brokehorrorfan:

Nightbeast’s reputation precedes it with two claims to fame that have little to do with the actual content of the movie. It’s most notable for having a score co-composed by a 16-year-old J.J. Abrams (credited as Jeffrey Abrams), who went on to make a couple of popular science fiction flicks of his own. Just recently, it was featured in Mandy as the eccentric movie that Nicolas Cage’s character watches. Beyond all that, however, Nightbeast serves as the epitome of a lost era of regional horror filmmaking for the home video market.

Written and directed by Don Dohler, the 1982 creature feature is a loose redux of his earlier film, The Alien Factor. The Baltimore-based cult Z-movie maker coined the phrase “blood, boobs, and beast” as the three elements necessary to sell a film. He practices what he preaches, as Nightbeast delivers all three in spades - and not much else. It’s far from a good picture, but there’s an incontrovertible charm to its do-it-yourself ethics and homegrown aesthetic. Through the barrage of unintentional camp, every frame is genuine.

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