Invaders from Mars (1986)

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Richard Blake (story)
Don Jakoby (writer)

Release Date:

6 June 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

There's no place on Earth to hide!

Plot:

In this remake of the classic 50s SF tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Remake | Invasion | Pigtail | Hangar

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Karen Black	...	Linda Magnusson
Hunter Carson	...	David Gardner
Timothy Bottoms	...	George Gardner
Laraine Newman	...	Ellen Gardner
James Karen	...	Gen. Climet Wilson
Bud Cort	...	Mark Weinstein
Louise Fletcher	...	Mrs. McKeltch
Eric Pierpoint	...	Sgt. Maj. Rinaldi
Christopher Allport	...	Captain Curtis
Donald Hotton	...	Old NASA Scientist
Kenneth Kimmins	...	Officer Kenney
Charlie Dell	...	Mr. Cross
Jimmy Hunt	...	Police Chief
William Bassett	...	NASA Scientist
Virginya Keehne	...	Heather (as Virginia Keehne)

Runtime:

100 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:10 | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-14 | Norway:12 (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG | Canada:PG

Company:

Cannon Pictures

Trivia:

The movie was shot in Malibu Creek State Park using a house that was built for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During a battle scene, two Marines who get zapped by the Martian leader start convulsing before the electricity actually hits them.

Quotes:

Alien made out of brains: [Mocking David] Poor little guy... Poor little guy...

Movie Connections:

Features Lifeforce (1985)

A sci-fi Wizard of Oz from a kids perspective

This is not a movie to be viewed from a serious perspective. But even sci-fi aficionados seem to have been losing their sense of fun over the years, which may be why this remake has been panned so badly. The whole movie is viewed from a young boy's dark imagination, right down to the ridiculous Mr. Potato head aliens. Even the camera angles are taken from child's height. And within the bizarre dream world of adolescent fears and disempowerment springs forth a really fun movie. Within this context, the remake of Invaders from mars remains true to the 1950's genre with some tongue in cheek. Relax, grab some popcorn, and warp back to the 50's, when your imagination didn't have to be fed with a spoon.