In 1979, the mini-space-station Skylab crashed to Earth, unable to wait for us to get our acts together by sending a space shuttle up to repair it. They don't make 'em like they used to, or something. But hey, we tried. Unfortunately, the craft brought something back with it. Something that infected the Spanish town. Damon, (Dennis Christopher) Martin, ('Hollywood's Best Driver', played by Martin Hewitt) and Sam (Lynn-Holly Johnson) just happen to be cruising around in an RV, looking for fun, when they happen upon the town, which appears to be inhabited by about three people. Thing is, these people have been infected by that 'something', an alien parasite that 'drives human beings insane and turns them into horrible mutants' (per the DVD box copy).

What actually happens is that the town residents get extremely chippy and murderous, but instead of turning into horrible mutants, they get bad hair and wear creepy Halloween masks. This low-budget creepiness somehow works, while delivering possibly the best, most startling use of a fright wig ever put to film. But instead of just getting the hell out of dodge, our intrepid trio decide to solve problems better left to those cowardly wusses at NASA, eventually enlisting the help of the only standup guy in the entire administration, Dr. Tracer, (Luis Prendes) who gets to work developing a vaccine and teaching our heroes how to use an ancient Spanish blunderbuss.

The Falling provides a few creepy moments and some surprisingly splashy practical gore effects towards movie's end, but reads more like a severely under-developed road-trip rom-com, as much of the action involves the love triangle developing between Damon, Martin, and Sam. (Hey what do you expect from a movie based on an original screenplay titled "Massacre At R.V. Park"?) For all that, The Falling is pretty likable! It's never dull, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the deserted Spanish town is suitably creepy, even if our principals seem better suited to starring in Saved By The Bell than a serious horror movie.

With a bit of splashy gore, some spooky atmosphere, and a genial demeanor that never flags in sincerity, The Falling is no heir to Alien, but reps a pretty fun rent for those movie nights during which you're trying to recapture the glory days of watching cheap horror movies on late night Cable TV. Recommended for nostalgia buffs and fans of obscure Alien knock-offs.

The DVD

Video:
This MGM Limited Edition Collection, manufactured-on-demand on a professional quality DVD-R, comes with old-school ominous (but utterly simplistic) cover art, and in a rather nice standard definition 16 x 9 widescreen transfer. There is plenty of film grain, which looks OK and adds to the old-school atmosphere. Colors are reproduced accurately, but details are a little soft, likely due to the source. No compression issues to be found, but in all this is a 'just-OK' looking presentation.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Audio should be sufficient for your listening needs. Dialog is clear enough and mixed just a tad low compared to the soundtrack, but audible-enough and free of distortion. The soundtrack is '80s-kooky, and stops once or twice for ill-advised 'music video' type sequences during which exultant pop music accompanies scenes of Martin driving around in a dune buggy, for instance.

Extras:
M.O.D. discs never get extras, save for 'Chapter Stops' which merely advance the movie at ten-minute intervals.

Final Thoughts:
With a bit of splashy gore, some spooky atmosphere, and a genial demeanor that never flags in sincerity, The Falling is no heir to Alien, but reps a pretty fun rent for those movie nights during which you're trying to recapture the glory days of watching cheap horror movies on late night Cable TV. Recommended for nostalgia buffs and fans of obscure Alien knock-offs.

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