who missed the battle with the lizard, mistakes him for one of the attacking creatures and shoots him.

Matt Quirk

Smithee Award Nominations

Deus Ex Machina
Does It Work on Cockroaches, Too? The alien bug is about to kill two interlopers. Then it twitches and dies. The scientist explains that it was vulnerable to high-frequency noises, just like a bug. Uh...yeah.

Stupidest-Looking Monster
I Can See Right through This The Altogether Astounding and Not-All-That-Threatening Incredible Invisi-lizard! Who is also something of a ventriloquist!

Stilted Performance

Behold! The fuzzy stilt alien I-guess-it's-a-satyr thing!

Directors

Director	Claim to Fame
Don Dohler	Creator of Cinemagic film magazine. His short list of directorial attempts is a Smithee goldmine.

Cast

Actor	Character	Claim to Fame
Don Leifert	Ben Zachary	Film historian was his real job. Six credits to his name...and nearly all Smithee films.
Tom Griffith	Sheriff Cinder	Played "Sheriff Cinder" in both The Alien Factor and Nightbeast, the latter being a sort of sequel-remake ("squeamake?") of the former.
Richard Dyszel	Mayor Wicker	Was THE Bozo the Clown. Then went on to become Horror host (a la Elvira) Count Gore De Vol.
Mary Mertens	Edie Martin
Richard Geiwitz	Pete	Three out of his four credits are Smithee flicks.
George Stover	Steven	Played bit parts in a LOT of horror/sci- fi flicks: Well over 100 credits, many of them Smithee films.
Eleanor Herman	Mary Jane Carter
Anne Frith	Dr. Ruth Sherman
Christopher Gummer	Clay	Not a toothless Christopher Plummer, he is in fact a different man altogether.


[Smithee Film Gallery]		[Return to Lobby]