Creature (1985 Film)

''Creature'' (also known as ''The Titan Find'' and ''Titan Find'') is a 1985 American science fiction horror film directed by William Malone and starring Stan Ivar, Wendy Schaal, Lyman Ward and Klaus Kinski. It was the first feature produced by Moshe Diamant and his company Trans World Entertainment. It has often been compared to '' Alien'', although the gothic atmosphere and possession angle have also been likened to one of ''Alien'' forebears, '' Planet of the Vampires''.

Production

Development and writing

Distributor William Dunn, a friend of Malone's, informed him that his colleague Moshe Diamant of Trans World Entertainment was looking to venture into production, and was willing to hear pitches. Although Trans World brass was interested in a creature feature in the mold of his first film ''Scared to Death'', Malone pushed for a dystopian story akin to ''Blade Runner'', called ''Murder in the 21st Century''. The executives initially went along, but when he delivered his screenplay in January 1984, they rejected it due to limited commercial appeal, and asked him to come up with a new pitch at a single night's notice. Malone unearthed the first couple of pages of an unfinished screenplay from his personal archive, which his backers immediately greenlit. The original script had more of a gothic, space vampire theme. His co-writer under the pseudonym Alan Reed was effects specialist Robert Short, who had already seconded Malone on ''Scared to Death''. Dunn made his debut as a producer, while Harry Mathias made his feature debut as a cinematographer.

A known collector of everything ''Forbidden Planet'', Malone wanted to insert easter eggs into ''The Titan Find'', so that people could watch it as an unofficial spinoff of the former. The opening makes an allusion to a race of aliens that traveled the universe millennia ago and collected species across their travels, which mirrors the Krell's backstory in the 1956 classic. Originally, the demise of the German crew was not explored in much detail, but when Klaus Kinski was cast, Malone was asked to rewrite the script to accommodate a major German character.

Casting

Due to the film's modest budget, most participants were relative unknown at the time. Patti Davis, daughter of U.S. president and former actor Ronald Reagan, auditioned for the film, but she came surrounded by Secret Service agents and, although she gave a good reading, Malone thought her entourage could disrupt the film's tight schedule and passed on her. About one and a half weeks before the shoot, the director was informed that the producers had splurged extra money to hire Klaus Kinski and add prestige to the production. Kinski was at first quite committed to his role, sitting down with the director to discuss the script and suggesting minor changes. The German took the role for his son Nanhoï, who was a fan of space adventure films.

Production and creature design

The visual effects were overseen by Larry Benson's L.A. Effects Group, a fledgling shop featuring many of the same people who had worked on '' Jaws 3D'' with Private Stock Effects. Robert Skotak served as director of visual effects, while his brother Dennis was the visual effects director of photography. Earlier in their career, the two brothers had been pillars of New World Pictures' effects lab, and as such had experience working with James Cameron on the similar ''Galaxy of Terror''. This would lead to L.A. Effects' hiring for ''Aliens'' shortly after ''Creature''.

Robert Skotak doubled as the film's storyboard artist and production designer, and was responsible for most of the space architecture. The German ship was given an expressionist look with grey tones and protruding shapes to contrast with its American counterpart. The light board seen in the German ship's communication room is a replica of the one seen in '' The Invisible Boy'' and several other horror films. Specific elements were suggested by Malone, such as the American ship's exterior, which he based it on a Krell powering device seen in ''Forbidden Planet''. Malone also convinced Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to lend him original artifacts from that film to decorate the Titan lab, and imply that his creature was a specimen discovered by the Krell during their space travels. Other props, such as helmets, were made by Malone's own effect shop, The Dartford Company. The graphics seen on the film's computers were contributed by Robert Alvarez, a veteran animator at Hanna-Barbera. The budget reserved for set dressing was limited, with art director Michael Novotny pegging it at about $120,000.

The main monster was also designed by Robert Skotak. It was a lengthy process and Malone rejected a number of early concepts, some because they would have been impractical on the film's budget. One of these, which evokes an insect, can be glimpsed in ''Cinefantastique'' contemporary coverage of the film. The final creature is more saurian-like, with the ''Los Angeles Times'' Kevin Thomas comparing it to Godzilla. The team building the suit and miniatures was led by Doug Beswick, who too would go on to work on ''Aliens''. Bruce Zahlava, an employee of Malone's effects shop, designed the make-up effects, including the head parasite. Jill Rockow, who was recommended by her mentor Dick Smith for her skills in prosthetics application, was hired to assist him.

Filming and post-production

Due to the project's late increase in scope, no dedicated film studio could be booked in time. It was therefore decided to erect the sets inside a disused industrial warehouse near Burbank Airport. There were no exteriors at all. A total of twenty-four sets were built. Malone's MGM connections once again came through with some used set panels. The shoot was delayed by thirteen days to allow some late tweaks to the creature, which was as much as the production could allow. Principal photography began on June 25th, 1984, and lasted slightly more than eight weeks.

While Malone found the cast more motivated in Kinski's presence, the German proved true to his reputation and was difficult to work with. He sometimes refused to show up for the lengthy make-up sessions, forcing Rockow to carry him to the make-up room. An unnamed make-up girl was groped, and when Kinski's agent was called about it, he appeared unsurprised. The actor also groped co-star Diane Sallinger in a scene that remains in the final cut. It was supposedly unscripted, although the camera coverage does not suggest that. Furthermore, Kinski often refused to follow his marks, leaving part of his footage out of focus and unusable.

To save on costs, Kinski only worked on the film for one week. The sequence where his character is heavily mutated was shot with two doubles, a complex endeavor as neither looked particularly close to him. Diamant offered to bring Kinski back for pick-ups, but quickly determined that it was not worth the trouble of working with him again. The monster required four or five people to animate via cables, in addition to the performer inside the suit. Bruce Zahlava left halfway into the shoot due to disagreements with the producers, and Jill Rockow ascended to his position for the remainder. Rockow felt supported by Malone, who had a background in practical effects himself. Fennel's head explosion was done with a Primacord detonator, which required the entire crew to vacate the set after getting the camera rolling.

The original draft's gothic vibe subsists in a few aspects of the filmed product. The lightning seen in the prologue harkened back to it, as did Malone's insistence on shooting in widescreen Panavision. The company that did not have a history of supporting independent projects, and their anamorphic lenses made visual effects more cumbersome, leading to some pushback from the crew. After seeing some early footage, Diamant was satisfied enough that he decided to pump more money into the film, and give it a Dolby mix at the Saul Zaentz Film Center in Berkeley, California. During promotion, the budget was pegged between $3.8 and 4.2 million. However, Malone has since admitted that those figures were exaggerated by Trans World to give the film more cachet. In 1988, the actual price tag was quoted by a crew member as $1.3 million. In 2012, the director said that the provisional budget was $350,000, later bumped up to $750,000.

Comparisons to ''Alien''

Even during production, Malone was questioned about ''The Titan Find'' similarities with ''Alien''. The director countered that ''Alien'' was itself an archetypal story that owed much to the 1950s horror films that he liked. He added that his ''Titan Find'' pitch had been written six or seven years prior to being sold, drawing from ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' for elements such as the toxic gas, and ''It Conquered the World'' for the parasites. The film's referential nature is clearly spelled out at several points. In addition to the aforementioned ''Forbidden Planet'' props, the characters of Doctor Wendy H. Oliver (initials W.H.O.) and Beth Sladen (Elizabeth Sladen) are references to ''Doctor Who''. Sladen suggests a way to kill the creature based on ''The Thing from Another World''. One of the characters is also called Delambre, the name of the protagonist's family in '' The Fly''.

Release

Pre-release

The monster was not shown in promotional shots, supposedly to surprise the audience. The release was originally planned for January 1985. The movie premiered at the Paris International Festival of Fantastic and Science-Fiction Film held between November 22 and December 2, 1984. It was also selected for the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival held between March 15 and March 30, 1985.

Theatrical

''Creature'' opened in U.S. theaters on April 26, 1985, via distributor Cardinal Entertainment Corporation. The film opened on around 300 screens in Los Angeles and the West Coast, before moving to other areas of the country in a touring release. It opened in New York City on September 20, 1985. While that distribution scheme precluded it from receiving national media attention, the film briefly cracked the ''Variety'' top 10 (which was based on a sample of theaters and therefore friendlier to non-wide releases) and made around $8 million at the box office according to Malone. The film was released as ''The Titan Find'' in the U.K., where it debuted through Miracle Films on May 3, 1985, in a double feature with ''Deadly Blessing''.

For its first months of release, the film's poster was based on art by Todd Curtis, which accurately reflected its production design (see infobox). By late August 1985, when it resumed its run in New York state, it had been replaced by a Barry Jackson painting, which bore no resemblance to the movie's content. Despite this, the Jackson version was retained for several foreign territories.

Reception

''Creature'' has received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.

Contemporary

Peter Stack of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' gave the film one of its most positive contemporary reviews, saying that "the picture looks terrific on the screen thanks to a lot of shadows, good sets, and wooshing sound effects." He added that "for sci-fi lovers and horror fans, it's a very zippy and tight film. An effective scare yarn that pokes fun at itself as often as it keeps you on the edge of your seat." Kevin Thomas of the ''Los Angeles Times'' granted that "this science-fiction horror picture is no cheap schlocker, but an earnest effort with decent hardware and special effects and a fine, soaring score." However, he found that it failed to rise above "trite, predictable material." George Williams of the ''Sacramento Bee'' derided the film's "bargain basement sets, soap opera acting – and its grand larceny of plot lines", although he accepted that it was "ably directed" by Malone and boasted "some edge of your seat moments". John A. Douglas of ''The Grand Rapids Press'' acknowledged that it was an "unashamed rip-off of ''Alien''", but "it could have been worse". He criticized "some terrible acting" and "a script that sounds as if it were written by a valley girl", but commanded "art director Michael Novotny, whose interior spaceship sets give a look of class." Bill Cosford of ''The Miami Herald'' wrote that Kinski's unhinged appearance was "the only time ''Creature'' is at all fun" , and that it was "indeed pretty bad, though it does have some competent effects work." Kenneth Shorey of ''The Birmingham News'' deemed that it "seems to take much longer than its 97 minutes", as "the dialogue is all very measured and slow, and there's a great deal of aimless meandering back and forth between spaceships." Eleanor Ringel of ''The Atlanta Journal'' wrote that "imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but there's nothing flattering about an under-lit, over-acted rip-off like this."

Reaction from the enthusiast press was along the same lines. The Phantom of the Movies, the ''New York Daily News'' resident genre critic, assessed that it "isn't the worst ''Alien'' clone to come down the sci-fi pike over the past half-decade, but it's every bit as pointless as its similarly counterfeit counterparts. The requisite shock effects are competently crafted ..and the performances are passable if uninspired." Alan Jones of British magazine ''Starburst'' wrote that although "Klaus Kinski adds a touch of class to the proceedings" and "the special effects by the L.A. Effects Group ..are top notch", "there are far more laughs than real shocks". In ''Imagine'' magazine, Neil Gaiman stated that it was "an ''Alien'' rip-off, in which brain-sucking monsters severely menace astronauts on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Lots of bone-crunching, oozings, and going into dark cabins on one's own."

Retrospective

''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' assessed that this "''Alien'' rip-off has its moments, but not enough of them. Klaus Kinski provides some laughs." ''TV Guide'' was measured, saying that " e film does have some effective moments, and the performers are competent, if undistinguished. Though it earns a zero on the originality scale, ''Creature'' packs enough of a wallop to save it from being a total washout." Fantasy author and scholar John L. Flynn opined that " rk, expertly photographed in shadowy interiors that recall the claustrophobic paranoia of Howard Hawks' ''The Thing from Another World'' (1951), Malone titillates viewers with equal doses of sex and violence. While derivative of ''Planet of the Vampires'' (1965) and ''Alien'', the film offers lots of scary fun.

Accolades

Post release

Home Media

''Creatures home video rights were acquired by Heron Communications in June 1985, and the film was released on VHS and Betamax in the fourth week of October through their Media Home Entertainment label. The video sleeve reverted to the original art. In 2007, ''Creature'' was shown on the horror hosted television series '' Cinema Insomnia''. Apprehensive Films later released the ''Cinema Insomnia'' version on DVD. Such niche releases led to a rumor that the film had fallen into the public domain, although that was incorrect.

On March 16, 2013, Malone re-issued ''Creature'' on DVD via his personal label Luminous Processes, under its intended title of ''The Titan Find'', fully uncut and in widescreen for the first time. The DVD was made from an answer print kept in storage by Malone himself. He hoped to secure a broader distribution for a Blu-ray version and Synapse Films was mentioned a possible distributor. The Blu-ray was eventually released by Vinegar Syndrome on November 26, 2021. It includes both the theatrical version and the director's cut.

Novelization

A novelization of William Malone's screenplay by Christian Francis has been published in trade paperback, mass market paperback and ebook form by publisher Encyclocalypse, as part of a series of retro genre movie tie-ins. It is available in both ''Creature'' and ''Titan Find'' covers. The book, to which Malone contributed a foreword, was released on September 1, 2021.

Related works

''Deep Space''

Trans World planned a direct sequel, ''Creature II'', which it assigned to director Fred Olen Ray. However, Ray did not care for the proposed script, and asked to replace it with one of his own that fell into the same genre. Thus, the project became the similar but unrelated 1988 release '' Deep Space''.

''Supernova''

Although somewhat defensive about ''Alien'' comparisons, Malone did know artist H.R. Giger, whom he had met while working at Don Post Studios, a manufacturer of fright masks where Giger developed prototypes for Ridley Scott's film. After ''Creature'', Malone made a few attempts to work with Giger in earnest. The second, ''Dead Star'', came in 1990. It was going to reunite Malone with art director Michael Novotny, VFX siblings Robert and Dennis Skotak, and brothers Sunil and Ash Shah, former TWE executives who had since formed a new company, Imperial Entertainment. However, it got stuck in development hell. Ash Shah eventually found a home for the project at MGM, who released it in 2000 as ''Supernova'', although Malone and Giger were long gone by that point.

References

Works cited

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External links

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''Creature''
film trailer at YouTube

{{William Malone

1985 films
1985 horror films
American science fiction horror films
1980s science fiction horror films
Films about astronauts
Films directed by William Malone
1980s monster movies
Titan (moon) in film
Trans World Entertainment films
Films about extraterrestrial life
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
1985 science fiction films
English-language science fiction horror films