An escaped alien prisoner lands on Earth, forcing the authorities to dispatch a relentless extraterrestrial hunter to retrieve him - leaving a violent trail through small-town America.
Directed by Fred Olen Ray and written by Paul Garson, Alienator feels very much like an '80s sci-fi actioner that simply arrived late. It opens with an exposition text crawl and a lengthy prologue before the main credits roll - a structure that immediately signals its era.
There are several recognisable genre faces. Jan-Michael Vincent, famous for the television series Airwolf, appears here late in his career. Unfortunately he looks - and often sounds - inebriated, which is a shame given the strong screen presence. Horror fans will also spot Joseph Pilato, remembered as Captain Rhodes in Day of the Dead, alongside cult favourite John Phillip Law of and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Teagan Clive cuts an imposing figure as the mechanical bounty hunter.
The plot carries echoes of Critters, more than Alien or The Terminator - a dangerous creature loose on Earth pursued by something even deadlier. Despite the small budget, the film has energy. Even though costumes look recycled, some of the practical effects, including creatures burrowing into victims' faces, are enjoyably tactile, while the action editing and optical effects are better handled than one might expect..
The pulsing electronic score by Chuck Cirino adds welcome drive, and cinematographer Gary Graver makes solid use of real locations rather than obvious studio sets.
Cheap, rough and unapologetically pulpy, Alienator survives on enthusiasm, practical effects and late-'80s B-movie charm but once they get to Earth it never matches the highs of its opening sequence.
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