A 1980 science fiction/horror film produced by Charles Band prior to becoming one of the biggest names in B-movies with his studios Empire and Full Moon. Jim Davis plays Grant Williams, the patriarch of a family who moves into a strange house in the middle of the desert. The day they arrive sees a triple supernova, and the family soon finds themselves dealing with all manner of otherworldly weirdness.
It was featured in Season 12 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, see here for tropes of the episode.
This film features examples of:
- Artistic License – Gun Safety: When the home is under attack by evil aliens, Mr. Williams takes out his pistol to defend the family. He then proceeds to walk around with his finger on the trigger, while using the gun to gesture, pointing it directly at his family members several times in the process.
- Cool House: The family has recently built their own house - a hexagonal adobe dwelling in the middle of the desert with solar panels and "everything as modern as it gets." It's ultimately told more than shown, as we don't actually see any of the modern contraptions. In the end it doesn't even matter, as the house gets sent back to modern day Earth by the vortex after stranding the family...wherever they are at the end.
- Derelict Graveyard: Mr. Williams finds one on the other planet filled with both alien vehicles and a few earth airplanes.
- Gainax Ending: Not that the rest of the film makes any more sense, but yes. The time/space vortex takes the entire family... somewhere. Maybe the far future, maybe an alien planet, it's not clear. They are stranded there when the vortex sends their house away, but at last they're all reunited and presumably safe, and begin moving toward a sparkling, futuristic city on the horizon. The end.
- It's Probably Nothing: Eldritch green light coming from the kitchen for no discernible reason? Eh, must just be something wrong with the solar panels, we can take a look at it in the morning.
- It Was Here, I Swear!: The glowing green pyramid disappears by the time Jenny gets any adults to follow her. It had actually become about one inch tall, something no one noticed until the adults left again, at which point Jenny puts it in her pocket and never thinks to mention it to anyone again.
- Leave the Camera Running: The camera is left running as Jenny gets out of bed, goes to the bathroom, and gets back in bed again.Crow T. Robot: Look, I appreciate the cinéma vérité approach, but do we really have to wait here while she goes tinkle? What's the point? Why?
- Oh, Crap!: Mr. Williams had this expression when the floating machine stopped a round from his revolver in midair and disintegrated it.
- Random Events Plot: The script seems to be little more than the writers throwing in every random idea that pops into their heads, with very little attempt to connect any of it into something resembling sense. All we really know is that a trinary supernova is somehow causing temporal physics to screw up. (And even that is only implied, never actually confirmed.) The glowing green pyramid and the tiny alien that came out of it seem to be benevolent, but it's unknown if they came on purpose to help the family, or if it's just a coincidence that they're here. The "flying betamax recorder" robots and the alien monsters are malevolent, but it's unknown what they want or whether they came on purpose either. As for the UFOs, the Derelict Graveyard, the earthquakes, whatever caused the destruction in the living room before the family moved in, and just what the Hell is up with the ending... no one knows, probably not even the filmmakers.
- Sci-Fi Kitchen Sink: A time vortex, spaceships, and all manner of aliens are just thrown in there.
- Thirsty Desert: The film is set in the Southern California desert, far from any town or city.
- Time Crash: There's some kind of time/space travel shenanigans going on, but it never becomes clear just what they are.
- The Unreveal: A trinary supernova? Hmm. A shrinking pyramid? Hmm. A tiny green alien? Hmm... At the start, the movie can be rather engrossing, leaving you wondering in anticipation at how all these weird occurrences turn out to be connected. Don't get your hopes up.
