Don’t be fooled by the VOD listing on Vimeo with the 2019 date.
This is vintage Polonia Brothers, from 2001. If you had any doubts about that, you need only note that one of the three leads is John Polonia, who died in 2009.
In fact, this is a fairly remarkable film for them because it stars both Mark and John as well as their long-time collaborator, fellow SOV filmmaker Jon McBride (who co-directed many of their films, including this one, appeared in both Feeders movies and Blood Red Planet, and provided the music for several of their films, including Splatter Beach). While the brothers played leading roles in their earlier films (although it was rare for both brothers to appear in the same film), within a year or two of Dweller they would reduce their roles to cameos. While Jon appears in many of their early films, he hasn’t worked with them since 2009 and offhand I just can‘t think of another film where all three appear in major roles.
A trio of bank robbers steal a hundred grand and flee into the forest to escape (It’s supposedly Oregon, but those who’ve seen a few of the Brothers’ films know that it is really Wellsboro, Pa.). Unfortunately, an invisible alien has crashed nearby and is stalking them.
And, far worse, the tensions between the three — and particularly those between the violent Jon and the idiot brother John — are already pulling them apart.
For those of you who took a quick trip out to concession stand for some more popcorn, the Polonia Brothers were the kings of Shot On Video, who became cult figures in the murky realm of beyond cheap, direct to VHS horror films with the release of the teen-aged brothers’ first commercial film, Splatter Farm. Since then they’ve made dozens of these films, most of them for less than what Johnny Depp has paid for a designer shirt. Their films have all the flaws you would expect from films made for next to nothing by an amateur (or barely professional) crew. So we do get a lot of minor glitches, like the background sound levels dropping abruptly during cuts or the color timing issues that leave everything looking just a little purple.
However, this is one of the best films the three ever made, and it looks quite good despite still having that raw, video film look of their early films (mind you, I always think there‘s something wrong when you watch one of the Brothers‘ films and the cinematography looks beautiful. You start wondering whether you stuck the right tape in the machine!). The story is solid, and rarely lags, even if we do get two subplots which really don‘t go anywhere. To be fair, one of them is reasonably well developed and is only let down by a anti-climactic resolution, while we know the second is only there because of the girl‘s notable cleavage and expect that she‘ll get killed off sooner or later.
It was just a little soon, that‘s all.
The squabbling between the three is a touch exaggerated, too, particularly as John never seems as much of a screw-up as everyone says and Jon is just too manic. But it’s no worse than what you’ll find a lot of films.
Even some of those not shot on video.
I expected this to have a more ironic or even comic tone, like a lot of their films, but Dweller is fairly serious. It also has some moderately impressive CGI space scenes featuring flying saucers transforming into big gun ships, although they looked very familiar. After all, Mark reused them in Revolt of the Empire of the Apes (although they didn‘t look quite as good in 2017). The final shots of the saucer over the forest look awfully familiar as well: I’m reasonably certain that bit of animation was borrowed from Feeders. The creature effects are appropriately limited, and mostly confined to video effects and blood. We do, however, get one glimpse of the creature and it is moderately memorable, even if slightly familiar.
But let’s face it, that’s hard to avoid with any movie monster.
Then there is the moment that might be there to get them an “R” rating, as Mark and Jon watch a porno film and we’re given a quick glimpse of it.
In fact, it’s almost too good for a Polonia Brothers’ film as part of the fun with any of theirs movies is to mock its flaws, whether silly costumes; long scenes with people walking through the woods, talking; or subplots that were just stuck in so Mark or John could get a cameo.
At any rate, for those of you who are fans of their films, this one is a must see. And for those of you who have never encountered them, this isn’t a bad film to start with as it is far less challenging than some of their more bizarre and slapdash efforts.
Although those of us who love Mark and John’s films watch them as much for their absurd and inexplicable moments as anything else.
rivets on the poster 
2 thoughts on “Dweller [Alien Dweller] (2001)”