Alien Terror | 1980 | Italy | Cirio Ippolito
Originally titled Alien 2: On Earth, this Italian splatter was purposely made to piggyback on the success of Ridley Scott’s Alien, similar to Contamination and Inseminoid at the same time. When a cave expert called Thelma has a terrible premonition about the recent return of a spacecraft, she nonetheless decides to go on her planned spelunking trip and descends deep into the Earth. The friends are soon besieged by alien creatures, able to mimic the appearance of others and hatch from pulsating blue rocks. Thelma and the remaining survivors try to reach the surface but what sort of world is waiting for them? With atmospheric cave locations way before The Descent got its claws into it and some gloriously effective practical effects, Alien Terror found its way into the centre of controversy for simply sharing a release with Lenzi’s Nightmare City, meaning that the title was netted by proxy when the authorities were pursuing the other Section 3 title.