
This is one of those films you just have to see to believe. It’s horribly acted, the plot is ridiculous, the villains are giant lobsters, the special effects are terrible, and the dialogue is terrible…add all that up and it’s one fun movie to watch.

The literary term I’d like to connect to this one is BEL INCONNU. That’s a story motif often found in Fairy Tales when a character keeps his/her identity a secret until it suits the need of the drama to be reveled… like finding out Darth Vader is Luke’s dad.

In Teenagers from Outer Space, a film where the ‘teenagers’ all look like they’re in their 30s, the head alien (named Derek…I kid you not), runs away because, you know…he’s the sensitive alien and he doesn’t like that his buddy Thor disintegrates a dog upon their arrival. Never mind that they are there to breed monster for their food called the Gargons (big lobsters). Derek makes his way to a boarding house and immediately falls for an Earth Girl (I guess they really are easy). Thor is left behind to find Derek and he rampages through town with his ray gun turning everyone into the same exact skeleton (very special special effects).

Derek, of course, hides his identity from every one until the time comes for him to saver planet Earth, even though he finds out that he is the son of the head ruler back on his planet. Dad even leaves to fly all the way to Earth to bring him back. I won’t spoil the over-the-top ending for you, but it is a good example of a bel inconnu.

Just a fun trivia fact for you…the bad teenage alien Thor was played by the actor who also was the first to play Ronald McDonald!