Main Cast: Tony Amendola, Rae Dawn Chong, Don Gordon, Antonio Fargas, Tom Towles
Release Year: 1989
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
John McNaughton's flawed but interesting follow-up to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer languished in distribution limbo for years before its brief theatrical run and subsequent video release. It presents a completely different breed of killer: an alien criminal who is exiled to life on Earth in human form. As if that weren't punishment enough, the creature's human guise is susceptible to frequent head-eruptions, creating the constant need for replacement heads. This leads to a grim and violent series of episodes in which the creature pops the tops of various citizens, ranging from a kindly, homeless eccentric (Antonio Fargas) to a lascivious doctor (Tony Amendola)... at one point, he even "borrows" the head of a dog! Following the trail of discarded heads are two cops (Rae Dawn Chong and Don Gordon), who eventually begin to suspect they're not dealing with the M.O. of the average serial killer. A few creative plot twists (particularly at the conclusion), grim atmosphere and generally good performances enliven this one-note material, which nevertheless fails to measure up to the harrowing, character-driven horror of McNaughton's acclaimed debut feature. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Tom Allard - Ruben Whitefeather; Tony Amendola - Dr. Cheever; Mädchen Amick - Megan; Tracy Arnold - Nurse; B.J. Barie - Lance; Geri Betzler - Astrid; Tami Clatterbuck - Michele Chodiss; Steve de Clark - 3rd Paramedic; Robert Dryer - Human; Cindy Folkerson - Female Guard; Neil Giuntoli - Scully; Pamela Gordon - Connie; Will Gotay - 1st Paramedic; Rif Hutton - Newscaster; Heath Jobes - Weatherman; Steve Landi - Bandmember; Jack Lightsy - FBI #1; Christopher MacLean - 2nd Paramedic; Lorrie Marlow - Nurse Wilson; John Martinuzzi - Man Outside Bar; Bentley Mitchum - Kip; Larry Pennell - Captian Scarcelli; Mark Rosenblatt - Locker Attendant; Sam Scarber - Cop; Danile Shelley - Bandmember; Darryl Shelley - Druggie; Chad Taylor - FBI #2; Zoe Trilling - Astrid; Richard Wharton - Alien Pilot; Rob Williams - Bandmember; Tonya Lee Williams - Desk Nurse; Gregory Wolf - Prisoner; Stuart Cornfield - Police Photographer; Pamela Norris - Hooker; Smokey Robinson - Guard
Credit
Rick Paul - Art Director, Theda Deramus - Costume Designer, John McNaughton - Director, Elena Maganini - Editor, William H. Coleman - Executive Producer, Robert McNaughton - Composer (Music Score), Ken Hale - Composer (Music Score), Steven A. Jones - Composer (Music Score), Kevin Yagher - Makeup, Robert Henderson - Production Designer, Julio Macat - Cinematographer, Robert New - Cinematographer, R.P. Sekon - Producer, Steven A. Jones - Producer, Richard Fire - Screenwriter, Mason Nage - Screenwriter
The alien's penalty includes that his body is genetically transformed to look like a human's, but since this transformation is not perfect, after a while his body starts to revert back to its original form and his head explodes, prompting him to "borrow" a new head from the next person happening to be present at the time -by squeezing it off with a crab-like claw and placing it on its own neck. Female cop Pierce (Chong) and her partner try to make sense of the ongoing killing spree, which stands out through the fact that all victims are missing their heads, slowly coming to the conclusion that they are facing a rather unearthly killer.
