Invaders From Mars [VHS]

Having scored a cult hit with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, horror director Tobe Hooper was recruited by Steven Spielberg to direct Poltergeist, and the success of that fright flick allowed Hooper to pursue some big-budgets projects of his own, including the expensive vampire flop Lifeforce and this 1986 remake of the 1953 horror-science fiction classic Invaders from Mars. Like the original, the remake is told almost entirely from the point of view of a young boy (Hunter Carson, from Paris, Texas) who witnesses an alien invasion in his hometown. Even his parents fall prey to the Martian invaders (affected humans have telltale probe wounds on their necks!), and the boy eventually comes face to ugly face with the not-so-friendly E.T.s. Critically panned at the time of its release, this remake has since gained a loyal following of its own. Part camp, part frightening fantasy, it's the kind of creepy sci-fi that's great for a rainy weekend with the kids. --Jeff Shannon