The Strangeness (1985)
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Source: JustWatch
The creature was designed to resemble a fusion of male and female genitalia.
The plot concerns a survey team entering the abandoned Golden Spike Mine, getting sealed in by a cave-in, and discovering that something lives in the deeper tunnels.
The something is a stop-motion creature built and animated by Mark Sawicki, who plays the writer in the film narrating his story into a tape recorder. Sawicki went on to a long career in visual effects.
THE STRANGENESS (1985) was shot in 1980 and sat unreleased for five years before appearing on VHS with no theatrical run.
The cave sets were built in a California garage. The budget was $25,000. The director, credited as David Michael Hillman, was a group of USC film students led by a woman named Melanie Anne Phillips, who was not yet publicly out as transgender.
She would transition in the early 1990s, go on to work with the International Foundation for Gender Education, and in 1994 found the first online transgender support site.
The title sequence was designed by Ernest Farino, who also did the titles for The Terminator and Night of the Creeps. The synthesiser score has been compared to John Carpenter.
The film is very dark, very slow, and very cheap, and has accumulated a devoted cult following among people who find all three of those qualities interesting rather than disqualifying.
Physical Media
Blu-rayCode RedUnited StatesRegion free2015UPC 738329253943
a member added 9/25/2026
DVDCode RedUnited StatesRegion 02009
a member added 9/25/2026
VHSUnited States1985
a member added 9/25/2026
About the Film
Where Most Nightmares End The Strangeness Begins.
- Directed By
- Melanie Anne Phillips
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Released
- January 1, 1985
- Country
- United States of America
- Starring
- Dan Lunham, Terri Berland, Mark Sawicki, Chris Huntley, Rolf Theison
More Credits
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery
- Language
- English, Spanish
- Origin
- US
- Studios
- Stellarwind, Trans World Entertainment
- Written By
- Melanie Anne Phillips, Chris Huntley
- Produced By
- Chris Huntley, Mark Sawicki, Melanie Anne Phillips
- Cinematography
- Stephen Greenfield, Kevin O'Brien
- Music
- Melanie Anne Phillips, Chris Huntley
- Also Starring
- Keith Hurt, Diane Borcyckowski, Robin Sortman, Arlene Buchmann
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RULES!
The only horror creature you tell to go f#*k itself and it actually could! Fun flick- spends most of its time off the rails.
It’s a pretty cool film considering the low budget. Is it the first or last creature in cave type of film we’ll ever see? No, but the creature was at least unique. For what it is it’s a fun watch. There’s certainly worse out there.
The Strangeness i think for a small budget in a back yard is one of the best. Even the beginning credits are good with the music. The melting people, the guy getting sucked in by the head while still screaming.
The Strangeness is a terribly slow movie with an interesting monster. It would make a good double bill with The Boogans, which would be the better movie in this subterranean series of two movies.
I love The Strangeness!
I’ll admit it; I really like this film!
Well they managed the female genitalia brilliantly but there’s the male?
I’ve seen the title on Tubi, but haven’t clicked yet.