A tribute to or pastiche of a 1950's space alien invasion flick shot in black and white on a low budget. It may have worked if it was more satirical but like some similar films of the 1950's it is pedestrian and talky. You can't tell when it is sending the genre up as is mostly unfunny, if it is a send-up. The acting is uninteresting and only Linnea Quigley puts any life into her role as Widow Ann. The music sounds like 'Mars Attacks' sometimes (1996) which may have been deliberate. A nice idea but a little boring. You might as well watch a proper 1950's alien invasion film.
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hwg1957-102-26570410 July 2021
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AlienRobotZombieOverlord29 January 2023This is an ultra-low budget film, but the plot is entertaining. It's partly a send-up of 1950s sci-fi films, and partly a tribute to them.
The script is very talky and full of exposition to cover the fact that there's little budget for special effects (although they do sprinkle a few lo-fi ones throughout), but that dialogue is very over-the-top. "Where are you going?" "I told you I'm with Roland now." "Roland? Ha! I squashed that peasant like a bug!"
The acting is... OK, it's not good. But it's good enough for what you're getting. Look, this is a "so bad it's good" kind of deal. But it embraces it. Don't get me wrong: It doesn't try to be wink-wink cheesy by sprinkling a bunch of knowingly stupid jokes in the mix. No, it just goes all-in with the 1950s mad-science-alien-invasion tropes, and sincerely does it's best with the cheap sets, cheap costumes, cheap acting, and cheap dialogue.
If that's your jam, this is a worthwhile diversion. -
They tried to replicate a 50s or 60s B-movie. Not much of an effort. Stale acting, predictable script.
But, if you like cheesy movies, thus will satisfy that urge to escape the Hollywood blockbusters and have a good laugh. -
Leofwine_draca15 December 2017THEY CAME FROM THE ETHER is an indie tribute to the science fiction B-movies of the 1950s. It's an alien invasion flick that has been made in black and white on a tiny budget, shot in and around a house and garden. Humans are visited by a bald goggle-wearing alien, but the budget is very low which means you get endless dialogue and exposition and little else. There's a typical Linnea Quigley cameo and a ray gun, but the only time this springs into action is at the lively climax.
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finnegan195924 November 2023My first thought when this movie ended was "Well that was an unusual movie!"
The movie is both a send up of, and a tribute to the kind of 1950's Sci-Fi movies that I loved watching as a kid. It made me want to find a good movie of this type and watch it. I think the makers of the movie also had a soft spot for those great old films.
Some of the actors were better than others. Some may have been less than great on purpose. Some may not even have been actors.
First of all I should say that Judith O'Dea seemed to do the best acting job in the movie but hers was a different sort of role than the rest.
I think Garland Gunn/Christopher Fisher, who played the lead character, John Henry, did a good job satirizing the kind of over serious portrayal that was usually seen in these kind of movies. I hope his career does well.
I enjoyed Rocio Cortez/Thrasher's portrayal of the usual good girl heroine part usually seen in 50's Sci-Fi. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like she's done much other work.
Along with Ms. Cortez/Thrasher I enjoyed Paul Gibson as Detective Washburn. He kept reminding me of "millionaire Bruce Wayne" I'd like to see him get cast in some quality movies. I enjoyed the comic seriousness of his and Ms. Cortez/Thrasher scenes together.
Finally, Brad Eugene Greer captured the arrogant dismissiveness of the "superior" aliens often seen in the 1950's. His portrayal also added to my enjoyment of the movie.
These actors did a great job working with what seemed like a pretty low budget.