Charles Bigelow's ex-wife, Margaret Newman, sets off to her rural home town, Centerville, for her mother's funeral leaving her daughter with Charles till her return. However, weeks go by with no news so Charles searches for her though surprisingly, nobody knows about her or any of her relatives. He instead is greeted by strange behaviours and goings on which are revealed to be the work of aliens. After contacting the FBI, who don't believe him, he tells his story to a tabloid; and suddenly, finds himself being chased by the aliens. Strange Invaders is yet another in the vast array of cult classics to come out of the 1980s that is unironically very entertaining. One of the most interesting aspects of this flick is its inspiration and clear homage to 50's sci-fi movies. You know the ones where a spaceship lands in a small town and monstrous creatures set forth to cause havoc. It is very reminiscent of one of these formulas much like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) where the aliens take our places, living among us, not knowing who to trust. Well this particular formula of an invasion where the aliens hide among us is brought back once again but a few new implements and ideas thrown in. The film opens with a truly beautiful spacecraft looming over head of a 1950s town that sends out smaller crafts resembling an iconic U.F.O. flying saucer design which begins unloading beings from another world. In a flash of blue lights, the townsfolk all suddenly vanish before cutting to a now modern-day 1983, which initially took me by surprise as I thought it would be fully set in the 50s. That is however partially the case, whilst the remainder of the film is solely modern-day, they do manage to retain a piece of the 50s setting with the town, Centerville that is almost frozen in time. The cars, the outfits, the technology and the buildings all belong in the past and yet remain the same even after 25 years, which was so cool, especially with the air of mystery with deserted streets and peculiar reactions from inhabitants. Exploring this anachronistic anomaly is our lead protagonist, Charles Bigelow, a university professor who stumbles upon this hidden occupation that he is forced to combat when they frequently attack and hunt him. With no one believing him, his search for answers leads him to a tabloid magazine holding an image of the same alien he saw. He informs the journalist, Betty Walker, about what happened in the town but to his dismay she is equally in disbelief not thinking the story she wrote with the image was real either. Things dramatically shift when the aliens equally begin stalking her in their efforts to find Charles. The pair team up to fight the creatures and come to the truth, exposing them and finding out what has happened to those who disappeared. However, Charles soon finds out that he has an unknown connection to these beings in their hunt for his daughter, Elizabeth. I really liked the relationship and growth built up between Charles and Betty as they become unlikely allies in a fight no one else knows is being fought. The aliens themselves are fascinating and have an impeccable design. The effects utilised when they unmask themselves from their masquerading human forms are simply phenomenal and remind me very much of V (TV Mini Series 1983) with the same effect. All the other effects from their laser-like firepower to their compressing people into glowing blue balls were simply a brilliant display of the magic of practical and digital effects of the time that I have come to adore. Plus the compression of people held some truly horrifying imagery that was serious nightmare fuel. I found their reasoning for fighting back after thinking the tabloid 'unmasking them' to the world was being taken seriously was a creative idea that was so intriguing to explore. Overall, Strange Invaders is a thrilling adventure that, whilst not holding such a big budget aesthetic, it still manages to be grand in other ways. It manages to pay homage to the sci-fi genre of the 50's whilst ultimately becoming its own thing taking on a new form that is still just as entertaining. I had a lot of fun and was constantly left in a state of intrigue. It may not be a flawless film but it is a cult classic gem to explore.
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