It is hard to watch this and not wish Larry Cohen would've made this. It has some many elements that remind me of Cohen's NYC horror pictures. That whiff of bureaucratic conspiracy, that unmistakable urban texture. The evocation is not always good because it can lead a viewer to think about what could've been. This movie is so close that it is easy to forgive its shortcomings. But if given a choice between this or something like Lewis Teague's Alligator, this just doesn't make a strong enough impression.

Do you like the idea of watching unpleasant shitheads argue and die screaming in the desert? Trust me it's not even as good as that sounds. The only thing to buoy me along this one was a bit of high and lonesome steel guitar was the only unique touch I found myself enjoying. Not to bag on the gore effects, which while sort of repetitive, were well done for the time, if you like that sort of thing. But really this one is the definition of time waster.

Perfect distillation of 50s horror through 80s sensibilities. Atmosphere overcomes reality to create a gruesome fuzzy blanket. Tom Atkins does not transcend the material so much as he illuminates its humanity while cracking wise. So many wonderful moments which hit a perfect pitch.

Masterful construction. Non-fiction storytelling that maintains the scope without falling into that cravasse which is the reality show. Understated and subtle yet compelling. I am definitely in for the rest of the series.