Alien Country

Few things turn life on its head quite as dramatically as an unplanned pregnancy. Everly (played by co-writer Renny Grames) isn’t yet sure what she wants to do about it. She’s a talented singer who dreamed of making a career in music, but now she can see that life receding from her, and she’s afraid of being stuck in a small town in the middle of nowhere with a boyfriend (KC Clyde’s Jimmy) who just can’t get his shit together. He, meanwhile, has struggled ever since his dad disappeared when he was a kid, but he’s desperate to keep her and to be the sort of person she needs, resting his hopes on making some money by winning the local demolition derby. What neither of them is prepared for is the additional crisis of this being the night that aliens invade their town, placing all life on Earth in peril.

An irreverent, warm-hearted comedy in the tradition of Tremors, Grabbers and Attack The Block, Alien Country, which was co-written and directed by Grames’ partner, Boston McConnaughey, explores the challenges of adjusting to prospective parenthood in parallel with the need to fend off the alien threat. Beyond the couple themselves, it brings in a raft of characters from their isolated Utah community, each of them lovingly drawn, as well as a couple of alien characters whose motives ultimately hark back to the same mixture of neighbourly devotion and insular pettiness that such places breed. in the process, Everly discovers that making the occasional compromise doesn’t need to stop her doing awesome things, and Jimmy begins to come to terms with his past.

If all this sounds terribly wholesome, don’t worry – there’s still a good measure of splattery gore and some entertaining action sequences. It has the flaws you’d expect of a low budget first feature and sometimes it’s a little too referential for its own good, but it’s spirited and pacey and that goes a long way. There are McGuffins; there are portals between worlds; there are glow-in-the-dark monsters. There are chases and fights and some spectacularly unsafe driving. There are moments that will make you feel two or more emotions at the same time.

Alien Country was a natural fit for 2024’s Halloween Frightfest, at its best when played to a crowd. Its pluckiness and charming ending suggest that it will have staying power in the home entertainment market. If you’re a genre fan looking for something lighthearted that will put you in a good mood, it’s well worth a look.