This movie is so slow it could put a hyperactive gerbil on speed into a coma. It starts slowly, slow burns through the middle, and ends on a decidedly low key note. You could call it 'atmospheric', but I'd probably go for 'snoozefest..'. It's not terribly made, and it's not an embarrassing clunker that anyone involved should be ashamed of, but it just fails to excite or entertain on any level. If you're looking for some so-bad-it's-good oldskool sci-fi cheese then look elsewhere.OK I need 10 lines of text. How about that clumsy tag line, then:"In Alien no one could hear you scream. In the Shadowzone that's all you can hear"a more accurate tag line would be: "In the Shadowzone nothing much really happens, and then it just randomly ends"

The first thing you need to know about 'Shadowzone' is that it's a blatant rip-off of a dozen other films from the same sci-fi/horror genre. The first that comes to mind is 'Alien,' but there are elements of plenty others in there, too.It doesn't have much of a budget, which is a shame because there is a decent idea buried somewhere in it. What lets it down is that there isn't enough invested in the characters. Every one is a total stereotype and you know who'll be monster-fodder and who's going to make it from the word go.It's about an investigator who does to a top secret military base to investigate the death of a worker. Once there, he finds the scientists are dabbling in doorways to other dimensions (never a recipe for 'happily ever after'). Then, we have a monster who - remains relatively unseen - as it bumps them off, one by one.The acting isn't great, the special effects are stretched and what tension is pretty much directly lifted from Alien (check out the 'motion tracker' type scene which is almost totally taken from the scene in Alien where Ripley observes Dallas while he treks through the vents, plus the music which sounds almost identical).It's not the worst 'monster-munching' movie out there. There are some nice moments here and there, but the overall vibe of 'seen it all before' outweighs what little good is there.

"Shadowzone" was produced by Full Moon Entertainment, and it's one of their better movies. This one also proofs that the company was at its best during the late 80's/early 90's. In the late 90's and especially after 2000 they released nothing but bad, crappy movies, I'm very sorry to say (I grew up watching & enjoying Charles Band's old school stuff, so I know where I'm coming from). Like I said, "Shadowzone" is quite good and it certainly is not a mindless "The Thing" rip-off, as some people claim. Capt. Hickock is sent to a secret underground NASA-facility to investigate the sudden death of a test subject. NASA was doing dream-research and Hickock soon finds out that the experiments opened a portal to another dimension... and something found its way through. This is not an ordinary monster/creature-on-the-loose-in-an-underground-facility flick. Because the creature has the ability to alter its molecular structure and take the shape of your most deepest fears. The acting is pretty decent, especially Louise Fletcher (yes, the head-nurse from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest") and Dave Beecroft (who kinda looks like a younger version of Fred Ward). James Hong was also fun to see as Dr. Van Fleet, losing control over his experiments. The special effects were rather good (as is the case in any early Full Moon film) with a highlight being a bloody head-explosion (complete with popping veins and all). The climax near the end wasn't anything special, but the ending nevertheless was sorta satisfying. I'd say: If you haven't seen any Full Moon film yet, then you might as well start with this one.

I can First off say that I am a huge Full Moon Pictures Fan. There is not a Movie they make that I Don't love and want to watch over and over again. They did nothing more than Deliver another Masterpiece with "Shadow Zone". The Movie itself was very Good in all Categories. It was packed with Suspense and Very Delivering Scares. Sure, it wasn't the best Movie ever made from Full Moon (Puppet Master will always be the Greatest movie made), but probably up there in the Top Ten. I love this Movie and if you are a Full Moon Pictures or Horror Fan, you will too.It wasn't just the Killings themselves that made the movie. It was the Sense of Reality I Felt. I felt like I was In The Movie, being chased, etc. As far as the Musical Score Goes, Don't expect Much. Just put in this Move with a Good Attitude, If you say or think you'll hate it, You most likely will.My Final Rating: 10 out of 10 (**** out of ****)People who liked this Movie Might like: Puppet Master, Blood Dolls, Arcade, Seed people, Night of the Living Dead, Hell Asylum, Prison of the Dead, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on elm street, as well as other Titles from Full Moon Pictures.