Without Warning (aka It Came Without Warning, aka Alien Shock) is probably best known as the film that inspired Predator. Schwarzenegger himself stated in press interviews at the time that Without Warning was the springboard for the film. Heck, Predator was even played by Kevin Hall, the same guy who plays the not-nearly-as-cool-looking alien hunter in Without Warning. The film also sports some tight cinematography from the master Dean Cundey and David Caruso’s first credited role (sorry CSI fans, he doesn’t dramatically remove his sunglasses at any point).

Despite its influence on one of the ’80s greatest flicks, Without Warning is painfully dull and takes itself way too seriously to be entertaining. It kicks things off in an encouraging manner, with a grizzled father trying to get his hippie son to hunt with him. His son isn’t biting, so in one intense moment of frustration, the father aims his rifle at him. He then falls prey himself to a slimy starfish thing with teeth that zips through the air and latches on to flesh. It’s a gory, ruthless prologue that sets up a promising film, but everything that follows only disappoints.

From there we’re introduced to a group of attractive youngsters (including fresh out the fetus David Caruso in some complimenting short-shorts) who are venturing out for a camping trip. Along the way they stop at a decrepit gas station where Martin Landau (Ed Wood) creeps the hell out of the girls. Following this encounter, the group runs into Jack Palance (Cyborg 2), who warns the kids not to go into the woods because its “hunting season.” He’s not referring to rednecks getting tipsy in their tree stand waiting for Bambi to walk by, of course.

He was referring to the alien who uses his flying booger starfish to hunt humans. One half of the kids are picked off fairly early in the film, so the other two have nothing much to do but run around and have uncomfortable conversations with Palance, Landau, and their backwoods brethren.

Producer/director Greydon Clark plays around with themes of paranoia, but never really explores them to any effect, despite in one dismal act of violence. Once the alien corners them in a house, he turns out to be pretty inept at killing people. Without the aid of his starfish shuriken, he couldn’t catch a cold. While the puss-dripping, toothy starfish and the gore they reap may be enough to draw in the average horror fan, anyone looking for something more entertaining will be hugely disappointed. Without Warning is a whole bunch of running in the woods and awkward dialogue – that’s about it. Landau is fun to watch and Palance squeezes what amount of menace he can from his flat character, but unfortunately these two titans can’t save the film from boring eyeballs to death.

The A/V on Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is okay. The mono track is what it is and the video’s details are sharp, though there are scratches and dirt that pop up in a few scenes. The daytime scenes look impressively sharp, with bright colors popping. Like many other low-budget horror films given a visual upgrade on Blu, the 1080p reveals some strings.

This is the first time Without Warning has been on home video in the U.S., so all of the special features are brand new.

Greydon Clark delivers a dry and insightful commentary. He calls it one of his favorite films and it’s obvious in this audio track that he looks back fondly on it and feels grateful for being able to work with a great cast and crew. He talks about collaborating with Cundey (for the fifth time), how he got involved in the project, and working within his budgetary constraints. Interestingly enough, one major decision he changed from the original script is changing the alien’s original weapon from a bow & arrow to the starfish shuriken.

“Greg and Sandy’s Alien Adventures” is a 20 minute retrospective with actors Christopher S. Nelson and Tarah Nutter.The two actors detail their backgrounds, how they got involved in the film, and what it was like to film fast and furiously in a low budget and a tight shooting schedule. They express how even with limited resources, the tremendous creativity and inventiveness of the cast and crew helped get them leap over obstacles.

Cast and crew interviews include co-writer/co-producer Daniel Grodnick, make-up effects creator Greg Cannom, and Dean Cundey. Grodnick talks about getting into the movie business and relates a pretty funny story about his inspiration for Terror Train. Cannom’s brief interview reveals some effects secrets, including face casts and how a hammock was a crucial part of the alien’s costume. Cundey expresses the fun he had making such a “rough and tumble” film and how so many of his early films allowed him to hone his craft and make mistakes.

Also included is a trailer and a still gallery.

Scream Factory’s special features are really great here, so fans of the film will definitely want this one on their shelves. If you’ve never seen Without Warning, you may wanna rent it first.