Review of Alien Raiders (2008) by Jason D — 23 Feb 2009

Alien Raiders is the surprisingly good scf-fi horror film about a group of people who take over a late night grocery store as well as all of the patrons as hostages. Things get interesting when one of the men starts scanning each and every one of them to clear them of something.

Those who aren't cleared are shot dead. Naturally, things get out of hand and the scanner guy is killed, so the group of gunmen have to go about testing everyone the hard way. What the hell are they testing all of these people for? Simple.

Aliens. Yes, aliens have been running loose on our planet, taking over people's bodies and convening at this grocery store for a final showdown. As the tension escalates inside, police are gathering around outside, trying to figure out what is going on inside.

This film is full of plenty of fresh scares and fresh ideas on a tried and true concept (body snatchers) and manages to deliver some sharp direction and even sharper (gasp) acting. Kudos to director Ben Rock and a cast of actors who knew how to act.

My ONLY beef with this film is the young register girl character. The minute they started withholding from testing her, I knew we were up for one of those surprise endings. Other than that, the film is terrific.

Definitely recommended.