The Being

Oscar Winners Martin Landau and José Ferrar in a monster movie with grand laughs?  Sign me up!

A very nude girl paints her toes in her bedroom.  It is night and she’s clueless as to what foul beast is lurking just outside her house.  It is a slug-like monster the size of a bear and, with lust on its mind; it is all about her tasty female flesh.  You can practically hear it lick its lips…if it had some.  And then it crashes through the bedroom window and lunges at the girl.  Cue the screaming. 

this Z-grade flick is jam-packed of shocking moments – including a twisted dream sequence that has one cast member flying around by broom – that are effectively weird and twisted.


Here, in Pottsville, Idaho, this is your evening entertainment.  Yes, as slime squishes its way through the tape deck in your car, this is the scene from the movie you are “watching” as you make-out with your date.  It’s a double whammy of a killing as people watch a monster attack a girl on the screen and then are yanked out of their own vehicle by a pissed off alien invader.

With composer Don Preston’s eerie use of strings and an unnerving beat, The Being gets started with magnetism straight from another world.  The opening shot is of Main Street, USA and there are people with protest signs gathered out front of a store’s window display.  Maybe they are announcing the end of the world.  Maybe it’s the contamination in the water.  More than likely, they are protesting the morals of the massage parlor opening up in the town.  All we know is that it is dusk and the radio announcer tells us that dark, dark storms are on the horizon. 

Start the voice-over because the shit is about to hit the fan, but first we have to get past the fact that we are in a small ass town where the local police department gets its rocks off by busting minorities caught fishing without a license.  And the teens drive fast and sneak their friends into the local drive-in via the trunk of their cars.  And it seems everyone is on drugs.

People are missing in this shit-hole of a town, including a little girl.  Pottsville will never be the same, we are told.  Suddenly, a teenager dashes out across a junkyard.  He is wearing a red baseball cap and, soon enough, he finds a working car and heads for the hills.  He thinks he’s escaped whatever is chasing him.  Until the roof of the car he stole is ripped open and he is attacked from above by icky, sticky hands.  His head is popped clean off and the car crashes into the side of a building.The Being

Just what the fuck is going on in this town?  Leave it to a police chief and a government scientist to get to the bottom of it.  In this town, they are doing good to be able to dream in black-and-white. 

The Being is about an angry alien cut loose in rural America.  It is also about one law officer’s quest to put an end to its night of terror.  Surprisingly, this Z-grade flick is jam-packed of shocking moments – including a twisted dream sequence that has one cast member flying around by broom – that are effectively weird and twisted.  One scene involves a train’s horn blasting and the hood of a car opening on its own as its mechanic looks at the train roaring by.  It’s downright spooky at times when you consider just how effective this dollar menu science fiction flick is.

Yes, people are disappearing in the town.  One by one, this alien is plucking them into its mouth and disintegrating them with its gelatinous goo.  Slime oozes everywhere in this flick.  It’s in beds and on car seats; it’s on pews in church and plays favorites with no one.  Not even babies are safe from this space age alien.  Starring Martin Landau, Marianne Gordon, Bill Osco, José Ferrer, Dorothy Malone, and Ruth Buzzi, the film kicks all kinds of loopy ass thanks to a pieced together script with plenty of episodes and a maniacal alien who knows only kill, kill, or be destroyed. 

Director Jackie Kong (Blood Diner) might have been low on funds, but she absolutely nails this science fiction horror show in this her debut flick.  The Being, crushed by the negative reviews when it was originally released, celebrates its arrival on HD thanks to Code Red’s new 2K scan of the original film elements.

Have car, alien will travel.  The Being takes you there.

5/5 beers

The Being

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Code Red
Available on Blu-ray
- June 15, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles
: None
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

A strange creature roams and kills people in the small town of Pottsville. Local cop, Detective Mortimer Lutz (Bill Osco) is on the case as the fiendish beast kills losers one by one in this classic 80s monster film! Academy Award® winners Martin Landau (Ed Wood, Strange Shadows in an Empty Room), Jose Ferrer (The Swarm, Dracula’s Dog, Blood Tide, Cyrano de Bergerac) and Dorothy Malone (Written on the Wind, Basic Instinct) co-star with comedian Kinky Friedman (Record City), Murray Langston (The Unknown Comic), Johnny Dark (Repossessed), Kent Perkins (Night Patrol), and 70s sex symbol Ruth Buzzi (Freaky Friday)! Written and Directed by Jackie Kong (Blood Diner, Night Patrol), The Being is back on blu-ray. Now see this monster classic from an HD master! 

Video:

Code Red’s NEW 2K scan of the original film elements is pretty solid, offering the best look of the film possible.  The 1080p transfer is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and the results, while not as sharp as you might be expecting, are certainly a plus.  The alien – seen mainly as it grabs people – and its effects are quiet strong.  The clothing and some of the furniture items are a reason to appreciate the visual “pop” throughout the high definition transfer, too.  Even the bare-bottom effects look better than remembered.  The image quality is the best you’re going to get with a film like this.  Colors are perfect. Blacks are solid. Skin tones are detailed and appropriate.  

Audio:

The HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix is adequate for the needs of the movie, separating the dialogue and the music nicely.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • We get two commentaries: one from director Jackie Wong and the other from actor Johnny Dark.  I will leave it to you to decide which one is better.

Special Features:

On top of the 2K scan, two commentaries, fans also get the original theatrical trailer.

  • 2017 2K Scan of the Original Vault Elements
  • Audio Commentary with Director Jackie Kong
  • Audio Commentary with Star Johnny Dark
  • Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 5/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4/5 stars


Film Details

The Being

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Jackie Kong
Writer:
Jackie Kong
Cast:
Martin Landau, Marianne Gordon, Bill Osco
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
The ultimate terror has taken form.
Memorable Movie Quote: "It's conceivable it can use a higher percentage of its brain- and at the same time, be completely psychotic."
Theatrical Distributor:
Best Film & Video
Official Site:
Release Date:
November 18, 1983
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 15, 2021.
Synopsis: A strange creature roams and kills people in the small town of Pottsville. Local cop, Detective Mortimer Lutz (Bill Osco) is on the case as the fiendish beast kills losers one by one in this classic 80s monster film!

Art

The Being