It Came from Somewhere

I'll start this review with a statement. The indie film world needed a film like this. Now that that's out of the way, on with the review.

It Came from Somewhere is one of those films where you sit back and enjoy it for what it is. A campy, cheese filled sandwich that oozes the cheese out of the side of the bread after you take a bite. When the opening minute of the film, actually before the actual film even begins, featured ads from a drive-in theater I knew I was in for something different. What makes this film stand out is how it was filmed. No 4K, no wide screen, instead shot in B/W, 4:3 ratio and adding to the look, screen scratches and blemishes are scattered throughout the film. It really appeared as if it was filmed in the 1950's.

Okay, so it looked as it was filmed in the 50's you ask, how was the film itself. Bad, and I mean that as a compliment. The acting was over the top, the opening monologue made absolutely no sense but that was intentional (an homage to Plan 9) The sets, I don't want to spoil anything but the interior of the spaceship, priceless. The creature, Space-Clops, is exactly what you'd expect in a film like this. I must add, not all of the film is good bad, there are several tender moments between a young girl, Mary, and space-clops that came out of no where and I wasn't expecting. That brings me to this. You kind of care about the characters and what happens to them, something rare in B films of the decade. There's horror, a love story, and a short tempered alien vaporizing everyone she sees and what you get is an enjoyable film.

Credit to where credit is due. Hermann and the cast did a remarkable job bringing the 50's back, Mystery Science Theater 3000 would be proud.

As a side note, I managed to catch four references from 50's B films, older films, and a film from the 80's, throughout its 1 hour runtime.

Well, it ain't the "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra." That one was smart -and- funny.

Some movies are accidentally bad.

Some movies are bad on purpose.

Some movies are bad by design and therefore good.

Some movies lampoon bad movies, and triumph.

Some movies are designed to lampoon bad movies, badly, on purpose, and manage to miss the mark so hard they fall all the way back to accidentally bad.

This movie came from somewhere, all right. Somewhere dank and grainy and crawling with clueless film students, like that weird kid who not only sings the wrong lyrics to every song, but then goes on to unironically make a brain-rot video with the wrong lyrics, on purpose, but instead of being brilliantly funny, it comes off a bit like a commercial jingle for a really cringe local pest-control service.

Things that were over-the-top-stupid might have even hit the mark if done intelligently. Take the flying pie pan saucer, for example: calling for "evasive maneuvers" and then re-using the same scene? Just... why? Why not really yank that thing around, make it seem like the creators were actually in on the joke? Instead we get a dry and "faithful" attempt at an homage that feels like some aliens wanted to make their own "moving picture film" because they knew it was important to the war effort, or something. I wish I could give this a fair shake, but the first 15 minutes were so unrelentingly painful that I just couldn't. Like giving yourself a tonsillectomy with a slotted serving spoon and a rusty mirror.

This is such a fun idea for a movie so it definitely drew my attention. Most modern movies try to bedazzle the audience with special effects and complicated stories and dialogues. "It Came From Somewhere" stands out from the crowd as a very refreshing change of pace. It is filmed in the old 4:3 aspect ratio in black and white. The footage has also been dirtied up to make it look like you are watching an old creature feature from the 1950s. Obviously, to complete the illusion, it is filmed using the typical 1950s filming techniques of cheap sets made with discarded materials, cheesy dialogue and only one or two takes before calling it a wrap.

Now, this style of filming is not for everyone. Objectively, the story makes little sense and, very clearly, some of the models of the UFO could probably have been filmed better. Likewise, occasionally the shots catch filmmakers disappearing off the side or corner of the frame as they didn't get out of the way in time.

If this is all you see in the movie however, you are entirely missing the point. This movie is a faithful tribute to the pioneering works of great directors and visionaries from the classic 1950s creature features. Watching this movie, it is very clear that they were influenced heavily by the works of Roger Corman such as "The Day The World Ended" or "It Conquered The World", Edward Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or Jack Arnold's "It Came From Outer Space"

When you compare "It came From Somewhere" to these earlier movies that led the charge on modern sci-fi, you will see that the team at Acrostar have written an original story that faithfully reproduces all the little quirks that made these old movies the cult classics they are. Every little wart you see in the movie is a direct nod to previous work of all these sci-fi titans of filmaking from the 1950s. And this is the point when it comes into focus the absolute genius and masterpiece that "It Came From Somewhere" is. These "flaws" were clearly intentional and all written in and carefully filmed and edited to duplicate stylistically those flaws in the original inspiration. It thus is an absolute love letter to the works of Corman et al.

Without spoilers, the basic plot is that an alien spacecraft gets shot down outside a small midwestern town. A group of teenagers decide to investigate and get caught up between an escaped alien monster and the UFO pilots trying to recover it.

Everything seen in the movie is period accurate for the 1950s from the classic cars on the streets, through the costuming to the houses and furniture. The language and idioms used by the teenagers (for the most part played by older actors as was common in the 1950s) is also period appropriate. It is very tongue in cheek of course and very much makes fun of itself.

Although most of the actors do a wonderful job of recreating the feel of a 1950s creature feature, a couple of perfomances are noteworthy. Beth Metcalf plays the trigger happy alien "Quasar" and steals most of the scenes she appears in with her dry, monotone and alien delivery of her lines. One funny nod that had me chuckling was when the actress is seen briefly playing one of the panicked villagers, gets shot by Quasar and then we see Quasar doing a weird double take before moving on to "business as usual". I love little hidden, easily missed, jokes like that and this movie has lots of great little easter eggs if you pay attention.

The other scene stealer was Delilah Hefner who played the younger sister "Mary". Honorable mentions also have to go to Magdalena Conway who played "Patty" and Bill Russell who did a fine job as the narrator "Grimwell".

Also of particular note is the incredible score from Tony Parsons. The music feels exactly like it escaped from the 1950s and enriches the movie in a way that is impossible to put into words. It has to be felt to be understood.

What the team at Acrostar achieved is made even more incredible by the miniscule budget and timeframe it was filmed within. My understanding from chatting with a couple of the cast is that it was filmed in it's entirety over the course of just four days with a total budget of about $4000. That is absolutely insane and a true testament to the incredible film making skills and dedication of the crew.

In summary, this movie is not for everyone. However, if you love the old 1950s sci-fi classics, you will absolutely love this movie. As a movie in it's own right, I rate it as a 7/10 for entertainment purposes. However, as a love letter to all these old movies and tribute to the era, it is absolutely spot on and a work of absolute genius that I would rate 12/10.

I enjoyed it from the start to the finish. It is one of those movies that left me smiling and ready to watch again. It pokes fun of the B movies of the 50's but it isn't a spoof, it is a love letter, and a very good one at that. The cheap props and cheesy dialogue are part of what makes it so appealing.

When a flying saucer crashes on Earth, chaos ensues. The interaction between the aliens and the humans is a lot of fun and and filled with several laugh out loud moments. The creature wreaking havoc reminded me of Frankenstein's monster. In fact, several scenes seemed to be a direct tip of the hat to the classic Boris Karloff film. It is a new film but very easily sits among the films that inspired it.

From the very first frame, inviting you to the snack bar and reminding you where to return a broken car speaker, I was transported back to my youth at the drive in movies. Nostalgia at it's finest. If you're not old, you should still watch it, so you can see what we thought was so great...and still is.

The props were funny as all get out. Was that space ship really a tin foil pie tin attached to a frisbee? It sure looked like it. Love it for what it is, no one is trying to make you think it's a real space ship.

I got a l lot of spontaneous laughs while watching this film. They appeared out of nowhere, but there they were. The writer has a very subtle sense of humor which matches my own. One that comes to mind is when the male alien's voice changes when speaking first to his new love, and then to his cohort.

I thought all the acting was spot on with just the right amount of overacting as befits the times. All in all, I loved this film.