Low Budget Sc-Fi

 

 (imdb)

SPAWN OF THE SLITHIS-1978-After some neighborhood dogs are killed, a mutated sea monster created by a nuclear leak at a petroleum company prowls around. Wayne Connors (Alan Blanchard), a high school teacher, investigates. Some of the victims are intentionally comical but I'm not so sure about the rest. The acting and direction are pretty bad. A police lieutenant (Hy Pike) acts like an insane Shakespearean actor. The monster (Win Condict) looks like an overgrown mutated Ninja Turtle. Connors, his wife (Judy Motulsky), Dr. John (Dennis Falt) and boat Capt. Chris (Mello Alexandria) (who's seen JAWS too many times) go after it. 

There are some gory deaths but too much talky scientific mumbo jumbo. Writer/director Stephen Traxler later produced DRACULA'S WIDOW (1988).

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Blair Witch Inspired

THE CHERNOBYL DIARIES-2012-Some American tourists in Russia try some "extreme tourism" by visiting an abandoned city near the infamous nuclear explosion area. Of course it's obvious they should'nt  go there so of course they do! They trust some stupid local named Uri to take them there even after the army forbids them entrance. Everything goes ok until Uri gets frightened and decides it's time to leave. The it starts: their van doesn't work when they want to leave, Yuri gets a gun and goes exploring, one guy (Pop singer Jesse McCarthey) goes with him and winds up getting gored in the leg, the van is attacked by dogs, then group flounders around in the dark trying to fix the wounded guy's leg. They find Yuri's remains and then are menaced by what turns out to be the escaped radiation scarred residents of the area. The direction is very good but the explanation and resolution of the BLAIR WITCH PROJECT inspired story are a letdown. Filmed in Serbia and Hungry. This was first (and so far only) film from director Brad Parker who before this was a digital artist on films like THE TIME MACHINE remake and an assistant director. One of the screenwriters Oren Peli wrote PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

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