''Biohazard'' is a 1985

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Fred Olen Ray Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director and screenwriter of more than 200 low- to medium-quality feature films in many genres, including Horror film, horror, science fiction, action film, action/adventure f ...

and starring

Aldo Ray Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re; September 25, 1926 – March 27, 1991) was an American actor of film and television. He began his career as a contract player for Columbia Pictures before achieving stardom through his roles in '' The Marrying Kind, P ...

and

Angelique Pettyjohn Angelique Pettyjohn (born Dorothy Lee Perrins; March 11, 1943 – February 14, 1992) was an American actress and burlesque queen. She appeared as the drill thrall Shahna in the '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "The Gamesters of Trisk ...

. It is a low-budget horror film that draws inspiration from the successful 1979 film '' Alien''.

Synopsis

The story revolves around scientists conducting experiments on transferring matter from other dimensions in a remote desert research lab. However, things go awry when a container holding a creature from another dimension is opened, releasing a series of monsters that start rampaging and killing people. The protagonist of the film is Mitchell Carter, an army officer tasked with tracking down and dealing with the monsters. He teams up with Lisa Martyn, a psychic who has been involved in the experiments conducted by Dr. Williams. As the story progresses, it is revealed that one of the leading characters is actually one of the monsters, adding a twist to the plot. The midget alien creature (Christopher Ray, the director's eight-year-old son) is depicted as a black reptile-like being with large beetle shells attached to it. It goes on a killing spree, even attacking a poster of the iconic character E.T. from the film of the same name. Additionally, there is mention of a snake-like creature that emerges from the container but is eventually killed by Carter.

Cast

as General Randolph *

as Lisa Martyn * William Fair as Mitchell Carter * David O'Hara as Reiger (credited as David Pearson) * Frank McDonald as Mike Hodgson * Art Payton as Dr. Williams (credited as Arthur Payton) * Charles Roth as Jack Murphy *

Carroll Borland Carroll Borland (February 25, 1914 – February 3, 1994) better known by the stage-spelling Carol Borland, was an American professor, writer, and actress. She is best known for having portrayed Luna, the daughter of Bela Lugosi's character, Co ...

as Rula Murphy * Richard Hench as Roger * Loren Crabtree as Jenny * George Randall as Dumpster Man * Brad Arrington as Chambers * Ray Lawrence as Mayfield * Robert King as Sheriff Miller

Production

The creature was played by director

's son Christopher Olen Ray. Ray chose to make the alien smaller as he wanted to play against audience expectations of a large monster being a threat and instead present something that could more easily hide and pop out of tight spaces. Initially financing was provided by Kenneth Hartford's production company Eastern Hemisphere but partly through production Eastern Hemisphere collapsed, leaving the crew stranded as financial responsibilities fell to director Ray. Luckily, this happened as the MIFED Film Market was starting and Ray took the shot footage to showcase to potential investors. He managed to secure a greater amount of funding than they'd previously had from European investors. The film was shot in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

with Ray not enjoying shooting there as the area was often uncooperative to their shooting schedule and more than once the police tried to shut down production despite them having permits.

References

External links

* 1985 films 1985 horror films 1980s science fiction horror films American independent films American science fiction horror films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Fred Olen Ray 1980s monster movies American monster movies 1985 independent films 1980s American films English-language science fiction horror films 1985 science fiction films English-language independent films {{sf-horror-film-stub