Depredador mutante

THE TERROR WITHIN survivor David (Andrew Stevens) travels the post- epidemic wasteland with his dog Butch (Butch Stevens, no, really!) trying to get to an underground facility filled with more scientists in Denver. This proves treacherous thanks to the genetically abnormal Lucius creatures roaming the hills. THE TERROR WITHIN was a decent little late 80s Concorde flick and producer Roger Corman wisely let star Stevens make his writing-directing debut here. How good is Stevens? He brings back his freakin' dog while part one's female survivor is toast and written off in a line of dialog ("She died in the desert"). Even though this is essentially a remake of the first film, Stevens shows he is adept at handling the action and nudity (something that would come in handy in his T&A thriller work a few years later). He even gets his mom Stella in there alongside fine supporting work from R. Lee Ermey, Chick Vennera and Burton Gilliam. The effects are appropriately gooey and there is a really bizarre monster rape scene (initiated by Cyndi James Gossett, spouse of Louis at the time). Stevens brought Butch back in NIGHT EYES II the following year.

Picking up from where the original left off (and it does go on to clear up loose ends) we see Andrew Steven's character David wandering through the desert heading for another underground scientific base that his team was originally in contact with in the first film. On the way there, he also picks up a lady survivor where they would become more than acquaintances with her soon expecting. Those survivors at the base are waiting on David, who holds a vaccine for the spreading virus, but what awaits them when David and the girl get there is hideous mutations.

Roger Corman would also produce the sequel (that looks just as cheap) that came two years later with star Andrew Steven (who here had me thinking of him as a poor man's Kurt Russell) not only acting, but directing and also penning the material in another quite low-budgeted, muggy B-grade offering. Tick off; Mushy make-up effects, lousy props, a tad of nudity, clunky dialogues, junky set designs and gratuitously raw violence. At times it reminded me of the Corman produced alien clone --- "Forbidden World". Surprisingly I see this film cop a lot criticism when compared to the first, as I don't see it to be any worse. Sure I wouldn't call it a perfect movie, but in certain regards I enjoyed this follow-up more than the original film. On this occasion it tries to be slightly different in its ideas and execution, but still sharing similarities but consisting of more excitement. It does go on to rehash certain moments in the latter stages. However there seems to be a little more happening story wise (when focusing on Steven's character in the desert or that of a mutating finger from a gargoyle) and its quick tempo makes sure it doesn't wear out its welcome. Steven's practical handling startlingly generates energy and a bit of tension amongst the monster gruel. He's not as confined, but goes for more expansion despite the obvious limitations but these murky visuals/lighting makes for some much needed atmospherics. The cast are all committed with ever reliable R Lee Emery's commanding presence heading the way. Andrew Stevens (sporting a fashionable beard) is sturdy enough in the heroine role, Burton Gilliam is particularly amusing, Chick Vennera is fitting and Stella Stevens (yes that's Andrew's mother) is agreeably good too. What's this type of film without beautiful ladies; in the shape of knockouts Barbara Alyn Woods, Renée Jones and Clare Hoak.

My review was written in May 1992 after watching the movie on Vestron video cassette.

Andrew Stevens makes a creditable feature helming debut with this follow-up to the sci-fier he starred in. Released theatrically last year, pic's currently in video stores.

Pic notably has Stevens direcign his mother, Stella Stevens, who made her own directing debut in 1989 with "The Ranch" starring Andrew.

Well-plotted with a script by Stevens and Lee Lankford, "Terror Within II" limns Stevens' adventures following a biological war that has wiped out nearly all of humanity. He's en route to the underground Rocky Mountain labh manned by R. Lee Ermey and a co-ed crew.

Accompanied by his trusty dog, he fights off mutants and other foes, and rescues lovely damsel Clare Hoak. Back at the labe, Ermey and medical officer Stella Stevens have to deal with a monster on the loose.

Subplots include a mutant raping Hoak, giving rise to a monster baby, and a mutant's severed finger growing in the labe into a grotesque blob-style monster. Stevens' direction keeps the pic chugging along well.

Cast is fine, with maximum pulchritude provided by Hoak and Barbara Alyn Woods. Monster makeup and gore is low-budget but effective.

Andrew Stevens returns as David to the sequel, but this time he also acts as writer and director. Gargoyles are still roaming around the world and people are also still living in secret bases. David along with his dog Butch is out collecting raw materials so they can create a vaccination to battle the germ that has been accidentally let loose on the human race. David is colder and more desperate this time around. This time around I found it was PREDATOR that was being ripped off, but not to the degree ALIEN was in the original.

In addition it seems this sequel gets a lot of criticism as being a bad film, but personally I didn't find it any worse than the original. In fact I found it more original with its story. The music by. Terry Plumeri was good even though at times it seemed quite similar to Alan Silverstri's score to PREDATOR. If you really liked the original give this one a try if you want. If you didn't like the original I would just say skip this one. Also starring Andrew's mother Stella Stevens, R. Lee Ermey and Renee Jones. Executive producer was the king of B movies Roger Corman.

The Terror Within II (1991)

** (out of 4)

Andrew Stevens co-wrote, directed and stars as David in this sequel to the 1989 cult film. This time out, there aren't too many humans who survived a nuclear fallout, which resulted in a number of mutants running the land. David meets up with a woman and soon team up with a colony to try and defeat the mutants once and for all.

THE TERROR WITHIN was one of the better low-budget ALIEN clones as it featured a terrific monster, a nice cast and some great gore effects. This sequel was obviously working with an even smaller budget but if you're a fan of this type of post apocalyptic film then there's plenty to enjoy here. There's no question that it falls well short of the original movie but there's still enough "B" movie fun here to make it worth watching.

I've always been a fan of Stevens so it was fun getting to see him play the tough action hero. When we first meet his character he's walking around with a full beard and playing with his lovable dog. From here he is given a love interest and it's pretty much all war from here. Stevens was certainly a lot of fun in the lead role but we also got nice support from the likes of R. Lee Ermey, Chick Vennera, Stella Stevens and Clare Hoak. Granted, these aren't Oscar-worthy performances but that's not what this film called for.

The action scenes are well-directed for the most part and Stevens manages to keep the film moving at a nice pace. Add in a little bit of nudity, some sex scenes and you've got the type of R-rated movie people would have wanted to rent back in the day. The creature effects aren't nearly as effective as the first movie but I did like the look of them here. There's also some nice blood and guts scattered throughout the film.

With all of that said, THE TERROR WITHIN II features a pretty basic and unoriginal story and there's certainly not enough tension to make it a complete success but it's an entertaining B movie.