Trailer Trash

It's time for more various oddball trailers from the far reaches of cinema obscurity. So, without any further ado, let's check out some "coming attractions"!

Dr. Alien (1989):

Ah, Empire Pictures. What's not to love about the infamous production company that gave us such 80's cult favorites as Ghoulies, Trancers, Re-Animator, TerrorVision and Psychos in Love? Well, here's one from Empire that I bet you probably missed; Dr. Alien. This goofy sci-fi teen comedy stars Billy Jacoby (Just One of the Guys, Parker Lewis Can't Lose) as Wesley, a nerdy student who becomes a sexual dynamo after being injected with a serum by his new smokin' hot teacher, Ms. Xenobia played by Judy Landers (Stewardess School, Armed and Dangerous), who just happens to be an alien. Sound ridiculous enough for ya yet? This nugget of pure late-80's video fun was directed by David DeCoteau, who got his start directing gay porn but would later helm such guilty pleasures as Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama and Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000. After its initial home video release on VHS and laserdisc in the early 90's, Dr. Alien did get an official DVD release in 1999, but unfortunately has since gone out of print.



Lady Terminator (1989)

Back in the early 90's hundreds of gullible folks looking to re-live the excitement of James Cameron's blockbuster Terminator decided to take a chance on a VHS tape that promised the same brand of explosive action, only this time with a sexy female doing the terminating. Unfortunately, what they actually got was this despicably bad Indonesian schlock-fest, directed by H. Tjut Djalil (Mystics in Bali, Dangerous Seductress) and starring Barbara Anne Constable as the titular Lady Terminator (who hasn't acted before or since this embarrassing starring role). As you may have guessed by now, Lady Terminator has absolutely nothing to do with the popular Arnold Schwarzenegger film it shares its namesake with (the original Indonesian title roughly translates to The Revenge of the South Seas Queen), but that didn't stop Shooting Star Video from marketing the US VHS release as being somehow related. In 2004 Mondo Macabro continued the exploitation by releasing this dirty little piece of trickery on DVD.




Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave (1978):

If you thought Lady Terminator was a cheap, exploitative cash-grab, you obviously haven't seen 1978's Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave. After legendary martial arts star Bruce Lee's untimely death in 1973 several companies tried to cash in by releasing movies starring look-a-like actors with stage names like Bruce Lei or Bruce Le. However, one of the most remembered entries in the Bruceploitation genre by American audiences is Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave, released on VHS by Media Home Entertainment in 1982. This cheap Hong Kong thriller was originally released as America Bangmungaeg in 1976 on its home turf, but when brought to The States, a brief scene of lightning striking the grave of Bruce Lee causing a Lee look-a-like to jump out of the ground was added to the beginning of the film and the title was changed. However, despite these changes, the movie itself has absolutely nothing to do with Bruce Lee and even worse, is painfully boring. Nevertheless, several kung fu fans over the years have been duped into renting this stinker hoping for some genuine Bruce Lee action. No such luck, I'm afraid.



Alright, that's all for now. Look for future installments of Trailer Trash in the upcoming weeks.

If you have any suggestions for a ridiculous, cool, absurd, perplexing or just generally Junk Food-y trailers, send 'em my way.