Alien Factor 2: The Alien Rampage (USA, 2001) 75 min color DIR-SCR: Don Dohler. PROD: Joel Denning, Don Dohler, Doug Ulrich. MUSIC-DOP: Joel Denning. CAST: Donna Sherman, Patrick Bussin, Jonas Grey, Jaime Kalman, Shanono Bucci, Steven King, George Stover, Joe Ripple, Anne Frith.
Baltimore auteur’s Don Dohler’s return to the silver screen after a 12-year hiatus revisits his oft-used formula of aliens crashing in Maryland. This film was shot as Alien Rampage, but Fred Olen Ray retitled it for DVD release on his Retromedia label as Alien Factor 2: The Alien Rampage, perhaps as a ploy to encourage fans of his 1978 hit property. Alas, this film has no recurring characters, even though Dohler “regulars” George Stover, Anne Frith and Richard Ruxton make appearances. The principal characters are more youthful.
After a spaceship crashes in the countryside, a force field erupts around the area, which disintegrates anyone who touches it. Meanwhile, FBI agents shoot a female extraterrestrial whom they pursued after it had stolen some uranium to repair the ship. While wounded, the alien communicates telepathically that the cyborg will destroy anyone who dares to threaten the ship. The lizard-like cyborg is seen spending much time shooting up much of the local colour. This time, rednecks are gently spoofed, largely in the condescending dialogue of David and Lisa Tackett (Jonas Grey, Jaime Kalman), travelling yuppies who receive a rude response in a diner. It just so happens David is an ex-munitions man, who is recruited back into action to help the law enforcement battle the aliens.
Don Dohler had understandably taken a lengthy hiatus from filmmaking after the production debacle of Blood Massacre. Further, he lost his wife Pam to cancer in 1992. Since Dohler’s films were always family affairs, Pam’s support behind the scenes was invaluable. He became a newspaper editor, and remarried in 1996. On the side, he returned to his publishing roots with the magazine Movie Club from 1993 to 1997. In 1999, John Thonen published a lively and informative book on Dohler’s five films, B-Movie Horrors. Finally, Dohler had the filmmaking bug once again, and began the second phase of his career with a whimper instead of a bang.
While the movie is technically very impressive, efficiently shot and edited, with very good digital effects (love how the opening rips off the famous Imperial cruiser opening of the first Star Wars), it is perhaps the least essential of Dohler’s films. The characters all come off rather flat. I like the unique casting of a female sheriff (Donna Sherman) who is one of the boys, but truthfully these people are given little to do. The film is however significant for being the first time Don Dohler would work with actor Joe Ripple, a retired police officer, who is credited as “law enforcement consultant” in addition to his supporting role. Together they formed Timewarp Films, and would collaborate on science fiction-horror films until Dohler’s passing in 2006. Since Dohler was impressed by how Ripple worked with people, he gave him the opportunity to direct their subsequent films, while the more introspective Dohler would focus on the writing, producing and editing. (Ironically, Ripple hated horror films.)
Originally published in Vol. #1, Issue #22, “Cheap Horror Movies …and Why We Love Them”.
Greg Woods
Greg Woods has been a film enthusiast since his teens, and began his writing "career" at the same time- prolific in capsule reviews of everything he had watched, first on index cards, then those hardcover dollar store black journals, then an old Mac IIsi. He founded The Eclectic Screening Room in 2001, as a portal to share his film love with the world, and find some like-minded enthusiasts along the way. In addition to having worked in the film industry for over two decades, he has been a co-programmer of films at Trash Palace, and a programmer/co-founder of the Toronto Film Noir Syndicate. He has also written for Broken Pencil, CU-Confidential, Micro-Film, and is currently working on his first novel. His secret desire is for someone to interview him for a podcast or a DVD extra.