TerrorVision
TerrorVision
R | 14 February 1986 (USA)
TerrorVision Trailers

Stanley Putterman installs a state-of-the-art satellite dish in his backyard, soon unleashing a strange monster that leaps off the screen and needs to feed on humans for survival.

Reviews
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
jadavix "TerrorVision" is an odd sci-fi/horror/comedy that seems to wear its "Poltergeist" influence on its sleeve. Either that or the filmmakers didn't care enough to hide the debt they owe to that movie.The plot is about an otherworldly monster that comes - where else? - through the TV. Its arrival is even noticed by a cute little blond kid, a boy this time (Heather O'Rourke, R.I.P.).The movie also doubles as a kind-of satire about middle class attitudes of the time as "Poltergeist" did, though that is barely noticeable. I liked the patriarch complaining about the punk/metal slacker his daughter brings home to meet the family, saying he looks ridiculous while putting metal chains around his neck to draw attention to his ample chest hair (they're preparing for a "'swingers' party", you see).I admit I will watch anything with Diane Franklin in it. She's barely recognizable this time around, so heavily punked up you wonder why her parents are so shocked at the sight of her boyfriend - his own parents would probably be more shocked to see her.I mentioned the movie was "odd" at the beginning of this review. I said that for a couple of reasons: one, despite the movie apparently being set in boring, staid 1980s suburbia, the house the characters live in looks like something out of "A Clockwork Orange". There are all kinds of weird art deco touches to the furnishing, like doors that belong on a submarine airlock. There's even semi-pornographic art work on the walls.The other weird thing about this movie is that all the blood in it is green. Not just the monster blood (paging R.L. Stine) - I mean the human blood. I couldn't work out why humans in this movie have green blood. Was that simply to avoid a stronger rating? Overall, it's an enjoyable movie for horror/b-movie fans which unsurprisingly died on a theatrical release. It's not "a truly wretched movie" (Janet Maslin) - if you're a fan of these types of movies, you know there are much worse out there. It's well enough made, well enough acted, funny at times, and has some cool gore effects.
Scott LeBrun Enjoyment of this ultra-cheesy sci-fi / horror / comedy depends on one's tolerance for complete and total silliness, shamelessly hammy performances, and an aggressively tacky visual approach. This is indeed utter garbage, but it may prove to be irresistible to some B movie fanatics. After all, everything about it just screams the 1980s. The special effects are very, very crude but very, very amusing, and there's absolutely no shortage of slime as this daft story plays out. It gets off to a good start with a catchy title tune performed by The Fibonaccis, then proceeds to descend into cartoonish lunacy.A great big gross creature - looking like a cross between a bulldog and a toad - is disposed of by aliens on a distant planet and is beamed down to Earth by the satellite dish of goof ball swinger Stanley Putterman (Gerrit Graham, who takes the overacting honours). The movie mostly deals with the reactions of Stanley's family and assorted others as the creature goes about its business of gobbling up everything in sight.Certainly this has got a fine B movie cast going for it. The always welcome cult icon Mary Woronov plays Stanley's wife Raquel, Chad Allen and the delightful, foxy Diane Franklin are their kids Sherman and Suzy, Jon Gries is dorky metal head O.D., Bert Remsen is the nutty Grampa who swears by lizard tails, Alejandro Rey and Randi Brooks are swinging couple Spiro and Cherry, Sonny Carl Davis is the hapless Norton, Ian Patrick Williams pops by briefly as police officer Nutky, and the ubiquitous Frank Welker does the voice of the monster.In addition to the aforementioned song, there's a decent score by Richard Band, impressive production design and set decoration, and lots of effects; the creature itself is the work of John Carl Buechler and his crew at MMI.Objectively speaking, it's not exactly a "good" movie, but it is fun, and may serve as a real blast from the past for people who just ate up stuff like this when it was new.Six out of 10.
wes-connors To begin this unpleasant horror satire, the planet Pluton disposes of a big ugly, mutated monster by blasting it into outer space. Unfortunately for Earthlings, it is directed to our planet and gets picked up by the TV satellite dish installed by gregarious Gerrit Graham (as Stanley Putterman). The alien monster lives in television airwaves and eats people. Others in the host family are: Mr. Graham's wife-swapping partner Diane Franklin (as Suzy), their punky teenage daughter Mary Woronov (as Raquel), cute blond pre-teen son Chad Allen (as Sherman) and lizard-loving old Bert Remsen (as Grampa)...Young Allen tries to tell the family there is a monster in the television, but everyone is too self-absorbed to believe him. The monster eventually appears more comfortable outside of television. Allen, Ms. Franklin and her heavily metallic boyfriend Jonathan "Jon" Gries (as O.D. Riley) try to make friends with the creature. A concerned alien from Pluton warns Earth the monster could eat everyone on the planet. Bosomy horror TV hostess Jennifer Richards (as Medusa) is called in to help. Alejandro Rey and Randi Brooks have fun poolside, as a "swinging" hot couple. Everyone tries hard and the sets are cool.***** TerrorVision (2/14/86) Ted Nicolaou ~ Diane Franklin, Chad Allen, Jon Gries, Gerrit Graham
FlashCallahan A civilisation on a distant planet has found a way to solve its garbage problem: turning it into energy and beaming it into outer space. A flaw in this system is found when the signal is accidentally picked up on Earth by the Putterman Family's home satellite dish. While this would ordinarily be just another mess, this particular transmission contains a hungry trash monster who quickly begins snacking on the Puttermans and their guests. Only young Sherman Putterman has any clue what is going on, but nobody will believe him. Is there any hope for the Earth.....Well one thing that is amazing about this film is the house, its amazing to look at and the film does spend ninety nine percent of the time in here, so you are literally awe inspired nearly every frame of the film, luckily taking you away from the clunky narrative and not very good story.It's more of a sitcom than a real sci fi horror, I could have seen this being made into a thirty minute comedy series around this time, and it would have been great, the two kids hiding the monster, and the creature eating a special guest star every week.The acting is over the top but intentional, and all in all its a hoot from beginning to end.