I knew going in that this was a low budget horror so i did not expect too much. I was only watching it anyway for Maryam d'Abo anyway. And she did not disappoint. She looks an absoute goddess here. Engaging in, completely non essential to the plot, nudity. Brilliant. The acting was so so, especially the kid, the alien looked cheap and rubbery, the score hurt my ears at times. But it was not a mess. It worked. It was really gripping to the end and there were some genuinely disturbing moments. Alien rape scenes, a woman giving birth to a man, the father giving his son a love bite! Horrifiic.........Terrific!

Abducted by aliens, a family man returns home to the delight of his doting son, but his time in space seems to have changed him in this gloriously uncanny horror movie. Underwhelming at first, the film stands up slightly better upon revision when viewed as more of a mood piece than a narrative. Largely shot in the dead of night with imaginative creature effects and a sound design that creatively fuses music and sound effects, the film simply drips with atmosphere. There are also several unsettling moments that impressively do not rely on effects, lighting or music, such as lead actor Philip Sayer swallowing snake eggs (just one of the many strange things he does upon returning). Creepy as it may be, 'Xtro' does not exactly spin an airtight narrative and as the boy's toys randomly come to life and as he turns homicidal, one gets the distinct feeling that the project exists as mainly an excuse for director Harry Bromley Davenport to experiment and be as creative as he can when it comes to shocks and horror. That said, the film does play with some very tangible themes and issues - most notably, the void a parent leaves when away for a long time and the uncertainty of whether someone is still the same after being away for so long. Indeed, were it not for all the deaths, the whole film could be read as a manifestation of the boy's anxieties after being separated from his father.

This movie is as bad as it gets in 80s sci-fi horror, and that is exactly why I liked it. The acting is terrible, the story is bland, the characters are lame, and the special effects are cheesy. These are all what make this movie great. Because even though these points all shine through, its still a watchable movie. I was hooked as soon as I pushed play. Even my girlfriend laughed the whole way through, and she hates Sci-Fi, let alone 80s movies. The big redeeming quality though is the artistry. The alien in the beginning, the cacoon in the bathroom, etc. Just great.

Tony's father Sam, abducted by aliens three years earlier, returns to earth and seeks out his wife and son, but Rachel has since been living with Joe and the reunion is awkward. Joe does not trust Sam, and Rachel cannot quite decide what her feelings are for her two men. Sam is not the same as when he left, and he begins affecting Tony in frightening ways.This is one of the strangest films I have seen. And I have seen many strange films, wading as I do in horror, fantasy and cult flicks. This one is... well, hard to say. Definitely horror and definitely science fiction, but far too strange to be a straight narrative in either genre.One suspects the budget was zero, as nobody of note was involved in the picture. Bob Shaye produced for New Line, but this was before New Line had really gotten to be a big name. And yet, budget or not, we have some of the finest practical effects and creature designs you may ever see.