XTRO (1982) – Episode 266 – Decades of Horror 1980s

“Stay in the car. ...  Stay In The Car! ... GET BACK IN THE CAR!!” No one ever follows directions in horror movies. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and guest Dirk Rogers – as they try to figure out precisely what is going on in Xtro (1982).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 266 – Xtro (1982)

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An alien creature impregnates a woman who gives birth to a man who was abducted by aliens three years ago. The man reconnects with his wife and son for a sinister purpose.

• Directed by: Harry Bromley Davenport
• Writing Credits: Iain Cassie, Robert Smith; (story by) Harry Bromley Davenport, Michel Parry; Jo Ann Kaplan (additional dialogue “Americanized”)
• Produced by: 
  • Robert Shaye (executive producer)
  • Mark Forstater (producer)
  • James Crawford (associate producer) (as James M. Crawford)
• Music by: Harry Bromley Davenport
• Cinematography by: John Metcalfe
• Special Effects by:
  • Tom Harris (mechanical effects / special effects supervisor)
  • Francis Coates (Creature Effects)
• Selected Cast:
  • Philip Sayer as Sam Phillips
  • Bernice Stegers as Rachel Phillips
  • Danny Brainin as Joe Daniels
  • Maryam d’Abo as Analise Mercier
  • Simon Nash as Tony Phillips
  • Peter Mandell as Clown
  • David Cardy as Michael
  • Anna Wing as Mrs. Goodman
  • Robert Fyfe as Doctor
  • Katherine Best as Jane
  • Robert Pereno as Ben
  • Sean Crawford as Commando (credited as Tok)
  • Tim Dry as Monster (credited as Tik)
  • Susie Silvey as Woman in Cottage
  • Arthur Whybrow as Mr. Knight
  • Anna Mottram as eacher
  • Robert Austin as Van Driver
  • Vanya Seager as Paula Phillips

Xtro (1982) is one of those movies. Either you love it… or you say, “WTF?” Or maybe both! Luckily, the 80s Grue-Crew are joined by guest host Dirk Rogers, an Xtro fan, to help sort out the mess and to point out why he likes it so much. It took a while for the crew to get the finer points, so you’ll have to check out the episode to see if any of Dirk’s teachings sink in. 

The film depicts an alien impregnating human women with a “plunger” appendage and giving an eleven-year-old boy the power to bring anything he can imagine into reality. How could one expect anything but a five-ring circus?

At the time of this writing, Xtro is available on physical media as an all-region import Blu-ray formatted disc from Second Sight Films. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Bill, will be Death Ship (1980)! Co-written by Jack Hill (Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told; 1967) and starring George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes, Kate Reid, and Victoria Burgoyne. Yo, baby!

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