Writer's Note: After reviewing Metalstorm last Friday, I decided to go ahead and do a look back at Charles Band's previous movie, Parasite, as well, for today's Monster Monday. After all, it certainly fits the bill, and, as I'm often running late on Mondays, it helps that I've covered a sizable amount of the proceedings here already in the prior article.
So, to that end, I direct you to the Metalstorm review for my look back at the 3-D resurrection of the early 80's, plus my takes on director Charles Band and his composer brother Richard, as well as this film's co-writer, Alan J. Adler. Got it? Good. With that out of the way, let's get started.
By the mid-80's, the sub-par nature of the films in question killed off the 3-D revival entirely. It wouldn't be until around 2003 before 3-D would resurface again, this time to much more success and critical acclaim, thanks to a much-improved quality of both the 3-D and the films themselves.
That said, for us children of the 80's, the films released during this brief period have a loyal following, even while most of us readily acknowledge most of the films aren't great, especially in comparison to the newer wave of 3-D films released in the 2000's on. They are a lot of fun, though, and it's surprising how well some of the 3-D holds up.
I never had the chance to see most of these films in their original run- I was just too young at the time- but I did see most of them on cable and the various movie channels, as well as on home video, albeit not in 3-D. That did change a few years back, when a local theater revived some of them, allowing me to see them in glorious 3-D for the first time, including Jaws 3-D, Amityville 3-D and Friday the 13th Part 3, the last of which was easily the best of the bunch.
Alas, Parasite wasn't among them, but I'm certainly familiar with the film, having owned it for a long time on DVD. I also rented it many times on VHS back in the day, and I'm pretty sure it was my introduction to the wild, wonderful world of Charles Band, of whom I've become a huge fan of since.
Parasite revolves around a scientist on the run in the futuristic world of...1992, lol. Hey, it took a few more decades for America to turn into a lawless, post-apocalyptic wasteland, but we got there eventually. You can thank The Purge and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. (That stuff really happened, right? Sometimes I wonder if I'm living in The Matrix, but I just haven't learned how to control my surroundings yet.)
Anyway, at the government's insistence, the scientist has created a deadly parasite meant to help control the lesser elements of the population, aka those living in poverty. Those in control are known as "The Merchants" and they have nice suits and even nicer cars and basically behave like all filthy rich, powerful people: totally entitled douche-bags.
When the scientist realizes, all too late, what the Merchants intend to do with these parasites, he revolts and takes off, with the parasites in tow. Unfortunately for him, in his escape, he drops one and it lands on him, burrowing into his stomach. He does manage to concoct a formula to keep it at bay in the short term, but the clock is ticking...
It's up to him to find a cure and destroy the parasite before it kills him- and potentially everyone else if it spreads. Standing in his way is a group of local punks who want to know what the scientist is up to, and if he has anything worth stealing, as well as one of the Merchants, in hot pursuit in his sweet black Lamborghini Countach.
The scientist holes up in a local hotel in a small town, where he wastes no time getting himself in trouble with the locals, who ransack his room and steal the parasite he has contained in a thermos. Naturally, they look inside, and one of them ends up getting infected by the parasite, which grows larger with each host it attaches itself to, eventually killing them in the process.
Meanwhile, the scientist rushes to find a cure, which he eventually does, but not before several people are killed by the ever-growing creature. Helping him out is a local hottie who takes pity on the obviously sickly man, though she plays the price for helping him out, as she gets beaten up by the Merchant when she refuses to tell him where the scientist is located.
Finally, there's a showdown at the hotel, where the scientist and the Merchant go head-to-head, all the while trying to evade and/or kill or at least entrap the wily parasite, which has grown to the size of a small alligator by this point. In the end- spoiler alert- the parasite attacks the Merchant and the scientist manages to get them both outside, where the girl shoots a gas tank and blows them both sky high.
The scientist also figures out how to defeat the parasite living within him, by using sound waves or something like that, which cause the critter to explode out of him, as seen in one of those posters above. He lives in the end, as does the girl, but is that the last we've seen of the parasites?
Um, actually, yes. Though the film was successful at the box office and a sequel was planned, the company that distributed the film, Embassy Pictures, went bankrupt, and it never happened.
You'd think as many sequels as Charles Band has churned out to his other films over the years that he would have re-secured the rights and done one anyway, if not two or three or four... but alas, it was not meant to be, I guess.
Parasite is a guilty pleasure defined. It's not that scary, some of the special effects are laughable, and the acting and script are a bit on the iffy side. But, more importantly, it's a lot of fun, and just entertaining enough to let all that slide. Besides, it does have its good points, which we'll get to in a minute. First, let's take a look at the cast, which is a very interesting one, to be sure.
Leading the charge is actor Robert Glaudini, as the scientist, Dr. Paul Dean. Though not your traditional Hollywood leading man by any definition, I actually like that about him. Rather than cast a pretty-boy type, as Hollywood is wont to do more often than not, Band actually cast someone who looks the part- I have no problem buying Glaudini as a scientist, and I do mean that as a compliment.
Glaudini would actually repeat the same sort of role in a far better movie only a year later, the excellent Wavelength, which reunited him with his Parasite co-star, Cherrie Currie, in much-more favorable character than she has here. It also has an excellent score by the legendary synth-rock pioneers Tangerine Dream, and is reportedly based on true events. It's well-worth a look.
Glaudini's other notable credits include: Lady Liberty, Angel City, Chameleon, The Alchemist (also from Band and writer Adler), the amusingly-titled Grunt! The Wrestling Movie, the classic Mississippi Burning, the amusing slasher-comedy flick Cutting Class (featuring a young Brad Pitt), the somewhat-underrated Bugsy and The Princess Diaries.
His gorgeous daughter Lola is also an actress, and he had a recurring role playing- what else?- her father on TV's NYPD Blue. You might know Lola better from her prominent turns on HBO's The Sopranos or on TV's Criminal Minds, Persons Unknown and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She's also cropped up in lots of other shows, notably Boomtown, Monk, Las Vegas, Crossing Jordan, ER, Blue Bloods, Castle, Revenge, The Expanse and, of course, several episodes within the never-ending Law & Order franchise.
Glaudini's leading lady here is none other than then-future star Demi Moore, in her first starring role, after her debut in the film Choices. Though she admittedly doesn't get much of an acting showcase here, there are hints of the tough lady she would later become in films like G.I. Jane.
Of course, Demi was one of the infamous "Brat Pack" of the 80's, hitting it big with the young adult dramas St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night, and in 1990, Ghost, which made her a huge star, landing her several awards nominations for the first time- but not the last.
Though known for her high-profile relationships/marriages with Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher, she actually met her first husband on the set of this film, co-star and rock singer Freddy Moore (that's him with the bandanna in the cast picture above)- not the only rocker in the film, as we shall see.
As the head baddie of the gang of local toughs, Ricus, there's Luca Bercovici, a third-generation member of the entertainment industry. He began as a dialogue director on the classic TV miniseries Shogun, before switching gears into acting shortly thereafter. Parasite was his feature film debut, after some TV work early on.
Other notable roles include: Frightmare, Space Raiders, American Flyers, Clean & Sober, Mortal Passions, Rockula (which he also co-wrote and directed), Pacific Heights, K2, Sunset Heat, Scanner Cop, Drop Zone, The Big Squeeze, Burning Down the House and Night Train.
However, he's best-known to horror fans for writing and directing the classic Creature Feature, Ghoulies, the highest-grossing independent film of 1985, which spawned an ongoing franchise, four in all to date. Like this film, it was produced by Charles Band.
Co-starring as Ricus' girlfriend, Dana, is none other than legendary rocker Cherrie Currie, of the all-girl rock band The Runaways, which also gave us Joan Jett and Lita Ford. I don't know if they were technically the first all-girl rock band, but they were certainly one of the first to achieve international success on the world stage, especially in Japan, where they were hugely influential. Currie, the lead singer, was merely 15 when she joined the group.
She went solo in the late 70's, later recording two albums with her twin sister, Marie, in the early 80's. Around the same time, she made her motion picture debut in the cult classic Foxes, alongside a young Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. Roles in movies like Twilight Zone: The Movie, Wavelength, The Rosebud Beach Hotel (also featuring her sister, with whom she recorded several songs for the soundtrack), Rich Girl and Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft followed.
Currie later told her story both in the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways and the biopic The Runaways, in which Dakota Fanning played her, alongside Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett. Nowadays she bides her time as a "chainsaw artist," a role in which she has received much acclaim, winning several awards for her efforts.
As the ill-fated proprietor of the hotel in which Dr. Dean stays is another legend, Vivian Blaine, billed here as "Miss" Elizabeth Daley. Blaine was a huge Broadway star, best-known for her turn in the classic Guys & Dolls, a role which she reprised in the film version. Other notable roles include State Fair, Nob Hill, Doll Face, Skirts Ahoy!, Public Pigeon #1 and the cult horror flick The Dark.
80's film fans probably also recognize familiar face Tom Villard, as Zeke, the member of the Ricus' gang that first gets infected by the parasite. Villard was all over 80's and early 90's TV, including guest roles on CHiPS, Taxi, The A-Team, Who's the Boss?, Hunter, The Golden Girls, Baywatch, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and a leading turn in the sitcom We Got it Made.
However, he's probably best-known for his comedic roles in films like Grease 2, High School USA, Weekend Warriors, Surf II, One Crazy Summer (also with Demi Moore- see pic), The Trouble with Dick, Shakes the Clown and In the Army Now.
He also has a great role in the underrated cult horror classic Popcorn and crops up in such diverse films as the action flick Force: Five, the Clint Eastwood dramatic-vehicle Heartbreak Ridge, Ken Russell's Whore and the tear-jerker My Girl.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention cult star favorite Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, in the somewhat thankless role as the girl who is tied up and seemingly "raped" by two guys, when Dr. Paul comes to the rescue- only to find out she's apparently into that sort of thing. Yikes! Try featuring a role like that in today's climate and see where it gets you.
As a result, Smith spends almost the entirety of her role half-naked, running around screaming, topless. Of course, those familiar with her career will know it's just business as usual for the oft-naked actress, who, not unlike Villard, had a decidedly quirky career.
Her movies ran the gamut from comedy (Up in Smoke, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid) to exploitation (The Swinging Cheerleaders, The Pom Pom Girls, Revenge of the Cheerleaders- she was the "Queen" of the cheerleader flick), to action (Caged Heat, Vice Squad) to sci-fi/horror (Lemora, Massacre at Central High, The Incredible Melting Man, Laserblast). She even did an X-rated version of Cinderella!
Parasite is admittedly pretty goofy at times- I love that scene in which it drops from the ceiling at one of its victims. Key word being "dropped." As in, it looks like someone just off camera literally dropped it into frame. They could have at least put a little "umph" into it! But I guess they had to frame it just right for the 3-D thing.
Regardless, the film has its moments, most of them gore-related. The creature effects, from FX wizard Stan Winston, among others, are pretty great, and the monster's effects on its prey are suitably gruesome- when they work. For instance, I didn't soon forget seeing Cherrie Currie with a big old bite on her leg from the pages of Fangoria long before I saw the film.
On the other hand, the way people look after the parasite is done with them is sort of comical, like something out of Meet the Feebles rather than a normal movie. They look very mask-like and fake, and it's admittedly pretty laughable. Take a look for yourself...
But more often than not, the film works, and is a lot of fun for the most part. I dig the creature, it's genuinely creepy-looking, and the cast is pretty enjoyable, even if the acting is a bit iffy, though that may have more to do with the script, given that many of them have done better work elsewhere. The two leads aren't bad, though.
That said, the premise is cool- I just wish they'd done more with the futuristic element. Sure, you've got the ray gun and the laser thingee, which leads to some cool stuff, which must have been neat in 3-D, like this:
But overall, the future setting seems like a bit of an afterthought. A lot could be done with the whole premise of the haves going after the have-nots via a deadly parasite, but the film doesn't really push it far enough. I imagine that would have been the crux of the sequel, but obviously we never got there.
To that end, this may be the rare film I'd actually welcome a remake of, with a better script and updated special effects and 3-D. If this was done in a more ambitious way, with a more elaborate plot-line, it could really be something special. As it stands, it's a good time-waster, nothing more.
But, you could do a lot worse, that's for sure, so I still say check it out!
Parasite is readily available on DVD and for rental at Amazon. Unfortunately, director Charles Band no longer holds the rights to the film, which is probably why, unlike Metalstorm, it hasn't been released on Blu-Ray in the original 3-D like that film. (Or why there hasn't been a sequel or remake, for that matter.) Maybe one day they'll sort it all out. If not, maybe we should get the parasite on it! 😈
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