Horror Movie Review: Xtro (1982)

I was so convinced that I had already written a review for Xtro that even with just 20 minutes left of the film, I was scouring the depths of GBHBL to find said elusive review. I was convinced because I have seen this film a fair few times, and that normally means a review is written. Yet, that wasn’t the case here, and for good reason, Xtro is not particularly memorable, outside of some strong and gruesome effects.

So, the time has finally come, after watching it again, to write a review!

Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michel Parry, Iain Cassie, and Robert Smith, Xtro is a science fiction horror film based around aliens.

Philip Sayer plays Sam Phillips, a family man who we meet playing with his young son, Tony (Simon Nash) at a rural farm. In an instant, Sam is enveloped in a bright light and promptly disappears, seemingly abducted by aliens. Tony is distraught, especially as no one believes him and his mother, Rachel (Bernice Mary Stegers) ends up thinking that Sam ran off and abandoned them.

Cut to three years later, and now living in the city with Joe (Danny Brainin), his mother’s boyfriend and his French au pair Analise (Maryam d’Abo), Tony has remained steadfast about what he saw happened to his father. In fact, he is convinced that his father is coming back one day.

He’s not wrong, as Sam does return in a gory rebirth, so to speak, claiming to have no memory of the past few years, and wanting to reconnect to his family, in particular, Tony. Not that anyone could blame him, and it puts Rachel in a difficult position as old feelings surface, and she doesn’t want to get in the way of the father and son relationship. Except to do this, she is ignoring some significant red flags. The actor is great, but the character is written to be a bit of a moron.

Of course, we know that Sam isn’t ‘normal’, and that his intentions aren’t as pure as they first seem. Hold on though folks, because there’s a twist in the tale too. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make things any more compelling. Xtro is boring, never getting out of second gear, and never delivering much excitement. It also starts to really get weird, confusingly so, even though we do get some really cool visuals because of said weirdness. Something that ramps up even more in the final 20 minutes.

I can’t hate too much on Xtro’s oddness though as it at least makes it more unique. It’s just the shame everything around it is so ‘meh’. Uninteresting characters, iffy acting, a lacklustre story, drab locations, and an ending that does little to thrill. If it wasn’t for some of the remarkable effects, no one would even remember this film exists. I barely did… again.