Xtro

Xtro is a 1982 British science fiction horror film directed by Harry Bromley Davenport and co-produced by Robert Shaye.[1] Starring Bernice Stegers, Philip Sayer, and Simon Nash, the film focuses on a father who was abducted by aliens and returns to his family three years later, where he goes in search of his son. Production of the film started and completed in February 1982.

Xtro
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarry Bromley Davenport
Produced byMark Forstater
Screenplay by
  • Harry Bromley Davenport
  • Michel Perry
  • Iain Cassie
  • Robert Smith
Story by
  • Harry Bromley Davenport
  • Michel Perry
StarringBernice Stegers
Philip Sayer
Simon Nash
Maryam d'Abo
Danny Brainin
Music byHarry Bromley Davenport
CinematographyJohn Metcalfe
Edited byNicolas Gaster
Distributed byNew Line Cinema (United States)
Release date
  • 6 December 1982 (1982-12-06)
(United Kingdom)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUnknown

The film was released in the United Kingdom in December 1982, and in January 1983 in the United States.[2] While reception to the film is mostly negative, the film has achieved a cult status since its release.

Plot

As Sam Phillips and his son Tony are playing outside their farm, Sam is suddenly abducted by a bright light. Three years later, the light returns and plants a seed. A half-human, half-alien creature develops from the seed, and is hit by a car; the couple in the car are soon killed. The creature then goes to a cottage nearby, where it attacks and impregnates the young woman living there before dissolving. When she awakens later, her belly rapidly and painfully grows to a gargantuan size until she gives birth to a fully formed Sam, killing her. Sam washes himself, steals the driver's clothes and leaves in the car.

Sam seeks out Tony, who lives in an apartment building in London with his mother Rachel, her new boyfriend Joe Daniels, and French au-pair Analise Mercier. Tony has recurring nightmares where he wakes up soaked in another person's blood. Sam picks Tony up from school and is found by Rachel. Despite Joe's consternation Sam goes to live with the family, claiming that he can't remember anything. After Tony sees Sam eating the eggs of his pet snake, Sam comforts him and drinks his blood. Tony soon discovers he has paranormal powers, which he uses to send a human-sized toy soldier to slaughter a neighbor who killed his snake and to bring a toy clown to life.

Sam and Rachel visit the farm where they used to live, leaving Tony in Analise's care. During a game of hide-and-seek with Tony, Analise is knocked out by the clown and used as a womb for the alien eggs. Tony sends a toy tank to attack her boyfriend Michael, who is killed by a panther as he tries to flee. Meanwhile, while Sam and Rachel make love at the farm, his skin starts to bleed and decompose. Joe takes Tony to the farm, where Sam takes his son up a hill towards the alien light. Sam, now taking the form of an alien, uses his scream to kill Joe. Sam and Tony enter the light and return to the alien world, leaving Rachel behind. Arriving at home the next day, Rachel finds the apartment full of eggs. As she picks up an egg, Rachel is killed by a newborn creature.

Alternate ending

Director Harry Bromley Davenport originally intended the film to end with Rachel coming home to find the apartment filled with clones of Tony, having apparently come from the alien eggs which the real Tony had left in the refrigerator. Executive producer Robert Shaye, not thinking the scene's special effects were convincing enough, edited it out and released it for its New York debut with the film ending when Rachel sits down in the field after Sam and Tony have left. Davenport, however, not wanting to have it end on such an abrupt note, created another ending which had Rachel going back to the apartment, picking up one of the eggs, and being attacked by a face-grabbing creature similar to the one that attacked the woman in the cottage. The UK 2018 Blu-Ray release of Xtro included this ending.[3]

Cast

Production

Release

The film was released theatrically in the United States by New Line Cinema in 1983.[4]

It was released on DVD three times in the US by Image Entertainment.[5] The first DVD was released in 2005 as a double feature with sequel Xtro II: The Second Encounter. The second was released in 2006 as a standalone release. The third, released in 2007, was a triple feature alongside Xtro II: The Second Encounter and Skeeter.

In the UK, the Xtro trilogy was released in box-set, remastered anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 for Xtro II and an interview with director Harry Bromley Davenport covering the production of all three films. It has since then been out of print.

It has been re-released on blu-ray format in the UK in October 2018 by Second Sight, with several featurettes and alternate endings and cuts of the film.

Critical reception

Critical reception for the film has been negative. Currently, it holds a 43% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 5/10 based on 7 reviews.[6]

Roger Ebert panned the film, awarding it 1 of 4 stars, calling the film "ugly" and "despairing" and further commenting, "Most exploitation movies are bad, but not necessarily painful to watch. They may be incompetent, they may be predictable, they may be badly acted or awkwardly directed, but at some level the filmmakers are enjoying themselves and at least trying to entertain an audience. 'Xtro' is an exception, a completely depressing, nihilistic film, an exercise in sadness … It's movies like this that give movies a bad name".[7]

TV Guide awarded the film 0 of 4 stars, calling the film, "A vile exercise in grotesque special effects" and "an excuse to parade all manner of perversities across the screen", further stating that, "Not only is this disgusting, it lacks anything that remotely resembles suspense".[8] Horror View.com gave the film a mostly negative review, commenting, "Great plot line for a horror [film] but it never really lives up to the potential, mostly because of it's [sic] extremely low budget nature and a seemingly underworked or plain ol' substandard script. But Xtro does still have a few impressive scenes and some truly bizarre ideas".[9] AllMovie called the movie "pure trash" that was "made to capitalize on public interest in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "basically presents the gory, sexy exploitation-movie take on that film's 'alien visits Earth' premise."[10]

The film has garnered more praise in recent years, however. RedLetterMedia lauded Xtro for its screenwriting and use of practical effects in their Best of the Worst show after accidentally choosing it from a lineup of B movies they believed would all be of poor quality. Having previously watched many similar movies cheaply capitalizing on the genre, Mike Stoklasa called the movie "a masterpiece" by comparison.[11]

Sequels

Director Harry Bromley Davenport made two sequels to the film, Xtro II: The Second Encounter and Xtro 3: Watch the Skies. Neither film had anything to do with the original film. In March 2011, Davenport confirmed that Xtro 4 was in the works.[12] Speaking to Fangoria.com, he stated:

“I am going to be starting XTRO 4 this summer; you are the first to receive this shattering news,” Davenport tells us. “A script by Daryl Haney is in the works, and my sales guys are salivating. It’s going to be a very odd movie indeed. Sort of back to the roots of the first one, but much stranger and, hopefully, more uncomfortable.”

See also

References
  1. Xtro, retrieved 7 September 2018
  2. Xtro (1982), retrieved 7 September 2018
  3. "XTRO - ALTERNATE ENDING | British Board of Film Classification". www.bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  4. "Company Credits for Xtro". imdb.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  5. "Xtro". image-entertainment.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  6. "Xtro (1983)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  7. Ebert, Roger. "Xtro Movie Review & Film Summary (1983) | Roger Ebert". Roger Ebert.com. Roger Ebert. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  8. "Xtro Review". TV Guide.com. TV Guide.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  9. "XTRO | Horrorview.com". Horror Review.com. Billion$Baby. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  10. Donald Guarisco. "Xtro (1983)". Allmovie. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  11. "Best of the Worst: The Killer Eye, They Bite, and Xtro". RedLetterMedia. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  12. "Xtra! Xtra! "Xtro 4" is coming!". fangoria.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
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