"A" is for Alien Prey

OK, what this post, and subsequent posts with this theme, will be about is the "A-Z of Horror & Cult VHS Releases" as presented by myself. So the next post will be "B" is for... then "C" is for... and so forth until I reach "Z", then it will start back over with "A". What I'm doing with this is basically highlighting VHS titles that are either rare, essential, or just personal favorites of mine.

Alien Prey
Distributor: Comet Video
Catalog #: 2004
Case Type: Big box
VHS Released: 1984
Original Movie Released: 1978
Alternate Titles: Prey



Alien Prey, released in 1978, was UK horror/sci-fi director Norman J. Warren's fifth film. Warren began directing soft core films with Her Private Hell and Loving Feeling, both released in 1968, before moving to horror with Evil Heritage in 1976, followed by Terror in 1978. Most people seem to either love or hate the films of Norman J. Warren. I happen to love them. Yes, they're made on the cheap, but they have a certain charm all their own, much like the films of Andy Milligan. Of the handful of Warren's films that I've seen, Alien Prey is my favorite, and can certainly be appreciated by those who aren't necessarily a fan of the director. Warren does a great job of juggling many different elements from horror, sci-fi, and exploitation to genuine creepiness, brief but splattery gore, and effective tension.

 It was released on VHS in the US by Comet Video (a subsidiary of Continental Video) in 1984 in a "big box". And it's one of my favorite Comet boxes too, up there with Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Trilogy"; and like those boxes, its cover art features a juicy gory bit from the movie. It certainly attracted my attention back in the late '80s, when I first rented it from a local "mom & pop" video store. It's somewhat of a rare title now. It's certainly not impossible to find, but for an intact "big box" in decent shape, you're looking at $50.00 and upwards, depending on the condition. The Alien Prey VHS is one that falls in all 3 of the categories I mentioned above - rare (somewhat), essential (for cult movie fans), and a personal favorite (oh yeah).