A while back, I spent a whopping $5 on this 50-movie set, Sci-fi Invasion. That adds up to 10 cents per movie. Time for more aliens-running-around-the-woods action with 1978’s The Alien Factor.

Here’s what happens: Aliens crash land outside a small town and start wreaking havoc. The mayor wants to start an investigation, but a wealthy land developer stops them, knowing that said investigation could ruin his plans to build an entertainment center. We spend way more time with these humans than with the aliens.

Speculative spectacle: The movie’s only real saving grace is that each alien is a wildly different type. There’s a huge Bigfoot-like alien, one that looks like a guy covered with mud, a glowing blue alien, and the best, a giant lizard created with stop motion animation.

Sleaze factor: Not much, aside from a little bit of gore.

Quantum quotables: “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be all right if you alerted everyone if a wild animal might be on the loose. Wouldn’t hurt to have people on the lookout.” – A concerned citizen

What the felgercarb? Hey, how about that band? We get to visit these bunch of rockabilly types for a few songs during the movie. Either the filmmakers were hoping for a hit single to promote the movie or (my guess) they were looking to pad out the runtime.

Microcosmic minutiae: In 1982, Baltimore-based director Don Dohler went to make an unofficial remake of this movie, called Night Beast. He then made the official sequel, Alien Factor 2: Alien Rampage in 2001. There’s a 1990 movie called Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor, which is not related to this one in any way.

Epic Crossover: The Alien Factor was also featured on a Cinematic Titanic release, which was reviewed for DVD Verdict by Judge Erich Asperschlager. Read it here.

Worth 10 cents? Not even a penny.

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.