Invasion of the Animal People

Poster tagline: MONSTERS WALK THE EARTH IN RAVISHING RAMPAGE OF CLAWING FURY!!! I've seen both versions, including the newer one, edited differently and with added scenes for American audiences, and I definitely recommend the older one, it has a more straightforward take on the subject, the newer version doesn't benefit from the added scenes, they dilute it and the introduction with John Carradine is completely unnecessary. Otherwise, good. I appreciate the fact that it was filmed on proper locations in northern Sweden, the actors are likeable and play well (especially the main female character won me over with her spontaneity), the music is of unusually high quality for a B-movie, the aliens and the monster look fine, the monster attack on the Laplander village, despite the rudimentary effects, is not lacking in impact, and the two scenes where the film looks like an instructional video about skiing in the Arctic Circle didn't spoil the experience. Only the ending is rather rushed and botched, as if the filmmakers suddenly ran out of budget. And an important notice: watch it only in a high-quality screen, as half the film takes place in the dark, at night, and in poorer picture conditions the characters and surroundings blur together. I attribute the unflattering reviews of some colleagues here to the longer American version, which is really not good. (2016.08.15)