October Movie Challenge: Biohazard (1985)

While this movie really has nothing at all to do with my themes of "local" and "high school horror" it is on the spot for the time period, 1985, and a great (if that word can be used here) example of 80s sci-fi, horror schlock. It has an alien, a psychic, the military, weird tech, and manages to rip off both Alien and E.T., and features Star Trek-connected actress Angelique Pettyjohn. 

Starting this one late since tonight was the Games Plus RPG Auction.

Biohazard (1986)

The movie is fairly notorious. Though not for any good reason, really, the movie is fairly bad. The effects are cheap, the acting is mediocre, and the plot is weak.

So yeah, it's fun.

But it is also exactly the sort of schlock I would have loved back in 1985. 

So we have some scientists working with the government or the Army (not really clear here) and a psychic (Pettyjohn) to transfer matter from "another dimension." Of course, it goes wrong, and an alien creature is brought over instead. Though kudos to the writer-director-producer Fred Olen Ray for predicting the touch-screen display seen before Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

The monster runs through town, killing the locals while being chased. The ending...well. I can't say it was a disappointment. The movie didn't engage me enough to disappoint me, but honestly, I should have seen it coming. No I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it. I hope the SpoilerText works below. Just highlight to read.

Spoiler: Lisa is an alien in disguise. The other creature's commander no less. She even rips off her own breasts to show the alien skin underneath. It's a bit gratuitous. End spoiler.

Rather famously, Ray's 8-year-old son Christopher Ray played the alien creature.

This was also one of Angelique Pettyjohn's last roles.

Jackson, IL Connections

Much like last night, the obvious connection is an alien invasion via some sort of psychic experiment gone wrong. Jackson does not have a military base, and the two colleges are not well funded enough to feature anything like the research shown here. 

Again, I go with Thirteen Parsecs for aliens, NIGHT SHIFT for demons. But that line is really blurred here in this flick. Yeah, it is an alien, but it does act very much like a classical demon. 

For Jackson, I could always say that psychic activity summons some sort of extra-dimensional creature. Hmm, now that sounds fun, let's make it all Morgan's fault!

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026
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