Wes Craven Presents Mind Ripper Movie Review

Yet another Alien-type rip-off in which a secret government experiment to produce self-healing super soldiers goes awry. The mad scientists who created the beast become trapped in an abandoned nuclear site, and must kill the creature. The scientists are picked off one by one with the usual gross special effects. Lance Henriksen (once again in material far below his worth) plays the good-hearted lead scientist who left the experiment when he discovered its violent purpose, but is forced to return now that the creature has run amok. The film does an adequate job of retreading very familiar ground. The problem is it is so predictable (right down to the ‘it must be dead this time’ ending), why bother to watch it (or film it) again. You may be enticed by horror maven Wes Craven's name on the film (and you may wonder how it got there). Craven executive produced a script by his son, Jonathan Craven. There is definitely some nepotism involved here. AKA: Mind Ripper.

1995 (R) 90m/C Lance Henriksen, John Diehl, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Dan Blom, Claire Stansfield; D: Joe Gayton; W: Jonathan Craven, Phil Mittleman; C: Fernando Arguelles; M: J. Peter Robinson. VHS AVE