The Terror Within - Could have done better

I'm quite partial to cheesy sci-fi B-movies.  I don't expect too much and am quite happy with a rubbery monster, chomping his way through a cast of unknowns.  To be fair, I got all that with 1989's 'The Terror Within,' but, just because it was cheesy, didn't really mean it was that good.

Earth has succumbed to some sort of plague (don't dwell on it too much - it's just an excuse for the remaining humans to live underground) and those who have survived now dwell in a bunker while mutated monsters (known as 'gargoyles' roam the land).

George Kennedy is about the only cast member you may have seen before.  And he leads the rag-tag bunch of survivors as they try and stay alive when one of the dastardly gargoyles finds its way down below.

The creature got in about a third of the way into the film and, up until that point, I was quite happily enjoying the story (despite its lack of originality).  However, no sooner did the monster make its appearance, did the film show itself for what it was - a shameless rip-off of 'Alien.'

Now, I've seen plenty of 'Alien' clones, none of which lived up to the 1979 classic, but many that were entertaining in their own way.  However, this one just comes across as a bit on the cheap side. 'Alien' was dark and claustrophobic with a truly memorable xenomorph that had never been seen before on screen.  The monster in 'The Terror Within' is truly laughable.  It's just a (fat?) man in a rubber costume.  It really isn't scary at all and is quite cringeworthy.

The characters are pretty one dimensional and make every classic horror movie mistake when dealing with something that's trying to kill them.  They split up often and run into dangerous situations without really thinking things through.

Overall, if you like cheap rip-offs of 'Alien,' then there are plenty out there that are better than this.  There isn't much in the way of gore, but if there was a 'high-point' it was the 'birthing' scene of the creature - it may be a complete rip-off of John Hurt's classic scene in 'Alien,' but at least it was suitably gory and even made me a bit squeamish.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights