PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Along with my most recent delivery from Vinegar Syndrome of Surf II: The End Of The Trilogy (1983 – read my review here) came Alien From L.A., a 1988 sci-fi adventure film directed by Albert Pyun (Nemesis 1992) from a script co-written by Pyun, Debra Ricci (Journey to the Center of the Earth 1988), and Sandra Berg (as Regina Davis: Christmas Next Door 2017). This film is a fun, campy quest into the dirty, Mad Max-like sunken alien city of Atlantis following timid yet extremely lucky L.A. teenager Wanda Saknussemm (Kathy Ireland in her debut feature film role).
Synopsis:
A young woman with a childish voice travels to Africa looking for her missing archaeologist father and stumbles into a strange subterranean civilization.
Kathy Ireland was hired toward the end of casting because she was so tall. The filmmakers wanted to show the height difference between the aliens from above ground and the Atlanteans below, which wasn’t noticeable to me because she didn’t seem much taller than anyone else. Alien From L.A. also stars Thom Matthews (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives 1986, Return of the Living Dead 1985), Linda Kerridge (Surf II 1983 – read our review here), William R. Moses (Mystic Pizza 1988), Janie du Plessis (Journey to the Center of the Earth 1988), the late Richard Haines (Survivor 1987), and Deep Roy (Star Trek 2009). The film was produced by The Cannon Group’s Yoram Globus (Cobra 1986) and Manahem Golam (Over The Top 1987). Keep your ears open… the background music that plays when Wanda and Gus first meet is an almost note-for-note recreation of “Yoda’s Theme” by John Williams.
If the title for sounds familiar, it may be because Alien From L.A. was featured on an episode of MST3K. This does not mean that the film is bad. Au contraire, mon frère! I had a lot of fun with its subtle but sparkling humor and The Goonies/Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom set design. There’s even an underground Thunderdome where trolls wrestle in soupy mud! The whole film screams Journey To The Center Of The Earth, right down to the character of Arnold Saknussemm, Wanda’s dad, who was named after the main character in Jules Verne’s book.
I do think that Kathy Ireland’s high voice is a bit too annoying to be cute. As a matter of fact, it grates on my nerves. Of course, that’s nothing compared to the multiple accents going on between the inhabitants of Atlantis, which ran the gamut between Australian, British, Swedish, African and even wise guy, despite the fact that they’re all supposed to be aliens that crash landed on earth only to sink below the terra firma thousands of years before. How do they even know English? Who cares!
I also have to mention the over-the-top punkish costumes of the Atlanteans, especially Shank’s (du Plessis) stark, black and white makeup contrast and Mambino’s (Roy) freaky eyelashes. There are nods to Blade Runner (1982), Escape From New York (1981), and even Death Race (1975). Of course, the Wizard Of Oz influence steals the show. From Wanda’s casual, “I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore,” to several actors playing both above and below ground characters to the Winkie Guards marching and music, there’s no denying that Pyun is a L. Frank Baum fan.
Vinegar Syndrome’s 2k from 35mm restoration of Alien From L.A. is rich and lush. The bold reds, cerulean blues, and lush browns are drawn out of the original source material and explode on the screen. The sound and music is pretty much perfect (I didn’t have to touch my volume button once), and I never had to struggle to see what was going on. This is a suburb release from the restoration studio, one certainly worth picking up.
From the Vinegar Syndrome Alien From L.A. page:
LIMIT 2 PER CUSTOMER
This special limited edition embossed slipcover (designed by Earl Kess) is limited to 6,000 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!
Wanda’s famed archeologist father has been missing for years. Out of the blue, she receives an unexpected letter from her father’s colleague in Africa informing her that his disappearance is due to his presumed death after falling down a bottomless pit. Deciding to make the transcontinental journey in the hope of finding him alive, Wanda flies to Africa only to end up stumbling down the same pit as her father. Once at the bottom of the hole, she discovers that it’s the gateway to a lost subterranean civilization – Atlantis! Unfortunately, the Atlanteans don’t take too kindly to visitors from the Earth’s surface…
An intentionally absurd late 80s cable TV mainstay from Cannon Films, helmed by beloved cult filmmaker, Albert Pyun (Radioactive Dreams, Nemesis), ALIEN FROM L.A. stars actress and model, Kathy Ireland (The Player) in her breakout role, along with William R. Moses (TV’s JAG) and Linda Kerridge (Fade to Black). Vinegar Syndrome presents this wonderfully wacky sci-fi comedy on Blu-ray, newly restored in 2K.
directed by: Albert Pyun
starring: Kathy Ireland, Linda Kerridge, William R. Moses
1988 / 87 min / 1.85:1 / English StereoAdditional info:
• Region A Blu-ray
• Newly scanned & restored in 2k from its 35mm interpositive
• “Making a Fairytale” – an interview with director Albert Pyun
• “Putting the puzzle together” – an interview with actor Thom Mathews
• Audio interview with actress Linda Kerridge
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH subtitles
