Invaders From Mars (1986)

You never know what to expect when Hollywood goes in on a remake. 1986’s Invaders from Mars falls into that. It’s a remake of the 1953 movie of the same name. It’s got a great cast with Karen Black, Louis Fletcher and Timothy Bottoms, and it’s directed by a master of horror in Tobe Hooper. To top that off, it’s got effects and make-up by John Dykstra and Stan Winston. So, what happened? It might be a case of a movie that should not have been remade. The original is fine for its time but doesn’t feel like a story that can survive in the 80s. It revolves around a 12-year-old boy thinking he saw an alien spacecraft crash, but no one will believe him, especially as all of the adults start acting very strangely. In 1986, the original would have played on TV, be it cable or a local station, so there would be general familiarity with the movie, but was it enough familiarity for a remake? The box office certainly said no, since it didn’t make half its budget back. It’s caught in the trap of a lot of 80s sci-fi movies; it tries to be too many things at once and doesn’t succeed at any of them. Still, it runs just over 90 minutes, so it’s not a major time commitment. If you have the chance, watch the original and then this one and compare for yourself which one works and which one doesn’t.