BAD CHANNELS (1992)

3 stars

88 Films. Limited Edition Blu Ray. 13th October

Another silly sci fi from Charles Band and his Full Moon incarnation. A new radio station is drawing power and causes a sub station to go on the fritz. Willis (Robert Factor) goes to investigate and finds a strange gnarled green tentacle…

Cut to the aforementioned station – the owner has discovered he can broadcast nationwide with his new powerful transmitter, despite being a tinpot outfit, on the 666 band no less (which is about the level of the humour here). Dangerous Dan O’Dare (Paul Hipp) has chained himself to his chair in the studio, and will keep playing a polka record until such time as one of the listeners guesses the combination for the padlock to release him – at which time they will switch to playing rock records (and give away a car).

Outside local reporter Lisa Cummings (played by Martha Quinn, one of the original video jockeys on MTV apparently), is broadcasting, when she spots something – lights in the sky – a possible UFO sighting. “A real story”, she declares excitedly.

Before long our DJ has been unlocked and an alien and it’s robot (complete with exposed brain) have broken into the station and are holding Dan and his engineer Corky (Michael Huddleston) captive.

With over the top, cheesy acting, poor script and cheapjack effects, one assumes this is meant as a spoof sf comedy rather than a serious outing, and as such there is some amusement be had as the alien covers everything in a weird fungus and captures local girls and shrinks them down into glass bottles. Directed by Ted Nicolaou, who has helmed loads of films for producer Charles Band, this has odd sequences, which play like music videos, intercut into the action, of various bands playing full songs! Girls dance in these sections and then get zapped into the bottles. Because… why not. After the end credits, and looking like it was sourced from a lower grade master, Tim Thomerson pops up as Dollman.

Steve Kirkham

EXTRAS

Audio Commentary by Director Ted Nicolaou and another by Film Journalists Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz

Interview with Director Ted Nicolaou (27 mins) plus an archival interview with the director

Archival Making Of Documentary (11 mins) and Original Videozone (11 mins)

Remastered Original Trailer