Searching for his estranged wife after she dropped off their daughter and then disappeared, Charles Bigelow (Paul Le Mat) travels to her hometown that appears to be unchanged since 1958. It is also infested with body stealing aliens. Fleeing from the extraterrestrials, he teams up with tabloid “journalist” Betty Walker (Nancy Allen) to uncover the truth of the invasion, which puts him in conflict with government agent Benjamin (Louise Fletcher), who knows more than she will say.
Strange Invaders is a loving homage to 1950s sci-fi, as long as “homage” is understood to mean comedy that isn’t funny and drama that can’t be taken seriously. I have no doubt that the filmmakers were huge fans of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It Came from Outer Space, and Invaders from Mars, but based on the material on display here, it is hard to imagine why. Strange Invaders is never frightening, suspenseful, mysterious, exciting, tense, or thoughtful. The concept of aliens living as if it was still 1958 presents comic opportunities, but they are all ignored.
The early scenes give every indication that we’re in for some camp fun. Stereotypical ’50s teens are parking at their Midwest equivalent of Lover’s Lane when the aliens fly over. It is reminiscent of Night of the Creeps, which did take the comedy route. But here, the past fades away without a joke. In the “present,” we are introduced to Charles, an entomologist whose scientific training turns out to have no part in the story. Since there is no humor, this must be a drama, so I guess I was supposed to care about Charles and his personality-lacking daughter, though nothing in the film helps me do that. But then what kind of a drama has an attacking, alien, Avon lady?
The acting varies from lackluster to “community players dropout.” La Mat can charitably be called uninvolved while Allen recites her lines as if English is a foreign language. Fletcher (slumming once again as she did with Exorcist II: The Heretic) shows no sign of the talent that earned her an Academy Award, but at least she didn’t embarrass herself.
With a script that steals from better films and bargain basement acting, it was up to director Michael Laughlin to add a bit of style to the production. Unfortunately, Laughlin, who is also a co-writer, manages only straightforward, often static shots. Colors tend to be washed out. Everything about the look (and sound) scream insufficient funds. The few special effects are primitive, and the rarely seen true form of the aliens comes down to guys in Halloween masks.
Strange Invaders is not really a professional movie, but a fan film that got out of hand. I expect to see this kind of thing shot on low budget equipment picked up at Best Buy, and starring the “director’s” family. Yes, this is better made than such home movie-type fare, but ends up being no more interesting.