The Being (1983)

Director: Jackie Kong

Starring: Martin Landau, Bill Osco, Marianne Gordon, Jose Ferrer, Dorothy Malone, Ruth Buzzi, Murray Langston, Kinky Friedman, Johnny Dark

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The ultimate terror has taken form

Plot: Toxic waste dumping in a small Idaho town turns a young boy into horrible mutant monster. The town's police chief and a government scientist team up to stop the monster, which is quickly killing off the town's citizenry.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

#206 on Drive-In Delirium Volume 2 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

I can't believe this has an average score of 3/10 on IMDb. This was a really fun horror flick with a few laughs (intentional) and a strong cast of likable actors. The main guy, our hero Detective Mortimer (Bill Osco)), isn't terribly charismatic but I really liked the guy's performance. He hasn't done much movie/TV acting but he did well enough in this that I'm going to try his other flicks (3 of the 4 movies he's been in were written & directed by the director of this picture, Jackie Kong). Martin Landau's character has a nice change from being a an asshole scientist that spews rhetoric to one of the good guys. That was a neat surprise. You've also got some good creature effects that we get to see a good deal of. Overall, Kong crafted a pretty damn good horror flick (she also wrote it) that would be a total gas to see at a drive-in theater which is what I'm sure it's intended audience was. It just goes to show, don't always let IMDb scores and reviews keep you from a potential good time.