Day 26: The Being

   When one looks at the cover of The Being, they'll find awesome artwork of some sort of creature and a mutilated body. To me, it seems like some sort of cash in on the success of John Carpenter's remake of The Thing that was released just a year earlier. Even the title seems similar. But this film actually isn't about an alien at all. Rather a monster created from toxic waste. It's any thrash metal band's dream scenario!

   There really isn't much of a plot to explain here. A mutated creature is attacking local civilians and the police sheriff tries to track it down. That's it, folks! That's the whole plot. I think their is some sub plot involving the banning of pornographic magazines...maybe something about potatoes. I don't know. The simplicity is almost charming until you realize that they need to put something worth while in between these awesomely cheese infested creature attack scenes! Which the film makers ultimately fail to do.

     The special effects aren't half bad. The cover art actually shows a pretty accurate depiction of the creature, which is a rarity for this era. There are some decent kills to be seen here as well. The best of which is at the very beginning of the movie. The monster rips a mans head clean off his shoulders while he's driving. The effect is surprisingly well done for this grade of movie. I've seen some horrid decapitations in my day but this one gets a solid thumbs up from me.

      The Being works as a film to watch with your friends, who preferably listen to Nuclear Assault or Sacred Reich. You're going to need somebody to talk to in between kill scenes. Don't worry, you won't miss anything important. All you need to know is that there is a monster on the loose. Watch it for pure entertainment value, don't go into this expecting a sci fi horror gem.

   Body Count: 9
Side Note: In a scene that perhaps makes this the most considerate horror film of all time, the protagonists are frightened when they mistake the noise made by the rustling of a house cat for the creature (Perhaps a low key nod to Cat People. Using a cat for a false jump scare.) After exploring the factory they're in and deciding they need to leave, one of our brave protagonists declares that they should seek out and rescue the cat before fleeing! What a couple of swell guys!