THEY-1974-This
crazy hodgepodge of a movie starts in the Wisconsin mountains where 4
scientists (?) hold up in a cabin with a woman named Sarah. They hear
strange news reports of a mysterious disease killing off humans. A
robotic sinister voice talks to them over their short wave and a
ominous red light appears. The (non) action is suddenly interrupted
by a late night talk show where 2 comical guests relate their UFO
encounters but the station's transmission goes haywire.
The main
characters talk, walk in the snow and try to figure out what's going
on. One of the group steals their plane but the red light blows it
up. Then some red smoke sort of terrorizes some patrons at a bar.
Another guy (who I think is the woman's brother) takes a snow mobile
for help but the red light makes him disappear. Then people run in
panic while the aforementioned red smoke (and some white and green
too) attacks them. A shaky “Plan 9” saucer appears briefly. The
three remaining people decide to hike back to civilization and while
camping one guy gives his theory that the invaders are Martians
dwelling inside the Earth. The trio gets lost in the snow and
there's a cut to a DJ who says he's the last person alive. Sarah
runs in slow-mo meets the last surviving guy, they turn into children and
become... well...um...the new Adam & Eve? I'm confused!
This used to
play on very late night TV as INVASION FROM INNER EARTH.
It's also the only movie I've ever seen that used the phrase: "Motherin' up a family"...
THEY was the first full feature movie directed by Bill Rebane, who based in Wisconsin went on to make many no budget projects (he was actually born in Latvia). Previously, Rebane had previously started something called TERROR AT HALFWAY but he never finished it. He wound up selling the footage to Herschel Gordon Lewis who turned it into MONSTER A GO-GO!
The last man on Earth and I say: Thanks for reading!
