Space Thing

Before watching this film, I wondered what the “thing” in the title referred to. It took me exactly three seconds and the first scene to figure it out. A man is reading sci-fi magazines while his wife or girlfriend lies naked next to him, with fake breasts and full of desire. Very full of desire. She insults him, saying that he no longer pays attention to her because he prefers stupid sci-fi magazines. The man reluctantly gives in. And there it is, that’s what the “thing” in the title is. It wasn’t hard to understand, especially considering that the director is Byron Made (known for Acid Eaters) and the producer, listed here as co-director (and maybe even the screenwriter), is David F. Friedman. These two are known for making countless silly, naughty softcore films that are amusing in their ridiculousness. This 1968 film is no different, made with a tiny budget and even fewer costumes, which seem to have been picked up from who knows where. If the “thing” in the title is immediately clear, it doesn’t take long to figure out the meaning of “space” as well. After satisfying his wife (or whoever she is), our sci-fi story enthusiast, James Granilla, falls asleep. And he dreams. He dreams of boarding a spaceship filled with aliens who look exactly like humans, and he stops them from invading and conquering Earth, all while also satisfying the beautiful alien women aboard the ship. Well… I’d say more of the latter than the former. And the aliens are into it. They walk around half-naked, ignore the two boring men on the spaceship, and throw themselves into the arms of our hero, James. And yes, he even saves us from the invasion. A martyr, really.

The movie is all about that. It’s ridiculously simple and dumb, with scantily clad women everywhere and a wonderful 60s soundtrack that’s the highlight of the film. Actually, I’d say the soundtrack is the only noteworthy thing, alongside an ultra-trashy ending. The cast is credited with fake names, purely for commercial reasons, with more or less extensive experience in the softcore film industry. Among the cast, Karla Conway stands out, credited as Miss April (and indeed she was Miss April 1966).