I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"TerrorVision" is an odd sci-fi/horror/comedy that seems to wear its "Poltergeist" influence on its sleeve. Either that or the filmmakers didn't care enough to hide the debt they owe to that movie.The plot is about an otherworldly monster that comes - where else? - through the TV. Its arrival is even noticed by a cute little blond kid, a boy this time (Heather O'Rourke, R.I.P.).The movie also doubles as a kind-of satire about middle class attitudes of the time as "Poltergeist" did, though that is barely noticeable. I liked the patriarch complaining about the punk/metal slacker his daughter brings home to meet the family, saying he looks ridiculous while putting metal chains around his neck to draw attention to his ample chest hair (they're preparing for a "'swingers' party", you see).I admit I will watch anything with Diane Franklin in it. She's barely recognizable this time around, so heavily punked up you wonder why her parents are so shocked at the sight of her boyfriend - his own parents would probably be more shocked to see her.I mentioned the movie was "odd" at the beginning of this review. I said that for a couple of reasons: one, despite the movie apparently being set in boring, staid 1980s suburbia, the house the characters live in looks like something out of "A Clockwork Orange". There are all kinds of weird art deco touches to the furnishing, like doors that belong on a submarine airlock. There's even semi-pornographic art work on the walls.The other weird thing about this movie is that all the blood in it is green. Not just the monster blood (paging R.L. Stine) - I mean the human blood. I couldn't work out why humans in this movie have green blood. Was that simply to avoid a stronger rating? Overall, it's an enjoyable movie for horror/b-movie fans which unsurprisingly died on a theatrical release. It's not "a truly wretched movie" (Janet Maslin) - if you're a fan of these types of movies, you know there are much worse out there. It's well enough made, well enough acted, funny at times, and has some cool gore effects.

While tinkering with his new satellite dish in the back yard, Stan Putterman receives a transmission from outer space that beams a ravenous mutated creature into his home. Later, as Stan and his wife Raquel entertain a pair of fellow swingers, their kids, Sherman and Suzy, try to tame the alien beast, which has started to eat members of the family, starting with their grandpa.Charles Band's Empire International Pictures churned out numerous low-budget B-movies in the '80s; some were atrocious (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Ghoulies, some of them were actually quite good (Trancers, Reanimator), and a few were just plain silly. TerrorVision definitely falls into the latter camp, being an offbeat sci-fi/horror/comedy full of bizarre situations, quirky characters, and crazy special effects, all served up with a garish aesthetic.The result is totally bonkers but quite a lot of fun, the entertainment factor helped immensely by a memorably daft monster (that liquefies and assimilates its victims) and suitably wacky performances from a game cast that includes statuesque cult B-movie favourite Mary Woronov, the lovely Diane Franklin (Amityville II, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), Gerrit "Beef from Phantom of the Paradise" Graham, and that blonde who sings Duke of Earl in The Man With Two Brains.

Enjoyment of this ultra-cheesy sci-fi / horror / comedy depends on one's tolerance for complete and total silliness, shamelessly hammy performances, and an aggressively tacky visual approach. This is indeed utter garbage, but it may prove to be irresistible to some B movie fanatics. After all, everything about it just screams the 1980s. The special effects are very, very crude but very, very amusing, and there's absolutely no shortage of slime as this daft story plays out. It gets off to a good start with a catchy title tune performed by The Fibonaccis, then proceeds to descend into cartoonish lunacy.A great big gross creature - looking like a cross between a bulldog and a toad - is disposed of by aliens on a distant planet and is beamed down to Earth by the satellite dish of goof ball swinger Stanley Putterman (Gerrit Graham, who takes the overacting honours). The movie mostly deals with the reactions of Stanley's family and assorted others as the creature goes about its business of gobbling up everything in sight.Certainly this has got a fine B movie cast going for it. The always welcome cult icon Mary Woronov plays Stanley's wife Raquel, Chad Allen and the delightful, foxy Diane Franklin are their kids Sherman and Suzy, Jon Gries is dorky metal head O.D., Bert Remsen is the nutty Grampa who swears by lizard tails, Alejandro Rey and Randi Brooks are swinging couple Spiro and Cherry, Sonny Carl Davis is the hapless Norton, Ian Patrick Williams pops by briefly as police officer Nutky, and the ubiquitous Frank Welker does the voice of the monster.In addition to the aforementioned song, there's a decent score by Richard Band, impressive production design and set decoration, and lots of effects; the creature itself is the work of John Carl Buechler and his crew at MMI.Objectively speaking, it's not exactly a "good" movie, but it is fun, and may serve as a real blast from the past for people who just ate up stuff like this when it was new.Six out of 10.

"TerrorVision" perfectly encapsulates every aspect of the 1980s into one film. You've got the old grandfather who thinks TV rots your brains and lives in a military bunker while waiting for a third world war. The young son is innocent and loves horror and sci-fi movies. The daughter is a new wave / punk hybrid with multi-colored hair that dates a head-banger named "OD." Their parents are still living in the 1970s and don't want to give up their swinging lifestyle.Top all that off with a big slimy monster that looks like a twisted version of Jabba the Hutt, an alien taken straight out of a 1950s sci-fi film, and a late-night TV host and you have all the ingredients for a film written and produced by B-movie king Charles Band. I would put it up there with fine examples of the decade like "Valley Girl" and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." It's definitely essential viewing for anyone reflecting on the era.