Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Invasion from Inner Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection.

Somewhat hilariously considering the geographical focus of this collection, I have previously disclosed that I discovered some time ago that undeniably weird Wisconsin is evidently the presumed center of the universe. That is a conclusion I not so coincidentally came to after I married a woman from that state, but it's a sentiment which has been regularly reinforced by a truly gobsmacking number of Wisconsin set films that have crossed my path in various ways in the time since I said "I do". There have also been an unusually high number of Wisconsin-centered or actually filmed titles that have as a matter of fact entered my queue to write about over the years, and though not part of my official reviewing duties, two wildly disparate films, American Movie and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, actually have a more or less direct connection to the tiny town my wife grew up in, Menomonee Falls. As if to make the circle complete, one of American Movie's aspiring filmmakers shows up as a talking head in the documentary about Bill Rebane included in this set. That documentary starts off with a kind of joke where a critic is asked to sum up the impact of "someone like Bill Rebane", to which the critic may understandably respond, "Who is Bill Rebane?" For those who are either unacquainted with this kind of delirious "regional" filmmaker, or in fact for those who have already fallen under the sway of "classics" (?) like Monster A Go-Go!, this new collection from Arrow provides a nice selection of Rebane's work, with the typically broad and deep assortment of supplementary material that has become Arrow's stock in trade.

There's an oft repeated maxim of screenwriting which compels scenarists to show the audience what's happening, rather than just talking about it, but that of course assumes that there's a budget available to facilitate that showing. Invasion from Inner Earth marked Rebane's return to feature filmmaking after over a decade, but he was still struggling with finding financing, and as such this film dealing with some kind of global apocalyptic event spends most if its time with characters commiserating about what's going on, rather than anything really meaningful being detailed on screen in that regard. For a world (hopefully) just coming out of a global pandemic, watching a film about some kind of mysterious disease ravaging the globe, with a handful of survivors holed out in an isolated rustic cabin, may not seem to be a particularly uplifting viewing experience, but Invasion from Inner Earth at least attempts to provide some character beats for a gaggle of folks literally experiencing cabin fever. The trippy ending defies description and perhaps logic.

Invasion from Inner Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Invasion from Inner Earth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The hardback book included with this limited edition contains both an initial overall disclaimer about video quality, along with subsequent detailed information on the transfer, as follows:

All the films included in this collection have been restored by Arrow Films from the best available materials. While every effort has been made to deliver the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape.

We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.

Invasion from Inner Earth is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 [sic] with mono audio. A 16mm print was scanned in 2K resolution at Company 3. The film was graded and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The mono mix was remastered from the print's soundtrack at Deluxe Audio Services.

While showing some of the same kinds of age related wear and tear that afflicted Monster a Go-Go, Invasion from Inner Earth is in at least relatively better shape, and the best news is that the color palette, while perhaps skewed a little toward ruddy red-pink, has emerged from the mists of time largely intact. Detail levels are at least decent most of the time, though a rather gritty grain field can definitely mask fine detail in some of the dimly lit interior moments. As should probably be expected, the (many) outdoor scenes pop with most authenticity, and perhaps due to brighter backgrounds, grain can look a bit more tightly resolved in those scenes as well.

Invasion from Inner Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A cursory check of online data suggests that Ennio Morricone did not sue Bill Rebane for co-opting what sounds like a cheesy, quasi-reggae interpretation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as the opening theme for Invasion from Inner Earth, but the film's peculiar score (which sounds like it was done on an early seventies 8 bit synth) sounds reasonably secure on this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track. There are once again some ebbs and flow to amplitude and clarity, but dialogue is delivered with reasonable fidelity throughout, and optional English subtitles help to elide any problem areas.

Invasion from Inner Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Monster A Go-Go! and Invasion from Inner Earth share the same disc, which offers the following supplements:

• Straight Shooter: Bill Rebane on Monster a Go-Go! (HD; 10:46)


• Straight Shooter: Bill Rebane on Invasion from Inner Earth (HD; 9:58)


• Kim Newman on Bill Rebane (HD; 15:07) is another enjoyable talk by Newman, who provides background and context.


• Short Films

  Twist Craze (HD; 8:49) is a 1961 documentary about the then au courant dance phenomenon.

  
  

  Dance Craze (HD; 14:41) is Rebane's 1962 follow up to Twist Craze.

  
  

  Kidnap Extortion (HD; 14:28) is a fictional short involving a bank robbery. This is billed as an "industrial", which may beg the question as to exactly what industry was being promoted.

• Posters & Stills (HD; 3:40)

Invasion from Inner Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Invasion from Inner Earth shows what a resilient and resourceful filmmaker Rebane could be under difficult circumstances, and if the final product here defies "tradition" in talking about things rather than actually showing them (aside from the truly gonzo final moments), the result is intermittently interesting. This presentation has some of the same source element issues that crop up in other films in this set, and so technical merits are variable, but the supplements are engaging, for those who are considering a purchase.