Without Warning (1980 film)
Encyclopedia
Without Warning is a 1980 science fiction
horror film
starring Jack Palance
, Martin Landau
, Tarah Nutter, and Kevin Peter Hall
(Predator
), directed by Greydon Clark
. Special effects designer Greg Cannom
, who later got involved in the production Jurassic Park
, Hook
and Titanic
, had great success since doing this low budget film.
-like creatures which hit them and penetrate their skin with sharp-tipped tentacles.
Some time later, four young teenagers, Tom, Greg, Beth and Sandy, go on a hike in the same area, ignoring the warnings of Joe Taylor, a local truck stop owner (Jack Palance
). A group of cub scout
s is also in the area; their leader (Larry Storch
) is also killed by the alien creatures, while his cubs run into an unidentified humanoid and flee.
The youths begin their vacation at a lake, but after a few hours, Tom and Beth disappear. Sandy and Greg go looking for them, and discover their dead bodies in an abandoned shack. They flee in their van, being attacked by one of the creatures, which tries to get through the car's windshield
. After they have gotten rid of it, they come to the truck stop. Greg tries to get help from the locals, but they do not believe him, with the exception of Fred 'Sarge' Dobbs (Martin Landau
), who is a mentally ill veteran
. Meanwhile, Sandy encounters the strange humanoid and flees into the woods, where Joe Taylor finds her and returns her to Greg.
While they discuss the situation, the sheriff
arrives, but Sarge shoots him and begins to get more and more paranoid
. Greg and Sandy leave with Taylor, who has been attacked by the humanoid before and secretly keeps the flying jellyfish as trophies, and go searching for the shack. Once there, Taylor goes inside but finds nothing but the dead bodies of Tom, Beth and the cub scout leader. They discuss waiting for the creature when Taylor is attacked by another "jellyfish". The young people flee once again, leaving him behind as ordered. They stop a police car and enter it, but find it to be driven by Sarge, who abducts them, believing them to be alien
s. Greg plays along, telling the deranged man that an invasion force is on the way, thus distracting him enough to toss him aside, run away with Sandy and jump from a bridge.
They make it to a house where they find new clothing and try to relax. In the night, Sandy wakes up and goes looking for Greg, only to discover that he has been killed by the alien, who is still in the room. She flees to the basement and the creature is about to get her when Taylor arrives and saves her. On the way to the shack, he tells her about the creature: it is a tall extraterrestrial (Kevin Peter Hall
) who hunts humans for sport to keep as trophies, using the living creatures as living weapons against its prey.
They wait at the shack to ambush the hunter with dynamite
when Sarge shows up, almost spoiling their plan. He and Taylor fight, and Sandy is about to hit Sarge from behind when the alien arrives and kills Sarge. Taylor then shoots the creature, with little to no effect. Realizing the last chance of success, he lures it to the shack, which is then blown up by Sandy. She alone survives the horrible night.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
starring Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
, Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
, Tarah Nutter, and Kevin Peter Hall
Kevin Peter Hall
Kevin Peter Hall was an American actor known for his roles in Misfits of Science, Prophecy, Without Warning, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was also best known as the title character in the first two films in the Predator franchise.-Early life:Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
), directed by Greydon Clark
Greydon Clark
Greydon Clark is an American film writer, director, producer, and actor. His career spans several decades and genres, although the majority of his work has been low-budget productions in the action/horror genres...
. Special effects designer Greg Cannom
Greg Cannom
Greg Cannom is a Hollywood special makeup effects artist. Cannom has been nominated for nine Academy Awards and has won three times. He has also been nominated for seven Saturn Awards and received one.-Partial filmography:...
, who later got involved in the production Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
, Hook
Hook (film)
Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...
and Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, had great success since doing this low budget film.
Plot
A young man and his father go hunting in a mountain area with forests somewhere in the American Midwest. Before they get to hunt anything, which the son is not to eager to do anyway, both of them get killed by strange flying jellyfishJellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
-like creatures which hit them and penetrate their skin with sharp-tipped tentacles.
Some time later, four young teenagers, Tom, Greg, Beth and Sandy, go on a hike in the same area, ignoring the warnings of Joe Taylor, a local truck stop owner (Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
). A group of cub scout
Cub Scout
A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
s is also in the area; their leader (Larry Storch
Larry Storch
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
) is also killed by the alien creatures, while his cubs run into an unidentified humanoid and flee.
The youths begin their vacation at a lake, but after a few hours, Tom and Beth disappear. Sandy and Greg go looking for them, and discover their dead bodies in an abandoned shack. They flee in their van, being attacked by one of the creatures, which tries to get through the car's windshield
Windshield
The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike or tram is the front window. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are glued...
. After they have gotten rid of it, they come to the truck stop. Greg tries to get help from the locals, but they do not believe him, with the exception of Fred 'Sarge' Dobbs (Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
), who is a mentally ill veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
. Meanwhile, Sandy encounters the strange humanoid and flees into the woods, where Joe Taylor finds her and returns her to Greg.
While they discuss the situation, the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
arrives, but Sarge shoots him and begins to get more and more paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
. Greg and Sandy leave with Taylor, who has been attacked by the humanoid before and secretly keeps the flying jellyfish as trophies, and go searching for the shack. Once there, Taylor goes inside but finds nothing but the dead bodies of Tom, Beth and the cub scout leader. They discuss waiting for the creature when Taylor is attacked by another "jellyfish". The young people flee once again, leaving him behind as ordered. They stop a police car and enter it, but find it to be driven by Sarge, who abducts them, believing them to be alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s. Greg plays along, telling the deranged man that an invasion force is on the way, thus distracting him enough to toss him aside, run away with Sandy and jump from a bridge.
They make it to a house where they find new clothing and try to relax. In the night, Sandy wakes up and goes looking for Greg, only to discover that he has been killed by the alien, who is still in the room. She flees to the basement and the creature is about to get her when Taylor arrives and saves her. On the way to the shack, he tells her about the creature: it is a tall extraterrestrial (Kevin Peter Hall
Kevin Peter Hall
Kevin Peter Hall was an American actor known for his roles in Misfits of Science, Prophecy, Without Warning, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was also best known as the title character in the first two films in the Predator franchise.-Early life:Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
) who hunts humans for sport to keep as trophies, using the living creatures as living weapons against its prey.
They wait at the shack to ambush the hunter with dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
when Sarge shows up, almost spoiling their plan. He and Taylor fight, and Sandy is about to hit Sarge from behind when the alien arrives and kills Sarge. Taylor then shoots the creature, with little to no effect. Realizing the last chance of success, he lures it to the shack, which is then blown up by Sandy. She alone survives the horrible night.
Cast
- Sandy ... Tarah Nutter
- Greg ... Christopher S. Nelson
- Joe Taylor ... Jack PalanceJack PalanceJack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
- Fred 'Sarge' Dobbs ... Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
- Leo ... Neville BrandNeville BrandNeville Brand was an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Neville Brand was born in Illinois. He was born to Leo and Helen Brand as one of seven children. Leo, was an electrician and bridge building steel worker in Detroit, where Neville was raised...
- Dave ... Ralph MeekerRalph MeekerRalph Meeker was an American stage and film actor best-known for starring in the 1953 Broadway production of Picnic, and in the 1955 film noir cult classic Kiss Me Deadly.-Career:...
- Hunter ... Cameron MitchellCameron Mitchell (actor)Cameron Mitchell was an American film, television and Broadway actor with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City.-Early life and career:Born Cameron MacDowell Mitzel in...
- Randy ... Darby Hinton
- Tom ... David CarusoDavid CarusoDavid Stephen Caruso is an American film and television actor and producer, best known for his role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami. The role that gained him initial significant recognition was the role of Det...
- Beth ... Lynn Thell
- Aggie ... Sue Ane LangdonSue Ane LangdonSue Ane Langdon is a retired American actress.She began her performing career singing at Radio City Music Hall and acting in stage productions. In the mid-1960s she acted at Manhattan's Schubert Theatre in The Apple Tree musical, which starred a young Alan Alda...
- Cub Scout Leader ... Larry StorchLarry StorchLawrence Samuel "Larry" Storch is an American actor best known for his comic television roles, including voice-over work for top cartoon shows, including Mr...
- The Alien ... Kevin Peter HallKevin Peter HallKevin Peter Hall was an American actor known for his roles in Misfits of Science, Prophecy, Without Warning, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was also best known as the title character in the first two films in the Predator franchise.-Early life:Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
Release dates
- Australia: August 29, 1980
- USA: September 26, 1980
- France: November 26, 1980
- Finland: September 17, 1982
International titles
- Australia: Without Warning
- France: Terreur extraterrestre
- Germany: Das Geheimnis der fliegenden Teufel