Noémie Merlant

I enjoyed the 1977 version more than the remake. Maybe because I saw it when I was young, once again with my sister. Some consider the remake to be better, and I think maybe it could be. But there’s something in the 70s atmosphere and the B horror movie style that moves me more. And it’s easier to improve on something that already exists and the base is sound.

These monsters are evil cannibals. They have planet names and live in the desert. They search for fresh meat with binoculars. And when you enter their territory, you can’t escape them.

I remember several parts with a twist I found exhilarating. Revenge and self-defense! I enjoy it in horror movies when the killer also feels fear.

I found the women interesting in this film and I really liked that. There are some clichés, misogynist men and “whimpering” women, but they are the ones who find solutions for salvation, The saviors! I like the way tension builds up, and then the wait.. Up until the end you don’t know who will survive. The whole spattered with guts, blood, cult scenes like the idiot father who turns into a human torch and like an overcooked sausage, exhales his last breath.. somewhat grotesque. And the dog who thrashes a sadist to avenge and save his family!

The image is a bit trashy but I love it!  Zooms galore, a fidgety camera; wacky editing, grotesque special effects and costumes. It isn’t really scary, but that’s not really what I expected from the film. It’s the mood, the tension, the soundtrack that appealed to me: I could feel the desert and the thrill. The movie is both disgusting and delicious. And there’s Michael Berryman who is rather brilliant. An actor suffering from a genetic disease, the Christ-Siemens-Touraine syndrome, his difficult physique naturally inclined him to play monsters. I found him extraordinary.