Laserblast
Happy go-lucky teen Billy Duncan discovers an otherworldly laser gun in the southern California desert, making him the target of a pair of aliens who had recently executed its previous owner.
Why it matters
An uneven cult classic that fuses sci-fi camp and desert-set body horror with wildly ambitious practical effects.
- Early work by Mike Cartel, whose offbeat vision gives this a scrappy, outsider-art vibe few late-’70s B-movies match.
- Features some impressively grotesque creature effects by stop-motion legend David Allen, culminating in a memorable alien showdown.
- The sunbaked Southern California desert setting adds an eerie, almost otherworldly atmosphere that predates ’80s desert horror staples.
- Notorious for clumsy acting and a meandering script, but that roughness is part of its charm for fans of so-bad-it’s-good sci-fi horror oddities.
Director
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
28
Slow Burn
17
Psychological
43
Supernatural
20
Creature
55
Disturbing
33
Fun Factor
50
Cerebral
0
Survival
50
AlienMutation
