The Terror Within (1989)
- Cody Iden
- Oct 21, 2021
- 2 min read
Release Date - January 20, 1989
Synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic future where most of humanity has been eradicated by a mysterious plague, or mutated in horrific creatures called "Gargoyles", a group of survivors in an underground bunker attempt to survive when one of these creatures runs loose inside the base.
Directed by - Thierry Notz
Written by - Thomas M. Cleaver
Produced by - Roger Corman
Cinematography - Rohn Schmidt
Music by - Rick Conrad
Distribution Company - New Concorde
Cast:
George Kennedy - Hal
Andrew Stevens - David
Starr Andreeff - Sue
Terri Treas - Linda
John LaFayette - Andre
Tommy Hinchley - Neil
Run Time - 1 hr. 20 min. Rated - R
Budget - Unknown Gross - $858,591
Review:
What does one get by mixing elements of The Thing (1982), It's Alive (1974), Day of the Dead (1985) and Breeders (1986) to name just a few? Well the result is The Terror Within from producer Roger Corman. The film really does feel like it is paying homage to these various films and sub-genres of horror more so than flat out copying any of them but still the film does little that audiences haven't seen done better somewhere else. The film feels cheap, as you'd expect, with very few sets and several scenes filmed in the desert, a common location for low-budget sci-fi flicks and the cinematography isn't all that impressive, nor is the score for that matter. The special effects are not great, the featured "Gargoyle" isn't awful but it is far from convincing and the few other "Gargoyles" we see really look like hokey men in rubber suits running around in the desert. The cast is pretty uninteresting with most having little to do and you can definitely tell that George Kennedy was just phoning this one in for a paycheck as he is totally disinterested in the proceedings. This one is possibly worth a look for sci-fi and horror fans, but as I already mentioned you've probably seen all this done better in other films.
My Score: 68
Plot - 7 Cinematography - 7
Attraction - 7 Editing & Special Effects - 6
Theme - 6 Sound & Music - 7
Acting - 7 Directing - 7
Dialogue - 7 Enjoyability – 7
Trivia:
Terri Treas, who plays Linda in this film, was better known for her role on the TV series Alien Nation (1989-1990) and the subsequent TV movies that continued the story of that series.
A sequel, The Terror Within II, was released in 1991. Andrew Stevens reprised his role as David while also writing and directing the film.
Availability:
Watched on October 20, 2021
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