Without Warning (1980)

Director: Greydon Clark

Starring: Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Tarah Nutter

Sandy and Greg are teenagers who go camping, despite warnings not to, with their friends. They soon encounter aliens, who are using the area as a hunting ground.

Are we alone in this big universe, or are there something else out there? According to ‘Without Warning’, we are not alone, and they are not friendly.

The film sees flying parasite-like critters that latches itself onto its victims. They are disgusting, squishy looking things and – as it turns out – are controlled by an alien, looking pretty much as aliens have always been portrayed in the media. This alien hunts humans and keeps them in a shack in the woods.

But I’m jumping the gun here; let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Four youngsters decide to go to a lake in the mountains. They are couple Tom and Beth, Beth’s best friend Sandy, and Tom’s friend Greg. As cliché would have it, a guy at a gas station warns them not to go up to the lake. Needless to say, the kids ignore his warning.

Greg and Sandy are the film’s main protagonists, although I must say I didn’t find Greg to be a very strong character. Sandy was a much stronger character and – for me – she carried the film. Jack Palance stars as the mysterious gas station guy, who gets actively involved in fighting back at the aliens. Martin Landau stars as Sarge, a war veteran who seemingly suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but I couldn’t really place this character. It wasn’t clear what his motives were, or what part he actually played in the film.

‘Without Warning’ is not a bad addition to the 80’s horror/alien portfolio. There’s action, good practical effects, some gore, and enough suspense for a genre movie. It might not be a great movie, but I found it very watchable, and underrated.

Would I watch it again? In time, possibly, yes.