Some 15 years ago I confidently refused to watch this cheap piece of trash. No way this straight-to-DVD release obviously trying to profit off a much bigger movie was going to satisfy my needs. After all, the original Screamers from 1996 starring Peter Weller is one of my favorite science fiction movies ever. However, last night I was in the mood for something that I now consider safe. I was in the mood for a late 2000s B science fiction movie set on a distant planet. And Screamers The Hunting fits that description perfectly.
What I didn’t know was the fact that this is also a quite graphic and brutal horror movie as well. So, if you lower your expectations and are aware of what you’re about to watch, you will have a good time. Screamers The Hunting is a stand-alone sequel to the nineties classic, meaning you don’t have to watch it to understand what’s going on. We will be following a rescue team aboard the spaceship Medusa who just awoke from their long cryosleep. They’re currently orbiting the planet Sirius 6-B, once a prosperous industrial world but now a desolate wasteland.
However, it appears that someone is still alive down there as Medusa detected an emergency message a couple of months ago. So, our team of hardened professionals lands on this dangerous planet to investigate. Little do they know they will face all kinds of monsters and robots here. To call Screamers The Hunting cliched would be an understatement. Every possible science fiction/horror movie trope is present and accounted for. Not to mention that adorable B movie charm complete with vacuum parts serving as parts of suits or machinery.
If you’re a fan of these movies, I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of fun with this one. It’s not as hilarious as Dracula 3000 but what can you do? The main inspiration was Alien 2, something you’re going to notice almost straight away. And if the main story with the imminent storm doesn’t jog your memory, seeing Lance Henriksen surely will. Most of the cast, apart from Stephen Amell (Code 8) is relatively unknown but all of them did a decent job. Screamers The Hunting may start like your usual B science fiction movie but in the second half, it transforms into a full blown horror!
Apart from familiar killer robots our rescue team will be running from some freaky hybrid monsters. And they look absolutely nasty showing just how far old-school practical effects and make-up can get you. Just think of the Cenobites from the Hellraiser franchise and you’ll know what I’m talking about. When it comes to the special effects, they’re what you would expect them to be in this type of movie: actually quite decent. There won’t be a lot of unnecessary CGI and some of the scenes, like the one inside the robot factory, are quite impressive.
If we don’t count those annoying lens flares that pop up from time to time. Even this is in line with that familiar B movie tradition of “just put a shine and lens flare on it to make it look cool”. Finally, if you’re looking for more B science fiction movies check out the Starship Troopers sequels. Pitch Black, Infini, and Ghosts of Mars offer much more in terms of visuals and storytelling. However, if entertaining space trash is your desire, Supernova is a great choice.
Director: Sheldon Wilson
Writers: Philip K. Dick, Tom Berry, Miguel Tejada-Flores
Cast: Gina Holden, Jana Pallaske, Lance Henriksen, Stephen Amell, Dave Lapommeray, Tim Rozon
Fun Facts: Both the people living on Sirius 6-B and our rescue team are using modern-day weapons: Tavor TAR-21 and H&K G36 rifles.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214983/
