My Ode To NIGHTBEAST (1982): The Best Microwave Cooking You've Ever Had
In Mandy, our doomed lovers share a pre-tragedy dinner of microwavable meals while taking in a very special piece of cinema. Mandy and Red sit rapt as a snaggle toothed, jumpsuit-clad creature tears open abdomens and uses a laser pistol to blow away anyone crossing its path. I share their passion, and so should you. Nightbeast is the ambrosia of the degenerate cinema gods.
Nightbeast is a thinking man's film. A humanoid alien crashes in the small town of Perry Hall, menaces its citizens, and then explodes due to electrocution. Along the way we meet the eclectic people of the town: Sheriff Cinder, a man who believes in justice, and the (Unfortunately recently resurrected) art of the white guy perm. Mayor Bert Wicker and his secretary/lover Mary Jane, corrupt government officials whose selfishness, and love of sexy pool parties ends up their undoing. Last but not least, the diabolical Drago, a Trailer Park Boys villain played serious as a heart attack. There's more, but a good percentage of them end up being mauled to death or shot by a ray gun.
The production side of Nightbeast is a tale of humble beginnings. Creature designer John Dods worked on Spookies and The Deadly Spawn, later cutting his teeth on mainstream fare like Ghostbuster II and Alien: Resurrection. More well known is that a sixteen year old J. J. Abrams scored the film, after prior correspondence with director Don Dohler. However, for me Nightbeast is all about the movie itself.
Don Dohler was a humble, and unpretentious director. His desire to make a Sci-fi Horror film featuring an alien menacing a town was so strong, that he did it two other times (The Alien Factor, Galaxy Invader- Both gems). What gives Nightbeast the edge over its Dohler-created brethren is two-fold: Gore and execution. Our malevolent traveler has no desire for diplomacy: Guts are ripped out and heads are severed, making it clear that Reese's Pieces will not sate this creatures hunger. There's a bizarre juxtaposition of this well-executed gore in comparison to the "Gee wiz!" guilelessness of our protagonists. It feels like Marsha Brady finding the Lament Configuration. The stylistic elements of Nightbeast are equal parts charming and intoxicating. Our aforementioned human characters play out local drama in a stilted community theater style, while the alien stalks through heavy fog and engages in pitched gunfights. These pieces coalesce to make a slice of schlock cinema that feels like it would be watched by characters in a movie. Nightbeast blends the incorruptible love of homegrown movie-making, with the site of a monster in a onesie ripping off a corrupt mayor's head. Is there anything more beautiful?
-Dr. Benny Graves
