Perhaps the ideal fate for an obscure ‘80s genre film is to be rereleased as an upgraded 4K Blu-ray from a boutique label; a film’s troubled production and imperfect craft are ushered into an alternative canon of reclaimed genre cinema, and something resembling closure is afforded to a single thwarted vision. Thanks to Vinegar Syndrome, a curator of dubious cinematic wares, the blatant but earnest Alien rip-off Creature can now be enjoyed as a compromised attempt at sci-fi horror brimming with compelling choices that may replicate Ridley Scott’s formula, but that were made with an impressive intentionality. Creature knows why Alien works, which distinguishes it from the dismal crop of sci-fi slashers that followed in Alien’s wake.
The filmography of director William Malone may not feature any secret masterpieces, although anyone who directs an episode of Tales From the Crypt has their place in the C-tier of horror history canon. Beyond helming the internet-age slasher FearDotCom and sculpting the Michael Myers mask for the original Halloween, Creature is Malone’s strongest contribution to genre cinema.
