Search - Prey on DVD

Slow-going at times, but worth a look

B-Movie Nightmares | Sparks, NV United States | 12/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The above description of the movie is a little misleading; by no means would I describe it as "gore-soaked" although there are a couple bloody scenes. Basically this is a British film from 1978 about an alien who lands on Earth and assumes human form. He stumbles upon a house occupied by a lesbian couple, who assume he is some kind of halfwit and let him stay awhile. I remember seeing this one on video under the title "Alien Prey," with the front cover being a big-time spoiler of the one gory scene in the movie! I rented the DVD, expecting a big gorefest, but instead got a reasonably good, occasionally slow movie with effectively weird moments.



This film was directed by Norman J. Warren, whose interview is also featured on the DVD. Apparently there is a Warren boxset in the works featuring four of his films: Prey, Inseminoid (Horror Planet), and two others. In the interview, Warren mentions previous softcore sex films that he's done; in fact, Prey features a fair amount of nudity and a really hot lesbian sex scene. The erotic tension underlying the relationship between the two lesbians and the alien guy is pretty well-communicated here: the "butch" is quite jealous of the alien's designs on her more feminine companion. The whole movie takes place in and around the women's secluded country home; as expected, it looks all to be shot on a shoestring budget but doesn't really suffer for it. It's well-photographed, with decent, understated performances from the actors and simple dialogue. Not a penny wasted here. And what an ending!



I'd recommend this film for anyone who likes low-budget sleaze and weirdness, especially you freaks who are into 70's softcore sex films. I was pleasantly surprised even though I expected something a little more "gore-soaked.""

Retelling of D.H. Lawrence's THE FOX.

Thomas M. Sipos | Santa Monica, CA | 03/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"British goremeister Norman J. Warren's THE PREY is actually a retelling of D.H. Lawrence's classic novelle, THE FOX.



Lawrence's THE FOX is about a young man who intrudes upon a lesbian couple's cozy world, creating a tense love triangle. There's also an actual fox, a metaphor for the man's entry into their world.



THE PREY has it all, including the fox. Only, in THE PREY, the young man happens to be an alien who occassionally kills (turns out he likes the taste of human flesh).



At the end, the film diverges from the book. Still, it's interesting seeing an old literary classic recast into a sci-fi gorefest."