''Xtro'' is a 1983 British
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
directed by
Harry Bromley Davenport
Harry Bromley-Davenport (born 15 March 1950 in London, England) is an English film director and producer as well as at the beginning of his career a screenwriter. He is most popular for the famous horror science-fiction video nasty ''Xtro'' ...
. Starring
Bernice Stegers
Bernice Mary Stegers (born 12 July 1949) is an English actress. She is known for her roles on television, as well as the horror films ''Macabre'' (1980) and ''Xtro
''Xtro'' is a 1983 British science fiction horror film directed by Harry Broml ...
,
Philip Sayer
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
, and
Simon Nash
Simon Nash (born 7 September 1972) is a British former child actor and television presenter.
Early life
Simon Nash was born in the United Kingdom on 7 September 1972.
Career
Nash made his television debut in 1980 at the age of 8 as Sammy ...
, the film focuses on a father who was abducted by aliens and returns to his family three years later, where he goes in search of his son. Production of the film started and completed in February 1982. The film received largely negative reviews, though the special effects were praised.
Plot
As Sam Phillips and his son Tony are playing outside their farm, Sam is suddenly
abducted by a bright light. Three years later, the light returns and plants a seed. A half-human, half-alien creature develops from the seed, and is hit by a car; the couple in the car are soon killed. The creature then goes to a cottage nearby, where it attacks and
impregnates the young woman living there before dissolving. When she awakens later, her belly rapidly grows to a gargantuan size until she gives birth to a fully formed Sam, killing her. Sam washes himself, steals the driver's clothes and leaves in the car.
Sam seeks out Tony, who lives in an apartment building in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with his mother Rachel, her new Canadian-American boyfriend Joe Daniels, and French
au pair
An au pair (; plural: au pairs) is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monet ...
Analise Mercier. Tony has recurring nightmares where he wakes up soaked in another person's blood. Sam picks Tony up from school and is found by Rachel. Despite Joe's consternation Sam goes to live with the family, claiming that he
can't remember anything. After Tony sees Sam eating the eggs of his pet snake, Sam comforts him and drinks his blood. Tony soon discovers he has paranormal powers, which he uses to send a human-sized
toy soldier
A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve ...
to slaughter a neighbour who killed his snake and to bring a toy clown to life.
Sam and Rachel visit the farm where they used to live, leaving Tony in Analise's care. During a game of
hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
with Tony, Analise is knocked out by the clown and used as a womb for the alien eggs. Tony sends a toy tank to attack her boyfriend Michael, who is killed by a panther as he tries to flee. Meanwhile, while Sam and Rachel make love at the farm, his skin starts to bleed and decompose. Joe takes Tony to the farm, where Sam takes his son up a hill towards the alien light. Sam, now taking the form of an alien, uses his scream to kill Joe. Sam and Tony enter the light and return to the alien world, leaving Rachel behind. Arriving at home the next day, Rachel finds an overturned refrigerator full of eggs. As she picks up one, Rachel is killed by a newborn creature.
Alternate ending
Director Harry Bromley Davenport originally intended the film to end with Rachel coming home to find the apartment filled with clones of Tony, having apparently come from the alien eggs which the real Tony had left in the refrigerator. The clones then greet Rachel and rub her growing belly as Rachel is now pregnant with Sam’s second child. Rachel then smiles at the scene.
Executive producer Robert Shaye, not thinking the scene's special effects were convincing enough, edited it out and released it for its New York debut with the film ending when Rachel sits down in the field after Sam and Tony have left. Davenport, however, not wanting to have it end on such an abrupt note, created another ending which had Rachel going back to the apartment, picking up one of the eggs, and being attacked by a face-grabbing creature similar to the one that attacked the woman in the cottage. The UK 2018 Blu-Ray release of ''Xtro'' included this ending.
Cast
*
Philip Sayer
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
as Sam Phillips
*
Bernice Stegers
Bernice Mary Stegers (born 12 July 1949) is an English actress. She is known for her roles on television, as well as the horror films ''Macabre'' (1980) and ''Xtro
''Xtro'' is a 1983 British science fiction horror film directed by Harry Broml ...
as Rachel Phillips
* Danny Brainin as Joe Daniels
*
Maryam d'Abo
Maryam d'Abo is a British actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film ''The Living Daylights''.
Early life and education
Born in London to Georgian mother Nino Kvinitadze, daughter of General Giorgi Kvinitadze, and ...
as Analise Mercier
*
Simon Nash
Simon Nash (born 7 September 1972) is a British former child actor and television presenter.
Early life
Simon Nash was born in the United Kingdom on 7 September 1972.
Career
Nash made his television debut in 1980 at the age of 8 as Sammy ...
as Tony Phillips
* Peter Mandell as Clown
* David Cardy as Michael
*
Anna Wing
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing (30 October 1914 – 7 July 2013) was an English actress who had a long career in television and theatre, known for portraying the role of Beale family matriarch Lou Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''.
...
as Mrs. Goodman
*
Robert Fyfe
Robert Douglas Fyfe (25 September 1930 – 15 September 2021) was a Scottish actor, best known for his role as List of Last of the Summer Wine characters#Other regular characters, Howard in the long-running British sitcom ''Last of the Summer ...
as Doctor
* Katherine Best as Jane
* Robert Pereno as Ben
*
Sean Crawford as the Commando
*
Tim Dry
Tim Dry (born 9 January 1952) is a mime artist, writer, photographic artist, musician and actor, best known for appearing in ''Return of the Jedi'' and the cult sci-fi/horror film ''Xtro''. Tim was a member of the duo Tik and Tok, that popula ...
as the Monster
*
Arthur Whybrow
Arthur Whybrow (1923 – 23 April 2009) was a British actor.
Filmography
References
External links
*
1923 births
2009 deaths
British male actors
{{UK-screen-actor-stub ...
as Mr. Knight
*
Susie Silvey
Susan "Susie" Silvey (born 17 September 1956), occasionally Suzie Silvey, is an English actress, dancer and model, active in the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Silvey attended the Harrow School of Art, where she studied ballet for five years, jazz ...
as Woman in cottage
Production
Producer
Mark Forstater
Mark Irwin Forstater (born 1943) is an American film and TV producer, author, audio producer, music producer and tech entrepreneur, notable for producing the classic comedy film '' Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' and the cult science fiction c ...
got involved in ''Xtro'' when the director
Harry Bromley Davenport
Harry Bromley-Davenport (born 15 March 1950 in London, England) is an English film director and producer as well as at the beginning of his career a screenwriter. He is most popular for the famous horror science-fiction video nasty ''Xtro'' ...
came to him with a script written by him and Michel Patty. The two had previously met during a screening of Davenport’s directorial debut ''Whispers of Fear'', which impressed Forstater. The film was financed by Ashley Productions Ltd, a subsidiary of a British investment group based in Manchester.
Forstater brought in two other writers, Robert Smith and Iain Cassie, stating that "The plot was kept intact, but the new writers went off into weird and wonderful tangents."
The film had a six-week shooting schedule. Chris Hobbs, a sketch artist, helped sort out the visual concepts for the production, which originally involved a faceless rubber suit for a creature. This was changed to man standing with his back to the ground on his arms and legs. A mime was hired to perform the strange scuttle of the walk.
Release
Alan Jones wrote in a July issue of ''
Cinefantastique
''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine.
History
The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor ...
'' that ''Xtro'' was initially set to be released by New Line later in 1982. In December 1982, an article in ''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
'' scheduled the film for release in February 1983. ''Xtro'' was released in March 1983 in the United Kingdom.
When released on home video in 1983, the film was subject to a prosecution case in relation to British obscenity laws. Unlike many other
"video nasties", as they were then called, ''Xtro'' had actually been passed uncut by the
BBFC
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...
with an 18 certificate for theatrical release (with both the original and an alternate ending). The film even went on to reach 33rd place in the
Gallup British video chart for 1983.
Home media
It was released on DVD three times in the US by
Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 ...
. The first DVD was released in 2005 as a double feature with sequel ''
Xtro II: The Second Encounter''. The second was released in 2006 as a standalone release. The third, released in 2007, was a triple feature alongside ''
Xtro II: The Second Encounter'' and ''
Skeeter''.
In the UK, the ''Xtro'' trilogy was released in box-set, remastered anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 for ''Xtro II'' and an interview with director Harry Bromley Davenport covering the production of all three films.
It has been released on blu-ray format in the UK in October 2018 by Second Sight, with several featurettes and alternate endings and cuts of the film.
Critical reception
From contemporary reviews,
Alan Jones wrote in ''
Starburst'' that the film has "occasional flashes of tangential inspiration" but was "really nothing very xtro-ordinary." finding that scenes did not scare him "or even disgusted
imto any great extent" and that he would have liked more characterisation and that Bernice Stegers was "horribly miscast". Jones went on to state that the special effects were "minor miracles of ingenuity" for their low budget and he at least admired director Metcalfe for "trying so earnestly to resuscitate low budget exploitation sf/horror films in this country." Jo Imeson of the ''
Monthly Film Bulletin
''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
'' described the film as a "sub s-f rip-off" and that it was "entirely lacking in the energy or resonances of ''
It's Alive!'' horror-within-the-family genre." The review also noted "flat acting" stating that Bernice Stegers was "weighed down by a depressingly one-dimensional role". The review did note that "one or two effects are quite memorable-the cocoon in the bathroom, the revolving birth of a full-sized man"."Lor." of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' found the film "too silly and underdeveloped in story values to expand beyond diehard fans" and that "Harry B Davenport builds little suspense and no thrills in a film devoid of stuntwork or action scenes. It's just another "check out that makeup" exercise, consisting of brief scenes and poor continuity" and that "acting is flat, with Stegers
..inexpressive and unattractively styled."
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
panned the film, awarding it 1 of 4 stars, calling the film "ugly" and "despairing" and further commenting, "Most
exploitation movies
An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality " B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become ...
are bad, but not necessarily painful to watch. They may be incompetent, they may be predictable, they may be badly acted or awkwardly directed, but at some level the filmmakers are enjoying themselves and at least trying to entertain an audience. 'Xtro' is an exception, a completely depressing, nihilistic film, an exercise in sadness ... It's movies like this that give movies a bad name".
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic.
Life and career
Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, ...
writing for ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' called the film "the slimiest, wormiest, most nauseating film to come oozing into Baltimore in some time." that was "almost wholly incomprehensible" Hunter went on to state that "what is most depressing about ''Xtro'' is that its performances are first-rate, especially Steger's as the distraught Mum" and that the cinematographer by John Metcalfe "displays a good deal of technical finesse, particularly the long, apartment sequence"
Colin Greenland
Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954 in Dover, Kent, England) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is ''Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both majo ...
reviewed ''Xtro'' for ''
Imagine
Imagine may refer to:
* Imagination
Music Albums
* ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008
* ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002
* ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012
* ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971
** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
'' magazine, and stated that "Xtro is quite unpretentious. It doesn't claim to be anything but a vehicle for Tony Harris' special effects, which are as virulent and glutinous as they come."
From retrospective reviews, ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' awarded the film 0 of 4 stars, calling the film, "A vile exercise in grotesque special effects" and "an excuse to parade all manner of perversities across the screen", further stating that, "Not only is this disgusting, it lacks anything that remotely resembles suspense".
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
called the movie "pure trash" that was "made to capitalize on public interest in ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''" and "basically presents the gory, sexy exploitation-movie take on that film's 'alien visits Earth' premise."
Sequels
Director Harry Bromley Davenport made two sequels to the film, ''
Xtro II: The Second Encounter'' and ''
Xtro 3: Watch the Skies''. Neither film had anything to do with the original film. In March 2011, Davenport confirmed that ''Xtro 4'' was in the works.
References
Sources
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External links
*
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{{Clear
1983 films
1983 horror films
1980s British films
1980s English-language films
1980s monster movies
1980s pregnancy films
1980s science fiction horror films
Alien abduction films
British body horror films
British horror films
British monster movies
British pregnancy films
British science fiction horror films
Films about extraterrestrial life
Films about father–son relationships
Films about rape
Films about sentient toys
Films directed by Harry Bromley Davenport
Films set in London
Films set in the 1980s
Horror films about clowns
Horror films about toys