Main Cast: Martin Landau, José Ferrer, Dorothy Malone, Ruth Buzzi, Rexx Coltrane
Release Year: 1983
Country: US
Run Time: 82 minutes
Plot
Director Jackie Kong, who later made the cult favorite Blood Diner (1987), directed this terrible monster movie for exploitation pioneer Bill Osco, who stars under the pseudonym "Rexx Coltrane." The plot concerns a mutant child who has become a monster after being exposed to toxic waste in a small Idaho town. Mortimer (Osco) wants to investigate a series of disappearances, only to have his efforts stymied by the town's mayor (José Ferrer), who is worried about the potential economic impact on the local potato industry. This abysmal horror film was made in 1980 and shelved for three years despite a cast which includes Oscar winners Ferrer and Dorothy Malone, Martin Landau, and Kinky Friedman. Other featured performers are Ruth Buzzi, Murray Langston ("The Unknown Comic"), and Kenny Rogers' wife (at the time), Marianne Gordon. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Review
There were plenty of memorable rip-offs of Alien, but The Being is surely one of the most eccentric. It is further notable for being a total mess: the film lacks focus, has monster effects that are often downright goofy, and it is packed with subplots that never resolve themselves in a satisfying way. The Being also suffers from clumsy, ham-fisted pacing by director Jackie Kong and a leaden, noncharismatic lead performance by Rexx Coltrane (actually producer Bill Osco hiding behind a pseudonym). Thus, The Being can't really be recommended to the average viewer, but it has a few elements that are worthy of note for cinematic trash-fiends. The first is its surprisingly celeb-packed supporting cast: Martin Landau and Ruth Buzzi turn in agreeably hammy performances as obnoxious city pillars and José Ferrer is a real scene-stealer with his deadpan turn as the town's alcoholic mayor. It also boasts some deliberate flourishes of odd humor here and there, like the bizarrely trashy monster-movie footage shown during a drive-in sequence or a perplexing black-and-white nightmare that the hero has. These elements don't add up to consistently memorable or engaging schlock-movie experience, but The Being is memorable in its own brain-damaged sort of way. Ultimately, The Being is likely to baffle most viewers but B-movie fans might enjoy its oddball qualities. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Kent Perkins - Officer Dudley Ford; Ellen Blake - Jenny; Kinky Friedman - Willis; Marianne Gordon - Laurie; Richard Marcus - Joe The Lab Assistant; Bill Osco - Rexx Coltrane; Murray Langston - Arn; Roger Smith - Tow Truck Driver; Dave Clark - Customer In Diner; Johnny Dark - John; Jerry Marin - Monster
Credit
Alexia Corwin - Art Director, Kent Perkins - Associate Producer, Jackie Kong - Director, David Newhouse - Editor, Don Preston - Composer (Music Score), Hanania Baer - Cinematographer, Robert Ebinger - Cinematographer, Bill Osco - Producer, Jackie Kong - Screenwriter
