I legitimately enjoy Bill Rebane movies, I saw Monster a Go Go originally when the Somethng Weird DVD release, and yeah, it’s bad, but I found it enjoyable. I was introduced to Rebane’s work sometime as a teenager in the 90’s when a TV screening in the middle of the night showed up the Giant Spider Invasion starring the Skipper… I mean Alan Hale Jr.
This month Arrow Video decided to put together, a not quite, but still comprehensive set of Bill Bebane’s work titled Weird Wisconsin – The Bill Rebane Collection. This set collects 6 of Rebane’s works and complements them with a documentary called Who is Bill Rebane to create something that is truly a treat for cult cineastes. This also goes very well with their recent William Grefe Collection, plus the Severin Films Collections for Andy Milligan and Al Adamson.
The set is broken up into 3 double feature discs, and one documentary disc. The first disc includes the infamous Monster a Go Go and Invasion from Inner Earth. I’ll digress for a moment, and I’m ecstatic about this set, but it’s kind of funny how you get associated with the vibe of certain things. Over the last 20 years, every time I watch Monster a Go Go, I ALSO watch Psyched by the 4D Which, it’s psychedelic nonsense companion film on the Something Weird DVD, to go from Monster to Invasion from Inner Earth was a whole different tonal experience (obviously).
Monster… follows an astronaut who crash lands on Earth, and becomes a psychotic radiation dosed monster. This film was shot by Rebane in 1961, but he ran out of money, and it was shelved until H.G. Lewis needed a double feature for Moonshine Mountain and finished it up with footage that doesn’t really match up, and THUS a trashterpiece was made! Still I find it enjoyable, it’s 68 minutes long and thus not a huge commitment. The follow up on the disc is Invasion from Inner Earth where a bunch of college students get stranded in a cabin during an alien invasion. This one defines cheapie regional filmmaking, it mostly takes place in a cabin and is mostly talk with little action. I did enjoy it, but it’s the type of time waster I’d like in the middle of the night or on a lazy Saturday afternoon in the background to something else (a few of these fit that description actually).
The 2nd disc features the Alpah Incident and the Demons of Ludlow. I feel the Alpha Incident would have made a better double feature with Invasion… then again 2 mostly talky Sci-Fi films with all their good stuff in the back end might be too much to ask for most viewers. This one feels like the Crazies, meets Andromeda Strain, meets Night of the Living Dead, some people get infected by a Martian virus and have to stay in a train station, but get increasingly crazed as time goes on. The good bits are at the end, but there is some tense atmospherics at times. Still a whole lot of dragging going on. So for the Demons of Ludlow, it seems like Rebane got more of a budget and cup of coffee. This one about an antique killer piano in a New England town has a pulse, some goopy FX, and is pretty entertaining all the way through.
The final of the feature film discs contains the Game and Twister’s Revenge. The Game has 3 millionaire’s pay 9 people to go into a hotel and face their fears. It’s a solid film with decent atmospherics and chills, and is in the upper echelon of Rebane’s filmography. Twister’s Revenge is a HOOT, this film is about 3 criminals who want a monster truck with a computerized brain. Unfortunately, the truck is smarter then they are. Well, unfortunately, for them, fortunately for us. Bazookas, explosions, and other hijinks ensue! This is the must watch of the set. The whole box wraps up with a wonderful 2 hour in depth documentary called Who Is Bill Rebane? by David Cairns. The set is LOADED with extra interviews with everyone from Rebane himself to Kim Newman, additional Rebane shorts. Promo galleries, and a hardback book with liner notes by Stephen Thrower! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!