Alien 2: On Earth

Last updated
Alien 2: On Earth
Alien 2 - Sulla terra poster.jpg
Italian theatrical poster
Directed by
Written byCiro Ippolito
Produced by
  • Ciro Ippolito
  • Angiolo Stella
Starring
Music by
Distributed by
  • Cinema Shares International Distribution (1980, USA)
  • Fiesta Films (1981, Canada)
Release date
  • 11 April 1980 (1980-04-11)(Italy)
Running time
92 minutes
Country
  • Italy
Languages
  • English
  • Italian

Alien 2: On Earth, also known as Alien Terror, is a 1980 Italian science fiction horror film, written and directed by Ciro Ippolito before the trademark Alien was registered. It was released following the success of the 1979 film Alien as an unofficial sequel, albeit having little connection to the film.

Contents

The film features a score by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angelis, performed by the composers under the pseudonym Oliver Onions. [2] The film co-starred a young Michele Soavi, years before he became an Italian horror film director, and a cameo appearance by Ciro Ippolito (in the role of "Joe"). It was filmed in California, the Cinecittà studios in Rome, and in the Castellana Caves.

Plot

As the world awaits the return of a crew of astronauts from a deep space mission, a young woman named Thelma Joyce appears on a television talk show to discuss caves. Soon after her interview begins, Thelma has a horrible psychic vision. After the spacecraft returns to Earth missing its occupants, a girl on a beach discovers a weird, blue, pulsating rock. Her mother soon finds her with her face ripped off.

Thelma and her husband Roy meet up with their friends for a trip to explore a cave. The group stops at a roadside café to buy food and change into their caving gear. Thelma's friend Burt discovers a blue rock that he decides to keep in his pack.

The group arrives at the cave, and quickly rappels to the bottom to set up camp for the night. Before falling asleep, Thelma tells Roy that she feels that something horrible is about to happen, but Roy calms her down.

The next day, Thelma's friend Jill discovers the blue rock that Burt found appears to be pulsating. The rock opens up and a creature attacks her face. Thelma witnesses the attack and panics. Roy calms her down, then decides to go find Jill's body.

Roy rappels down into a hole and finds Jill, alive and with her face intact. The rest of the group rappels down the hole as well and they strap Jill to a lifter so that she may be lifted out of the hole. Jill is set aside, by herself, still unconscious. While the group prepares to climb out of the hole, a creature erupts from Jill's face and attacks Ron's neck. Ron is dragged upside down as the creature slices his neck repeatedly until his head falls off.

The group retreats though they are forced to initially go back to retrieve their equipment. The group splits up into teams to search for a way out, but to no avail. During the search Thelma reflects on what is happening and wonders if the disappearance of the astronauts is connected. Maurine stumbles upon what seems like a living wall, which drags her into it and subsequently kills her and Burt who tries to save her. Roy hurts his ankle and is forced to sit and rest. Cliff opts to go and locate Burt and Maurine while the others rest. Thelma telepathically warns Cliff of a nearby alien after their radio goes dead, though Cliff is killed by the alien. Thelma and the others find Cliff who is actually an alien in disguise. Thelma uses her abilities to explode the imposter's head revealing the alien. The alien attacks the other member of the group while Thelma and Roy outrun the alien and escape the caves. On their way back to the city, they discover a police car, but no police officers are in sight. They stop at the roadside café again, but no one is there. Roy tries to call for help on a payphone, but no operator is available. They get back into the car and continue to drive to the city.

Thelma and Roy finally get back to the city, but strangely, they cannot find anyone. They stop at the bowling alley that was seen earlier in the film, only to find that it is also empty. Roy goes to the back, only to be killed by an alien waiting there. The alien chases Thelma through the bowling alley, until she dodges an attack from it and escapes. Thelma runs through the empty city streets, calling for help but getting no answer. She finally stops yelling and sits down in an intersection. Suddenly, text shoots at the screen, warning the audience "You may be next!", implying that the aliens have taken over Earth.

Cast

Release

The film was released theatrically in Italy on April 11, 1980 as Alien 2: Sulla Terra ('"Alien 2: On Earth") and in West Germany on March 19, 1982 as Alien, die Saat des Grauens kehrt zurück ("Alien, the Seed of Horror Returns"). The English-dubbed version was released theatrically in a limited way by Cinema Shares International Distribution (which distributed films such as Creature from Black Lake , Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and The Pod People ). [3]

In March 2011, Midnight Legacy re-released the English-dubbed version of the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States under its original title, Alien 2: On Earth, in a 30,000 copy pressing. The re-release includes fully remastered picture and audio, although during the process, it was noted that some of the audio was missing and it had to be mixed from a variety of sources. This version of the film was believed to be longer than any other version, but a prior Italian television version contained additional scenes not present in the Midnight Legacy version. Midnight Legacy's release contains special effects outtakes and a Dutch trailer.

Critical reception

Adam Tyner of DVD Talk wrote: "James Cameron once summed up his follow up to Alien as 'forty miles of bad road'. Alien 2, meanwhile, is 'eighty-four minutes of bad, period'". [4]

Daryl Loomis of DVD Verdict said: "Some people will say that Alien 2: On Earth is a blatant ripoff and some will say that it's a terrible movie. All of those people are right, but given my track record, nobody should be surprised that I love it". [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Species</i> (film) 1995 film by Roger Donaldson

Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dennis Feldman. It stars Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, and Natasha Henstridge in her film debut role. The film's plot concerns a motley crew of scientists and government agents who try to track down Sil (Henstridge), a seductive extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male.

<i>Alien vs. Predator</i> (film) 2004 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 science fiction action horror film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and starring Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, and Tommy Flanagan. It is the first film installment of the Alien vs. Predator franchise, the fifth film in the Alien franchise and third film of the Predator franchise, adapting a crossover bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a concept which originated in a 1989 comic book written by Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. Anderson wrote the story, with the creators of the Alien franchise, Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett receiving additional story credit due to the incorporation of elements from the Alien series, and Anderson and Shane Salerno adapted the story into a screenplay. Their writing was influenced by Aztec mythology, the comic book series, and the writings of Erich von Däniken. In the film, scientists are caught in the crossfire of an ancient battle between Aliens and Predators as they attempt to escape a bygone pyramid.

<i>Extra Terrestrial Visitors</i> 1983 French-Spanish science fiction film

Extra Terrestrial Visitors is a 1983 science fiction film directed by Juan Piquer Simón. The film's original draft was meant to be a straightforward horror film about an evil alien on a murderous rampage, but the producers demanded script alterations in order to cash in on the success of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by featuring a child and a cute, lovable alien.

<i>Robot Monster</i> 1953 American science-fiction movie

Robot Monster is a 1953 independently made American black-and-white 3D science fiction horror film, remembered in later decades as one of the worst movies ever made. It was produced and directed by Phil Tucker, written by Wyott Ordung, and stars George Nader, Claudia Barrett, and George Barrows. The production company was Three Dimensional Pictures, Inc. The film was distributed by Astor Pictures.

<i>The Descent</i> 2005 film directed by Neil Marshall

The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film stars actresses Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone and MyAnna Buring. The plot follows six women who enter an uncharted cave system and struggle to survive against the monstrous cannibals inside.

<i>Cemetery Man</i> 1994 Italian comedy horror film

Cemetery Man is a 1994 comedy horror film directed by Michele Soavi and starring Rupert Everett, François Hadji-Lazaro and Anna Falchi. It was produced by Tilde Corsi, Gianni Romoli and Soavi and based on the novel Dellamorte Dellamore by Tiziano Sclavi. Everett plays a beleaguered caretaker of a small Italian cemetery, who searches for love while defending himself from dead people who keep rising again. It is an international co-production between Italy, France, and Germany.

<i>When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth</i> 1970 film by Val Guest

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth is a 1970 British science fiction film from Hammer Films, written and directed by Val Guest, and starring Victoria Vetri. It was produced by Aida Young. This was the third in Hammer's "Cave Girl" series, preceded by One Million Years B.C. (1966) and Prehistoric Women (1967); it was followed by Creatures the World Forgot (1971).

<i>Creature</i> (1985 film) 1985 American film

Creature is a 1985 American science fiction horror film directed by William Malone, starring Stan Ivar, Wendy Schaal, Lyman Ward, Annette McCarthy, Robert Jaffe, Diane Salinger, and Klaus Kinski. It features early special effects work by Robert and Dennis Skotak, who would go on to design the special effects for Aliens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Soavi</span> Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter

Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi is an Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter best known for his work in the horror film genre, working alongside directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci.

<i>The Green Slime</i> 1968 film by Kinji Fukasaku

The Green Slime is a 1968 tokusatsu science fiction film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and produced by Walter Manley and Ivan Reiner. It was written by William Finger, Tom Rowe and Charles Sinclair from a story by Reiner. The film was shot in Japan with a Japanese director and film crew, but with the non-Japanese cast of Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel and Luciana Paluzzi.

<i>Contamination</i> (film) 1980 "`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001F-QINU`" film

Contamination is a 1980 science fiction-horror film directed by Luigi Cozzi and starring Ian McCulloch. The film is about an alien cyclops creature that uses human agents to place eggs all over Earth. The eggs release a gelatinous goo that causes people to explode when they come into physical contact with the substance. The tagline on the Italian one-sheet translates as "...and now it's your turn!".

<i>Galaxy Invader</i> 1985 film directed by Don Dohler

Galaxy Invader is a 1985 American direct-to-video science fiction film directed and co-written by Baltimore filmmaker Don Dohler. The film's plot centers on an alien who is pursued by hillbillies after his spaceship crash-lands on Earth. The cast is made of entirely non-professional actors, mainly friends and family of Dohler.

<i>Out of the Darkness</i> (1971 film) 1971 Thai film

Out of the Darkness is a 1971 Thai science fiction musical action drama film directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol, about an invasion by extraterrestrial beings in Thailand. It was the first science fiction film made in Thailand, and was also the debut feature film by Chatrichalerm.

<i>Killing Birds</i> 1988 film by Joe DAmato and Claudio Lattanzi

Killing Birds is a 1988 Italian horror film starring Lara Wendel and Robert Vaughn. The film is set in Louisiana where Fred Brown returns from the Vietnam War to find his wife in bed with her lover and slaughters the whole family sparing the newborn son. After the massacre, he is attacked and blinded by a falcon. Twenty years later a group of students led by Steve and Anne meet Brown, and begin their search for a nearly extinct breed of woodpecker and come across grisly occurrences including boys being killed by vengeful zombies.

<i>The Church</i> (1989 film) 1989 Italy"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`" film

The Church is a 1989 Italian supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Michele Soavi, and produced by Dario Argento with Mario Cecchi Gori and Vittorio Cecchi Gori. It stars Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Barbara Cupisti, Asia Argento, Feodor Chaliapin, Jr. and Giovanni Lombardo Radice.

<i>Day of the Animals</i> 1977 film by William Girdler

Day of the Animals is a 1977 American natural horror film directed by William Girdler, based on a story by producer Edward L. Montoro. The film reunited Girdler and Montoro with stars Christopher George and Richard Jaeckel from the previous year's Grizzly. It co-stars Lynda Day George and Leslie Nielsen.

<i>Blood Monkey</i> 2007 American horror film

Blood Monkey is a 2007 American direct-to-video natural horror film produced by RHI Entertainment and directed by Robert Young. It aired on various video on demand channels, before officially premiering in the United States on the Syfy Channel on January 27, 2008. Filmed in Thailand, it is the first film in the Maneater Series produced under an agreement with Syfy.

<i>Alien</i> (film) 1979 film by Ridley Scott

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon. Based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, it follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who, after coming across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an uncharted planetoid, find themselves up against a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial loose within their vessel. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It was produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill through their company Brandywine Productions and was distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was the executive producer. The Alien and its accompanying artifacts were designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the more human settings.

Ciro Ippolito is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known to horror film fans for his 1980 opus Alien 2: On Earth, which he coproduced, wrote and directed.

<i>The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave</i> 2016 American film

The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave is a 2016 American direct-to-video animated feature film and the fourteenth and final to date installment in The Land Before Time series. Its 9-year gap from 2007's The Wisdom of Friends marked the longest between two films in the series. The film was directed by Davis Doi and written by Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser. It was made available on DVD and Digital HD on February 2, 2016, with the DVD version exclusive to Walmart stores in North America until May 10, when it became available in other stores. The film features the voices of Reba McEntire, who performs the song "Look for the Light", and Damon Wayans Jr. Like all other The Land Before Time films, it is traditionally-animated.

References

  1. Gomarasca, Manlio; Pulici, Davide (24 July 2013). La piccola cineteca degli orrori: Tutti i FILM che i fratelli Lumière non avrebbero mai voluto vedere (in Italian). Bureau. p. 154. ISBN   978-88-586-5486-6.
  2. Stine, Scott Aaron (18 September 2015). The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1980s. McFarland. pp. 21–2. ISBN   978-1-4766-1132-7.
  3. Gilchrist, Todd (22 March 2011). "'Hereafter', 'Skyline' and Other Blu-ray Releases of the Week: 03/22/11". Wall Street Journal.
  4. Adam Tyner. "Alien 2". DVD Talk . Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  5. Daryl Loomis. "Alien 2". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2011-03-24.