Not of This Earth

In comparison with Jim Wynorski’s other films, this homage to Roger Corman’s early career doesn’t have as much of an effect on the viewer and is entertaining primarily due to the circumstances of its creation. Not of This Earth is a direct remake of Corman’s trash classic, with Wynorski betting with his then-employer and filmmaking mentor that he could shoot the flick in twelve days. On the other hand, it probably could have been made in less time, since the only thing that mattered was that the infamous Traci Lords would appear in her first non-porn role. In this respect, the film does everything that viewers expected from it at the time, i.e. it shows the actress in the nude, which was a big deal, as her porn movies had been entirely taken out of circulation and destroyed when it was revealed that she was underage at the time of filming. However, Not of This Earth primarily shows off her acting strengths, where she visibly enjoys the role of paraphrasing and simultaneously mocking the passive heroines from old sci-fi trash flicks. In addition to that, Wynorski uses the extensive Corman archive, in the manner of his other masters, Alan Arkush and Joe Dante, and their recycled epic Hollywood Boulevard, to give the production the gloss of spectacular money-shots with special effects taken from older films. Like Corman's sci-fi trash of the 1950s, Wynorski’s nudity-enhanced update may quickly fade from memory, but it delivers sufficient immediate entertainment in the form of its ridiculous, far-fetched twists, overabundance of trashy elements, and the director’s emphasis on the most spectacular special effects - breasts. (07.03.2021)