About the Film
Despite the fact that we live in an era when technology has made even the most fantastical film special effects possible, sci-fi enthusiasts in particular, and film lovers in general, are still drawn to the wonderfully imaginative and original low-budget science fiction movies Hollywood produced in the 1950s – from “It Came from Outer Space” to “The Thing” to the vivid color sci-fi films such as “War of the Worlds,” “Invaders from Mars” and “The Blob.” Tapping into the collective anxiety of the nuclear arms race and the dawn of space exploration, these films were frightening in a primal way – like living nightmares – and didn’t rely on sophisticated effects to create drama and tension and fear.
Half a century later, despite great technological leaps in motion picture special effects, these films still maintain their ability to entertain and terrify us, precisely because their scares can’t be easily dismissed as merely cinematic trickery. With ALIEN TRESPASS, director/producer R.W. Goodwin (of “The X-Files” fame) pays homage to the films of that era, recreating the genuine scares, the sometimes unintentional humor and the disarming innocence that have made these films such compelling and timeless entertainments.
The original idea for ALIEN TRESPASS was born in the head of James Swift, the film’s co-story writer and producer, more than 20 years ago. His love for `50s sci-fi films resulted in a film treatment called “Invasion of the Spaceman.” Later, when he moved to Seattle, Washington, he hooked up with a friend, artist Steven Fisher, who helped flesh out the story and penned a first draft of the screenplay. “Steve and I did some brainstorming,” recalls Swift. “Then he started writing and I would edit, and that’s how the screenplay came to be written.”
During the process, both he and Fisher subsisted on a steady diet of `50s sci-fi movies to extract the essence of their characters and the plots. “Because there were so many terrific story possibilities, our biggest challenge was to keep the story simple and maintain the style and spirit of the movies to which we were paying homage,” according to Swift.
When he moved to Bellingham, Washington, Swift befriended Goodwin, who was quite taken with his sci-fi movie concept and even more enthused when he read the story outline. “Bob became infected by the idea and away we went,” laughs Swift. “I just loved the story,” recalls Goodwin. “It seemed like Jim and Steven had taken three of the classics of the genre, `War of the Worlds,’ `It Came from Outer Space’ and `The Day the Earth Stood Still’ and smushed them all together.”
Swift was committed to making ALIEN TRESPASS as a genuine tribute to the `50s matinee movies he Goodwin and Fisher had thrived on in their youth, incorporating some characteristic plot elements but with a fresh, unique, stand-alone story. “I loved the sci-fi and monster movies from that period,” says Swift. “It was my Saturday afternoon escape from my parents and family and boring `50s reality into the scary, fantastic world of imagination and possibility. Those movies were addictive for me and I loved taking a bus all over L.A. or riding my bike to see the latest fright-boiler double feature wherever it might be playing.”
Like Swift, Goodwin was not interested in making a spoof. Though, upon revisiting these films as an adult, he discovered that they remained scary, he realized that many were also inadvertently funny. “I mean, in `Invaders from Mars’ you can actually see the zippers on the monster costumes,” he laughs.
“Still, the one thing Jim and I agreed on is that we didn’t want to make a spoof or a parody or a cheap imitation because I knew that if we stayed true to the time and the period, it would naturally be funny. One reason is because the style of acting was so different from today. The actors played these roles from the heart. They were good actors, but this was a time before the influence of Brando became widespread and acting turned naturalistic. I knew if we worked hard and stuck to our guns it would be funny and fun.”
Though they did not meet until much later in life, Swift and Goodwin grew up near one another, attended the same school and were likely sitting an aisle or two away from each other watching these movies in the same movie house in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles. “Jim was probably in the audience watching those movies at the same time, only I didn’t know it,” says Goodwin. The twist that distinguishes ALIEN TRESPASS from other 1950s sci-fi films is the nature of the film’s hero. “We wanted our hero to be a woman, which was something that was definitely not done back then,” explains Fisher.
Goodwin worked with Swift and Fisher at streamlining the story and sharpening its focus. “Bob and I had mammoth fun dreaming up all the aliens and monsters that would inhabit the movie,” Fisher recalls. “This was my first experience in the movie business. I’d never even considered screenwriting until Jim offered me an opportunity to script a short film for him. I knew nothing about it, so I read several books on the subject and just plunged in. Unexpectedly, I discovered I was having tons more fun writing a script than I ever did painting on a canvas.”
A great time was had by all in devising the monster, the Ghota, which Goodwin describes as “a one-eyed slimy looking thing with tentacles. It looks like a 7-foot tall male organ with an eye in the middle. Again, it was accurate to the real movies from the period. It was real rubber, not CGI.”
Swift, however, was not happy with the residue that the monster left behind after he sucked the life out of his victims. “Originally, it was going to be a smoking pile of bones, which I found unsatisfying,” he recalls. “Then, at the last minute, we came up with the idea of mud puddles. What could be more accurate and yet original, or more fun to step in?”
Of all the characters he created, the Ghota was the one that most resonated with Fisher. “I thought about its anatomy, its behavior and abilities, its intelligence and history, even its hopes and dreams,” Fisher recalls. “I became so involved in the Ghota’s back story that it showed up in one of my nightmares and I actually woke up screaming. It was important to me that the Ghota make it through the movie alive, which very few `50s monsters ever do. I also wanted the mystery of its origins and its relationship to Urp to remain intact at the end of the film.”
Throughout, Fisher admits that the biggest temptation he had to avoid was commenting on the movies he loved and “being sucked into writing satire and comedy,” he laughs. “I wanted the characters to be real. They didn’t have to be too deep but they couldn’t be too goofy either or it would betray the genre. In the end, I have to give Bob and the cast the real credit for maintaining that delicate balance.”
“We wanted to make it real and yet subtly funny, and do both without anybody noticing,” he continues. “The humor had to arise easily and naturally so that it didn’t appear like we were pushing to create a retro sci-fi film. It needed to be energetic and somewhat scary, but it also needed to appeal to an audience that was born 30 years after these events are supposed to take place.”
Each of the film’s characters was chosen and filled out to represent a certain `50s archetype, Fisher notes, but he also wanted them to be “believably inhabited. So Jim and I came up with back stories for all of them. As I wrote the script, the characters began to take on their own lives and became just as committed to their reality and their peril as we are to ours.”
A Casting Wish List Will Come True
The filmmakers and Susan Edelman, the L.A. casting director on ALIEN TRESPASS, created a “wish list” for the lead roles in the film, explains Swift. At the top of the list was the classically trained Eric McCormack, best known to general audiences for his Emmy Award-winning turn on the landmark comedy series “Will & Grace.” He was the first and only choice for the double role of Ted Lewis and the space alien Urp, and he was able, eager and willing to sign on.
It was the freshness of the ALIEN TRESPASS script, particularly for a genre piece, that hooked McCormack right from the start. “There was something about this script that was innocent,” says McCormack. “It was funny but not arch. It’s definitely not a satire, but rather an homage to a different time when a scary movie was not about blood and guts but about monsters in ten dollar rubber suits. That’s what appealed to me – and the fact that I got to play two characters.”
Or make that two different people inside the same body. As the nerdy, science teacher Ted Lewis, McCormack seems to be channeling Fred MacMurray in “The Absent-Minded Professor.” But when Lewis’ body is taken over by the space alien, Urp, McCormack gets to change gears, dramatically speaking.
“I still look like me, but the alien has taken me over and is driving a car for the first time,” notes McCormack. “Here’s this sophisticated being who can drive a space ship but he doesn’t know how to drive a car or work the human body. There’s something awkward about him, a kind of `Rain Man’ quality. I call it my Dustin Hoffman moment,” he laughs.
McCormack also got a lot of mileage out of Urp’s fascination, and sometimes consternation, with the brave new world in which he has landed. “The funniest stuff in the movie is his reaction to things like seeing sugar and salt for the first time, but particularly women,” says McCormack. “He also doesn’t have any idea how humans dress or how they put outfits together. At one point, he has to change clothes and he emerges in a shirt and jacket combo no human should ever be allowed to wear.”
Perhaps Urp’s strangest realization is that strange sensation human beings call attraction, which he comes up against whenever he encounters certain members of the female sex, especially Tammy. “He’s confused because his body is having these reactions he doesn’t understand, until he comes to understand that it’s more than just physical attraction, that he’s having feelings as well, feelings of love and lust.”
Goodwin calls McCormack’s performance in ALIEN TRESPASS “deceptively difficult. When you look at it up on screen, it seems so natural how he plays a man who’s got this alien inside his body,” says Goodwin. “Eric is such a wonderful actor that he made it look effortless.”
The search for the crucial role of the film’s hero – in this case heroine – proved to be a lengthier process, recalls producer Swift. “Bob and I met with dozens of prospective actresses for the role of Tammy and, although there were good options, none of them completely bowled us over.”
Then, at the last minute, Australian actress Jenni Baird came in to read. “When she performed the `stand down’ speech to Dawson and the other characters, Bob and I got goose-bumps,” says Swift.
The moment she finished her audition, Goodwin says he turned to casting director Edelman and said, “She’s perfect. Book her.”
Baird was taken, not only with the subject matter, but for the acting approach she would use in creating the role of Tammy. “It’s rare to come across a true period film which requires a completely different acting style from your average job,” she says. “I watched many, many films from the period, and specifically the `50s sci-fi genre, to figure out what style would be appropriate to the film. I loved the chance to explore this acting challenge. Also, the script was such a lot of fun.”
While the style of the film was pure ’50s, the character Baird was asked to play, had a much more modern sensibility. “What makes Tammy different is the simple fact that she is a heroine and not a shrinking violet,” she mentions. “So I committed to her heroism even though she didn’t have the traditional female set of tasks. It was important, despite the acting style of the time, which was larger than it is today, to remain sincere and truthful in everything Tammy does, even down to spraying a monster with a vacuum cleaner full of salt. Otherwise, I stuck as closely as I could to the period style, regardless of gender. I watched ‘It Came from Outer Space’ many times and was influenced directly by the actors in that particular film.”
Baird’s many scenes with Eric McCormack were a pleasure, she says, because “Eric and I have a very similar work ethic. `Be prepared and then keep it light and fun.’ You preserve your energy and spirit that way. Eric captured the innocence of an alien in a new body with all the curiosity and wonder you can imagine.”
Their obvious on-screen chemistry went a long way in convincingly conveying the feelings of affection that eventually arise between Tammy and the alien, Urp. “Tammy is someone who dreams of `other worlds’ and her interest in outer space sets her apart from other women of her time. So it is completely conceivable she could love an alien,” says Baird.
She also commends her director with being “a gift to actors. Bob casts the actors he wants and that means that what you give him is what he wants. I know it sounds simple, but it doesn’t happen all the time. When you do your `thing,’ Bob takes delight in it, which only makes you feel more confident and comfortable – two vital things for a performer.”
Swift already knew Jody Thompson who, he says, was strong and persistent in trying to land the role of Lewis’ wife, Lana, an idealized, sexy `50s wife. “She was an absolutely great choice, amazing,” says Swift.
Goodwin was impressed by Thompson’s first audition, comparing her to glamorous actresses from the period like Ava Gardner. For her callback, Goodwin says he “put some scenes together on tape from three sci-fi movies from the period and when she came back, she was the perfect `50s wife.”
Thompson saw the project, which she refers to as “a B-movie as serious period piece,” as a unique acting opportunity. “Playing a 1950’s science-fiction heroine required an elevated realism, which was very different from anything I’d been asked to do before,” she says.
One of her influences in tackling the role, she says, was Barbara Rush’s work in “It Came from Outer Space,” for which the young actress won the Golden Globe Award as outstanding newcomer.
“Jody was a wonderful surprise,” says McCormack, who had the good fortune to play the husband Lana adores. “She is totally a `40s or `50s Hollywood screen siren.”
Thompson appreciates McCormack’s compliment, but claims she “didn’t attempt to play any of the sexuality. I was just a woman who truly loved her man and was proud of her successful `career’ as a housewife. The sensuality just emerged as I was working on Lana’s gestures and mannerisms, which I tried to keep as specific to the genre and the period as possible. And, the lingerie helped. I had two different corsets, silk stockings with seams up the back, the whole shebang, and they sure do make you walk and sit in a certain way.”
Another plus was her co-star, McCormack, whose amiability was a key ingredient in establishing their on-screen chemistry. “I could be wrong, but in my mind a good marriage starts with a good friendship – and it’s hard not to be friends with Eric. It is hard, however, not to laugh during the serious scenes, especially when he has been cracking jokes, doing impersonations and being his charming, super-funny self in between takes. Our on-camera relationship hopefully reflects all of the fun – the cast and the crew – had while shooting.”
Veteran actor Dan Lauria assumed the role of the gruff Chief Dawson simply because director Goodwin asked him. “Dan and I have been working together for a long time,” observes Goodwin, “since before the Civil War.”
“For Bob, I’d do anything, including hanging the lights,” says Lauria. “I’ve known him since he was young and we worked on (the 1980s TV series) `Hooperman’ together. I love working with Bob. He tells great jokes. The only problem is that he forgets he’s told them before and we have to fake laughing at them all over again.”
Lauria says he modeled the character of Dawson on one of his favorite character actors, Charles McGraw, and while the police chief seems to be oblivious to the mayhem that is building around him, Lauria has a different take on the character. “Dawson knows the town well and he sees it more like Mayberry than the big city. That’s why he’s caught by surprise when he finds out the alien invasion is real.”
Goodwin also reached back into his rich past to cast Vern, the movie’s bad guy, and the person he wanted from the start was Robert Patrick (best known as the villainous cyborg in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”) – and for good reason. “I did a comedy pilot with Robert and got to see a side of him that others haven’t seen. Again, he was our first choice. Lucky us.”
As with Lauria, Patrick says Goodwin had him at hello. “Bob is a great guy and I’ve always enjoyed working with him. I respect his opinions and here he had had an interesting premise for a movie, so I was more than willing to jump on board and help out in this endeavor.”
“Robert plays a kind of heavy he’s played before, but he’s never played it for laughs. I think it will be fun for audiences to see him do it,” says co-star McCormack. “I don’t want to spoil things but, like all bad guys, he dies, though he does so in a way I don’t even think he anticipated. Without giving too much away let’s just call it a reverse birth.”
Patrick took the role in his stride, he says, and like the other occasional comedies he’s appeared in, such as “Striptease” and “Balls of Fury,” he swears he made no attempt to be funny. Like all the other actors, he played officer Vern in dead earnest. “That being said,” he adds, “there was some pretty silly stuff I had to do in this movie, like wrestling a fake alien monster that was created in an effects shop. I was basically asked to strangle myself with it. But actors are frequently called on to do silly stuff they have to make believable. That’s part of the fun of being an actor. You get to pretend.”
That Mid-Century Look
The `50s retro ambience in ALIEN TRESPASS is an essential component of the filmmakers’ vision and Goodwin assembled a crew he was confident could overcome any time or financial limitations. He had previously worked with David Moxness, CSC (aka Moxy), the Canadian cinematographer who had recently won the American Society of Cinematographers Award for his work on the popular TV series “Smallville.” “And if a Canadian wins that (American) award, you know he’s got to be pretty good,” notes Goodwin.
Ian Thomas came aboard as production designer, “because he has wonderful taste and I knew that he and his set design crew would be able to get a lot up there on screen,” says Goodwin.
The task of creating and assembling the film’s costumes fell to Jenni Gullett, with whom Goodwin had collaborated frequently since they first worked together on “The XFiles.” Editing chores went to veteran cutter Michael Jablow, A.C.E. and his longtime collaborator Vaune Kirby. “Michael is responsible for editing some of the funniest comedy films ever, including `Throw Momma from the Train’ and such recent films as `The Game Plan’ (starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson),” Goodwin mentions.
ALIEN TRESPASS was shot mostly in and around Vancouver and the interior of British Columbia “because, as I learned on `X-Files’ you can make it look like almost any place,” says Goodwin. “It even has a desert (which came in handy for the exteriors that take place in California’s Mojave Desert where the alien spaceship lands).”
As with all his projects, Goodwin compiled copious materials to illustrate his vision to his cast and crew. “We clipped photos from `50s-era magazines and showed them photos of home interiors, costumes and hairstyles from the period,” he says, “so that everybody had a clear image in their mind of what we wanted to achieve.”
ALIEN TRESPASS is technically Goodwin’s first feature film directorial project, but the time and money constraints it presented were nothing new to him. After years in television, he did not feel in the least bit daunted with shooting a feature-length film in a very few weeks.
“Many years of directing TV shows has been a real crucible for me,” he explains. “With `X-Files,’ every episode was like a little movie shot in the cinematic style we insisted on for the show, and that’s what I drew on for ALIEN TRESPASS. Even though it was a short schedule, to me it was way more time than I had on `X-Files’ and I had great people supporting me, which is the only way you can stay on top of it all and get it done.”
Still, the attenuated production schedule for ALIEN TRESPASS involved many challenges, according to producer Swift. “I never imagined how incredibly complex, creative and labor intensive making a movie really is. Somehow, thanks to the top-flight crew, various problems were resolved, from figuring out how to craft a unique `50s movie monster that moved in a unique way, to building a realistic flying saucer.”
Mother Nature and human nature, also presented obstacles, says Swift. “There were numerous location and night shoots in which rain was always threatening. And there was the constant challenge of staying true to the story’s authentic `50s look. We even had a disgruntled business owner who tried to sabotage production but, fortunately, was caught at it red-handed by a smart local police officer.”
For fledgling screenwriter and movie novice Fisher, the experience of being on a movie set for the first time was a real eye-opener. “After being on the set for several days and witnessing the multitude of the cast and crew and the seeming chaos all around me because of the zillions of things that need to happen – or can go wrong – I was astonished that any movie gets made at all,” he remarks.
The production was also a great learning experience for Swift. Despite his lack of previous producing experience, Goodwin included him in every step of the process from pre-production, principal shooting through to post-production. “Jim and I were pretty much of a mind on what we wanted on this film,” Goodwin mentions. “We were on the same path on how it should be shot, edited and what the music should sound like. He may have had no previous TV or filmmaking experience, but his instincts were great.”
“It was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful to Bob and the cast and crew, without whom my original story idea would have stayed forever just an idea,” says Swift. The deep, saturated color in ALIEN TRESPASS is modeled after one of Goodwin’s favorite sci-fi movies, the original “War of the Worlds,” which he calls “sumptuously beautiful.” Early on, he and his cinematographer, Moxness, came to a decision about how to achieve that “glorious Technicolor” look that Goodwin wanted and in the most cost and time effective manner. “One early thought was to shoot high definition video,” explains Moxness. “I thought that would be wrong for the project. Our intent going in was that this was meant to be a sci-fi film from 1957 and, for that, shooting in HD would be the wrong aesthetic. It would leave the film without an inherent `texture.’ The goal was to stay true to the conventions of a `50s sci-fi the best we could. Shooting on film was very important in achieving this. Since 35 mm. would have been cost prohibitive, we settled on Super-16. We were lucky to obtain Arriflex 416 cameras, which were very versatile and allowed us to shoot easily and effectively.”
“Thanks to a new Super-16 film stock and the new Arriflex cameras, we were able to make the film look like a major production that had been shot in 35 mm,” says Goodwin.
“In our attempt to stay true to the convention of a `50s sci-fi movie, I tried to shoot the film with just three lenses,” adds Moxness. “I think it’s not necessarily something audiences will pick up on, but they will feel a sense of odd consistency; something will seem right, even though they can’t quite put their finger on it.”
One of the major attractions of ALIEN TRESPASS for production designer Ian Thomas was the time frame in which the story transpires. “Every production designer loves to do period films and I especially love the 1950s – the furniture, the cars and the music – so naturally, I really wanted to do this film,” Thomas confesses.
Another lure was director Goodwin. “Bob loves his work and he loves this period, I guess because he grew up in California during that era. He was a pleasure to work with, very respectful of me and my designs. He always gave me a lot of room to do my work and was always excited to see the sets come alive.”
Thomas relied on his gut instincts as a production designer for the look of the film, rather than any specific `50s sci-fi movie. He coordinated his designs with cinematographer Moxness and costume designer Gullett. “The big thing for me is always the color of my sets, so it can be very embarrassing if that’s not coordinated with the camera and costume departments.”
Doing a `50s period film enabled Thomas’ set design crew to take full advantage of what Vancouver, Canada has to offer. “Vancouver is a great city for `50s furniture, so most of our set decorating came from local stores. Some things, like the fabric for the window dressing, were a little harder to find, but we came up with good alternatives by using newer patterns.”
The vivid set colors were from Benjamin Moore, says Thomas. “They have some great `heritage’ colors. David Moxness and I spend a lot of time going over my choices before we actually put paint on the sets.”
One of the production designer’s more formidable tasks was transforming Ashcroft, a small burg four hours north of Vancouver, into a credible Mojave Desert town. “This little sleepy town looks a lot like the desert,” says Thomas. “We shot only the wide shots there and all of our close-ups in a local gravel pit or on a soundstage.”
Other locations included neighborhoods near Vancouver with “quaint houses built in the 1950s, an operating movie theater and a genuine `50s diner that had to be completely reworked and reassembled,” says producer Swift. “It’s not so easy traveling back in time 50 years without the use of CG, which we avoided.”
The vintage autos in the film were all found locally. “There are many car buffs out here on the West Coast and they keep the cars in great shape. Not much had to be done to make them look authentic,” says Thomas.
Adds Goodwin, “The cars were so immaculate and perfect we had to dirty them up a bit to look like people drove them every day.”
As with all non-studio movies, Thomas’ main obstacles were a tight budget and a short schedule. “The biggest challenge was building so many interior and exterior sets with the small amount of money we had. Another was that we had only two small stages on which to erect our sets, so we had to be very creative with putting in and taking sets away as we shot them, and then assembling more at night or on the weekend to be ready for the shooting crew.”
His proudest achievement, he says, was one particular set: “The main house (where Ted Lewis and his wife, Lana, live) with the backyard attached to the kitchen, which was built on a very small stage. That was the most fun to design and decorate.” Producer Swift also singles out that particular achievement. “Check out the kitchen; it’s perfect `50s in every detail, enhanced by the camera set-ups and lighting.” Thompson also says the kitchen set was her favorite. “Every square inch of that space was considered. Even the fridge was stocked with fresh eggs in a Pyrex bowl and there were glass bottles of cream and milk,” she notes.
“That kitchen set is to die for,” adds Goodwin. “But everything Ian did was perfection. I defy you to find anything in the movie that isn’t genuine 1950s.” McCormack was aware of how special the finished film was going to look just from watching dailies. “It was amazing how `50s the movie looked in a grand Technicolor sort of way. The colors pop like crazy, which is a miracle when you consider how little time we had to shoot it.”
Goodwin and Moxness realized that the color-saturated look of the film was not strictly true to the genre’s B-origins and knew they were walking a fine line between paying homage and making a film that had a contemporary sensibility. “We worked very hard to stay true to the style of `50s B movie sci-fi,” says Moxness. “However, something had to give because I was working with modern film stocks and lenses. In the end, we decided that to present this story to today’s audiences, there had to be some crossover. So I set out to create our very own type of `Technicolor’ look that would complement the actors’ onscreen work and result in something that was akin to the era, but also made it our own.”
For costume designer Gullett, creating the look she wanted required three key elements, research, research and research. She studied 1950s period movies, costume history, books, catalogues and periodicals, as well as online photo references. Her color palette for the movie was of a piece with Thomas’ production design and Moxness’s visual scheme, she says. “The colors were obviously `50s inspired and warm, including certain shades of green, pink, rust, mustard and other earth tones, as well as some lighter blues,” says Gullett.
Many of the outfits were rented from costume houses, some of it was vintage, but there were also some retro creations, and Gullett was pleased to find much of it in very good condition. Most of the clothing for McCormack and Baird was designed and constructed to conform to period guidelines and silhouettes. “It was easy to find present- day fabrics that we cheated for 1957,” she says. “Women’s foundation garments were paramount in creating the feminine shape of the period. We found an online store that sold all the items we needed, including seamed stockings and bullet bras. Many of the accessories were rented, but as we became more familiar with the era, we found some contemporary pieces that followed the same design sensibility and principals.”
Gullett collaborated with Goodwin in devising the spaceman Urp’s iconic silver suit. “Bob had definite ideas and guidelines he wanted to incorporate and I had some suggestions as well. After presenting him with a few sketches, we finally decided on one and, once we had an actor, we started building. There were some alterations and modifications but the final design is what you see in the film.”
Goodwin approached Louis Febre, a student of `50s sci-fi movies, to do the score, says Swift. “Louis created an authentic, exciting score with full orchestral sound, and we used the renowned theremin player Rob Schwimmer to provide the eerie musical effects.”
“The reason I chose Louis is that, in addition to being a brilliant film and TV composer, he is actually a student of `50s sci-fi scores,” says Goodwin. They had first worked together on the CBS production “The Fugitive,” on which Goodwin was executive producer and Febre composer. “He has spent a great deal of time studying those films and is one of the top experts in the world. He even wrote a treatise about it, and his expertise on composers like Bernard Herrmann and Max Steiner and their lush orchestral sound made him ideal not just for the scary parts of the score, but for the beautiful romantic theme he created for the scene of Ted and Lana’s anniversary.”
In his selection of Schwimmer, Goodwin again went for the very best, a thereminist who had played with the New York Philharmonic and with such popular musicians as Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. “Rob created some genuinely creepy moments,” he says.
Like Febre, Schwimmer was no stranger to the `50s sci-fi genre and its innovative use of the theremin. Observes Schwimmer: “The almost omnipresent theremin and that particular playing style in sci-fi movies of the `50s (most notably `The Day the Earth Stood Still’ and `It Came from Outer Space’) gave a flavor that, when heard now, instantly transports you back into that era. It was the same thereminist who played on all Hollywood movies, Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman. He had a fast vibrato (which was the way he always played, and not just for sci-fi) which became `the’ sci-fi theremin sound that we all know and love. In ALIEN TRESPASS, it seemed a fitting tip of the hat that not only the theremin be included as an homage to its Hollywood sci-fi heritage, but to Dr. Hoffman’s playing style as well.”
Scary Family Fun
One of her co-stars, Jody Thompson, believes the movie will appeal to a variety of audiences. “Die-hard sci-fi fans and B-movie aficionados will have lots to talk about in terms of the historical accuracy and the production aspects of the film, and anyone who appreciates a sweet story with lots of heart should enjoy this blast from the past.”
Observes co-star Dan Lauria, “Anyone who’s ever seen an old `50s horror movie will respond to the silliness of ALIEN TRESPASS. It’s funny because we played it straight. And the credit for that goes to Bob Goodwin.”
Robert Patrick believes ALIEN TRESPASS could be a terrific antidote to the seriousness of our times. “I would hope that kids get on board with it, as well as fans of sci-fi movies from the `50s. The timing is perfect for this movie, given that the state of affairs of the country and the world is so terrifying that it’s nice to have something warm and fuzzy like this film in our lives, something that harkens back to a simpler time, gives us a nostalgic feeling and makes us feel good.”
“I’ve screened this movie around the country and even in Sydney, Australia and found that it appeals to all ages,” says Goodwin, “from people who love the original movies, to nostalgia freaks, to 18-year olds who’ve never seen them. The main thing everyone responds to is the fact that the movie represents a simpler time and a kind of optimism. It’s a feel-good movie.”
There is one good reason why the film was able to achieve that delicate balance between past and present and do it so seamlessly, says Swift. “ALIEN TRESPASS owes its success in achieving those goals to Bob Goodwin, who meticulously planned and executed the film and hired great people to help him realize his vision. That, and a pinch of luck.”
Another balance Goodwin achieved, says McCormack, “is the balance between scary and fun scary. ALIEN TRESPASS is terror the whole family can enjoy.”
Production notes provided by Roadside Attractions.
Alien Trespass
Starring: Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Dan Lauria, Robert Patrick, Jody Thompson, Aaron Brooks, Sarah Smyth, Andrew Dunbar
Directed by: R.W. Goodwin
Screenplay by: James Swift
Release Date: April 3rd, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi action and brief historical smoking.
Studio: Roadside Attractions
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $104,526 (100.0%)
Foreign: —
Total: $104,526 (Worldwide)