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IMDbPro

The Being

  • 1981
  • R
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
4.4/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Jerry Maren in The Being (1981)
A mutated creature is wreaking havoc in a small town in Idaho. A police chief and a government scientist team up to save their rural town from its menace.
Play trailer1:39
1 Video
54 Photos
HorrorSci-Fi

A mutated creature is wreaking havoc in a small town in Idaho. A police chief and a government scientist team up to save their rural town from its menace.A mutated creature is wreaking havoc in a small town in Idaho. A police chief and a government scientist team up to save their rural town from its menace.A mutated creature is wreaking havoc in a small town in Idaho. A police chief and a government scientist team up to save their rural town from its menace.

  • Director
    • Jackie Kong
  • Writer
    • Jackie Kong
  • Stars
    • Martin Landau
    • Marianne Gordon
    • Bill Osco
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.4/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jackie Kong
    • Writer
      • Jackie Kong
    • Stars
      • Martin Landau
      • Marianne Gordon
      • Bill Osco
    • 38User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:39
    Official Trailer

    Photos54

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    Top cast34

    Edit
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • Garson Jones
    Marianne Gordon
    Marianne Gordon
    • Laurie
    Bill Osco
    • Mortimer Lutz
    • (as Rexx Coltrane, Johnny Commander)
    José Ferrer
    José Ferrer
    • Mayor Gordon Lane
    • (as Jose Ferrer)
    Dorothy Malone
    Dorothy Malone
    • Marge Smith
    Ruth Buzzi
    Ruth Buzzi
    • Virginia Lane
    Murray Langston
    Murray Langston
    • Arn
    Kinky Friedman
    • Willis
    Johnny Dark
    • John
    Kent Perkins
    Kent Perkins
    • Officer Dudley
    Ellen Blake
    • Jenny
    Roxanne Osco
    • Suzie
    • (as Roxanne Cybelle Osco)
    Jerry Maren
    Jerry Maren
    • Monster
    • (as Jerry Marin)
    Eric Helland
    • Doper #1
    Bill Rawlinson
    • Doper #2
    Richard Marcus
    Richard Marcus
    • Joe The Lab Assistant
    Nancy Osco
    • Woman Motorist
    Jay Sherlock
    • Golf Buddy
    • Director
      • Jackie Kong
    • Writer
      • Jackie Kong
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews38

    4.42.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7johnch-48788

    Criminally Underrated

    Though it has its faults, this movie has several core messages that make it work as a horror film. First, environmentalism: Showing how the disposal of nuclear material can negatively affect the world Second, the philosophical question of the innocence of children: The monster in this movie is just a mutated child who has little to no control over their actions, which brings into question the ethical validity of killing them/.
    3MetroSkunk

    I saw this movie in the theater ....

    .... when it first came out. I still remember it being awful. But I told my friend it was awesome and recommended he take his girlfriend. He did and they both hated it as much as I did. Story still makes me laugh.
    5coldwaterpdh

    Not THAT terrible.

    I actually enjoyed "The Being" for the most part. Obviously it's awful but isn't that the point? The basic plot is a small town in Idaho is victimized by a big, blubbering, wet and greasy, reddish-pink blob with one eye. He kills people at random and a determined detective is going to get to the bottom of it. Martin Landau plays a 'scientist' who is heading up a toxic waste dump research project who tries at first to stand in the detective's way, but then conceded that 'yes in fact, there is a problem in Pottsville...' Along the way we meet some awful actors and actresses and we are treated to many cheeseball performances and some lame killings. We get a nice view of the monster in the end and it actually is a little creepy. One thing we can say about this flick is that it is never really boring, no; it moves along pretty quickly with a decent amount of action.

    All in all, I've seen worse, but I've definitely seen better within the genre. The genre of whence I speak being 80's drive-in trash, I mean what do you want?

    5 out of 10, kids.
    5Coventry

    Whatever happens, blame it on the stormy whether!

    Okay, "The Being" is probably one of the absolute crappiest and cheesiest low-budget horror productions the 80's decade ever spawned (and that is saying a lot), but who can honestly bring him/herself to slamming it so harshly and even discourage other people to watch it? If nothing else, this film guarantees tremendous fun and it's never boring; not even for half a second. Surely the basic concept is unoriginal, the script is unimaginably incoherent and the acting performances rank among the absolute hammiest we have ever witnessed, but you could pretty much derive all that from one short peek at the DVD-cover, so don't come complaining afterwards! "The Being" is (unintentionally?) hilarious, with insane and totally irrelevant sub plots, unnecessary narrative voice-overs, stereotypical small-town USA rednecks, and grotesque splatter effects. The small town of Pottsville, Idaho (self-acclaimed potato capital of the world, mind you) has an unwelcome new arrival in the shape of a gooey & bloodthirsty mutated monster. He clearly likes cars, as he always hides in them, and he's undeniably the result of years of pollution even though the local scientist openly claims that it's safe to dump toxic waste in the water reservoirs. But Pottsville is dealing with more issues than just the slimy monster. The mayor's wife is on a sole mission to banish all pornography, the potato export business may under no circumstances get in danger, there's a lonely woman wandering around the streets without apparent motives, the deputy is too busy arresting Mexican immigrants who're fishing without a license and the local radio DJ blames all the missing person files on the tornadoes even though I didn't notice the slightest sign of bad whether. At one point, I was even suspecting the DJ to be the monster in disguise, because he seems to know who vanished before they're even reported as missing persons. In case cheesy gore and bad dialogs is what you crave, "The Being" certainly won't disappoint! We're already treated to a fabulous decapitation moment during the first five minutes, and there are several more delightfully gross massacres to enjoy throughout the rest of the film. Martin Landau receives top billing but his role is rather small. Good call, because he clearly wasn't very interested in the lines he had to speak and I suspect he just signed up because he had nothing better to do. Rexx Coltrane – his name makes him sound like a porn actor – is probably the most wooden actor I ever saw and his lack of talent particularly becomes transparent when he tries to convince the mayor something stinks in Pottsville. Honestly, feel free to watch this demented sick puppy in case you're looking for a couple of laughs and a handful of undemanding smut effects. Please do avoid if you have low tolerance for poorly scripted and inane 80's trash movies. "The Being" anonymously remained lying on a shelf for three years before it got released and the same director was also responsible for "Blood Diner" … How's that for bad omens? I guess the term "guilty pleasure" was invented exactly for movies like this.
    5silversprdave

    ripoff of some earlier toxic waste monster movies

    This movie is almost like CHUD except not as good. It was somewhat disappointing in its first half, and then I realized that it wasn't going to get any better after that. The movie is on the par with cheap 1950's B-movie horror flicks, and is worth a watch on late night TV when nothing else is on. It's main problem is that it is rather un-inspired in its use of the overplayed theme of radioactive waste turning things into monsters, and is slow. It is quite funny, though and frightening in places. I rated it an embarrassingly high 5 -- Hey, so I'm easy to please.

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    Related interests

    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in L'Empire contre-attaque (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Had its red carpet premier at the El Con Mall theater in Tucson AZ on May 8, 1981 under the title "Beauty and the Beast". Most of the stars, including Ruth Buzzi, Martin Landau and Marianne Gordon were in attendance.
    • Goofs
      In the first scene where the creature is chasing the boy it starts off in broad daylight, but when he reaches the junkyard and steals a car it is night time.
    • Quotes

      Laurie: But if this thing is actually killing people, then why is the mayor trying to keep it quiet?

      Detective Mortimer Lutz: Potatoes

      Laurie: Potatoes?

      Detective Mortimer Lutz: Around here that means big money.

    • Crazy credits
      Right before the end credits begin, the fates of the main characters is read on screen:

      Virginia Lane: Was never found.

      Garson Jones: Was donated to medical science by Mayor Lane.

      Mayor Lane: Went on to become the first potato farmer in The White House.

      Laurie: Is now waitressing in Akron, Ohio.

      Marge Smith: Was last seen looking for Michael in Modesto, California.

      Detective Mortimer Lutz: Moved to Hollywood and became a stunt man.
    • Connections
      Featured in 31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: The Being (1983) (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Sold American
      (uncredited)

      Sung by Kinky Friedman

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    FAQ14

    • How long is The Being?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 18, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alien Flesh Eaters
    • Filming locations
      • Meridian, Idaho, USA
    • Production companies
      • Bad Dreams
      • Bill Osco Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 22m(82 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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