Rare Flix: There's Nothing Out There!

It is hard not to see how this might have inspired a few Films.  Today's movie is There's Nothing Out There!, an oft-talked-about, but rarely seen Horror Film currently owned by Troma.  I guess they had a $1.50 left over in the Budget of Toxic Avenger 14: What Do We Have Left?!? and got it.  I kid, I kid.  It was probably closer to $5.  So what is the film about?  A bunch of young(ish) people go to a House in the Woods...where they are set upon a weird Alien Monster.  So yeah, this Film may have inspired Cabin in the Woods.  Before you go, 'That Film is based on a common Trope that this Film partakes in,' I should note that one of the Characters is constantly acting against the Cliches of the Genre since he saw 'alot of Horror Films.'  Convinced yet?  On top of that, you have the Scream influence.  To be clear, I mean the 1990's Horror Classic (to many), as opposed to the 1981 Film where nothing freaking happens!  The question is this: as an actual Film, is it any good?  To find, read on...

The film begins randomly in a Video Store with...

Wait!  Just to be clear, you all know that a Video Store was what people used before the invention of the Redbox, right?  Just checking.

She has a dream (I think) where she is attacked via Jump Scares made up of VHS Boxes for Films like...Rats: Night of Terror and Demons 3: The Ogre?!?  Random!

Anyhow, she's killed by some sort of Alien thing in the Forest (don't ask).

A bit later, our heroes go to the same Forest, but one of them (Mike) is against the trip when they pass the empty car.  He's self-aware...but they pretty much ignore him.

After randomly meeting some skinny dippers (none of whom get naked- odd!), the group settles in, while Mike continues act nervous and META.

Two of them go off into the Forest and get attacked by the beast, while one of them is telling a Story about a Couple in a Slasher Film.  More META.

Oh and there IS something out there.

After some time-wasting, some banter and a comedic Fight Scene, the creature attacks again, now using some sort of laser beams.  Why would you question that?

Mike gets really wary after a couple more attacks and has a theory: they might be in a Horror Film.

Oh and here's a shot of this guy's face melting.  They put the work into this, so let me show it.

Things get really goofy in the latter half, including a part where the lead guy swings to safety by using the now-visible Boom Mic.

Through a series of mirrors, flashlights and the stove, they take out the Alien.  Is all well?  The End.

It was mostly worth the wait.  I heard about this movie a long time ago back on Badmovies.org, but never saw it.  When I discovered Troma's YouTube Channel (with most of 'their' films made at least 10 years ago on it), I added it to my Favorites.  That was...a long time ago.  When I decided to refocus on Horror Films again for October, I realized that I couldn't ignore this any longer.  For what it tries to be, There's Nothing is quite fun.  It is paced a bit oddly and not every joke sticks.  If viewed in a modern context, it actually fares better than it probably did then though.  While it was referencing the still-popular Slasher Genre and was probably fresh, the Meta aspects are probably more appreciated now.  You can thank Scream for that, I suppose.  It is only fitting since Jamie Kennedy's Character in those films is basically 'Mike' from this film.  That's not necessarily an insult towards Craven's film- just a fact.  The problem here is that there are gaps between the really good stuff and the Acting is not super-great.  It gets a bit of a pass as a Comedy, but still not a complete one.  As far as representative of Horror Movie Fans in Films, 'Mike' is a bit obsessive, but proves to be right on everything.  That's a point for you, movie!  As a sum of its parts, There's Nothing Out There! is a fun and silly Horror Film.  It is not consistent enough to be a true Classic, but it is fun fare nonetheless.  Before I go, I must ask- is ladies in Bikinis holding light bulbs a fetish?  Given that faux Cannibalism is, I can only assume that this is too...

Next up, let's cover a Made-For-TV Sequel that most people probably don't realize exists.  Before NBC made their 'Special,' this baby came out.  Stay tuned...