Not of This Earth (1988 film)

Not of This Earth is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film, directed by Jim Wynorski and starring Traci Lords in her first mainstream role after her departure from the adult film industry.[2][3] It is a remake of Roger Corman's 1957 film of the same name, written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna.

Not of This Earth
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJim Wynorski
Produced byMurray Miller
Jim Wynorski
Screenplay byR.J. Robertson
Jim Wynorski
Based onNot of This Earth
by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna
StarringTraci Lords
Arthur Roberts
Lenny Juliano
Rebecca Perle
Music byChuck Cirino
CinematographyZoran Hochstätter
Edited byKevin Tent
Production
company
Miracle Pictures
Pacific Trust
Distributed byConcorde Pictures
Release date
  • May 13, 1988 (1988-05-13) (United States)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$296,000[1]

Not of This Earth was made as a result of a wager where Wynorski bet he could remake the film in the same (inflation-adjusted) budget and schedule as the 1957 version by Corman.

Plot

Nadine Story (Traci Lords) is a nurse working in the office of Dr. Rochelle (Ace Mask). She encounters an unusual patient Mr. Johnson (Arthur Roberts), who is always dressed in black, wears dark sunglasses and demands a blood transfusion. After Dr. Rochelle tests Johnson's blood, he's surprised to discover the man's body isn't producing blood in the usual manner, and Johnson hires Nadine to work in his home and give him regular transfusions. With the help of her boyfriend Harry (Roger Lodge), she soon discovers that Johnson is an emissary from the planet Davanna, who is looking for a ready supply of human blood his people need to survive.

Cast

Production

Director Jim Wynorski first got the idea of remaking the film after he found an original print of Roger Corman's 1957 original.[4] He wagered that he could remake the film on the original shooting schedule and budget, adjusted for inflation.[5] The film was reportedly originally going to be a musical comedy.[6]

When it came to casting for the film, Wynorski said he came up with who should play the lead almost immediately:

While we were at an optical house doing some effects work for Big Bad Mama II (1987), I came across an original print of the old Corman film. Kelli Maroney was there, and Raven, and we had a big hoot watching it. So I said "I think we could have a blast remaking this picture." And they said "Well, who are you going to get to play the Beverly Garland part?" There were some newspapers lying around, and I saw a story in one of them about Traci Lords. So I said "Let's get Traci Lords!" She even looks a little bit like Beverly Garland.[4]

Wynorski said, "It was not easy to find her because she was not with any agencies, she was in hiding. I found her and convinced her to do it."[7] The director admitted part of the reason he cast Lords in the film was because he knew it would result in a certain amount of publicity. But he ended up being impressed with her acting ability, saying, "believe it or not she can act. And she's trying to change her image."

Filming took 12 days. Wynorski finished one day ahead of schedule so used the last day to refilm some of Lord's scenes. "She'd improved so much since the first day of filming", said the director.[8] Like any number of Roger Corman productions, this one includes scenes lifted from earlier films as filler, such as the dog in the foggy woods and the woman being stalked from outside her home, as originally seen in Humanoids from the Deep, as well as the scene of the caped, knife-wielding stalker from Hollywood Boulevard.

Release

The film was very popular on video. Wynorski said he bought a new house out of his share of the profits.[4]

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Los Angeles Times wrote the film was "a curiosity that definitely entertains", and pointed out that it was a "pretty decent stab at poking gentle fun at budget-genre film making." They added that it was also "old-fashioned, silly, slap-dash and innocently bold." The writer also added: "The surprising aspect of ex-porn actress Lords' casting is that she actually appears to have a natural flair for comedy. She and the other performers push hard against the campy underpinnings of the film but manage not to step into the realm of the inane."[9]

Home media

On November 2, 2010, Shout! Factory released the film on DVD as part of its Roger Corman's Cult Classics collection.[10]

References
  1. Klady, L. (Mar 20, 1988). "Not of this budget". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 292748324.
  2. Waddell, Calum (2009). Jack Hill: The Exploitation and Blaxploitation Master, Film by Film. McFarland. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7864-3609-5.
  3. Maltin, Leonard (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin Group. p. 1000. ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9.
  4. McCarty, John (January 25, 2016). The Sleaze Merchants: Adventures in Exploitation Filmmaking from the '50s to the '90s. Crossroad Press. p. 120. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  5. Horwath, Alexander; Elsaesser, Thomas; King, Noel (2004). The Last Great American Picture Show: New Hollywood Cinema in the 1970s. Amsterdam University Press. p. 129. ISBN 90-5356-631-7. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  6. "Traci does sci-fi". Los Angeles Times. Nov 15, 1987. ProQuest 816514312.
  7. "Jim Wynorski :Legendary Film Maker Interviewed! Talks Chopping Mall Working with Traci Lords and his New Film!!". Gorehound Mike. 17 February 2014.
  8. Haberfelner, Mike (January 2013). "An Interview with Jim Wynorski, Director". Research my trash.
  9. Klady, Leonard (May 20, 1988). "Movie Reviews : 'Not of This Earth' an Amusing Curiosity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  10. "Shout! Factory website". Shout! Factory. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
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