Explorer from Another World (2024)
★★★ — Explorer from Another World (2024)
There is a particular tradition in American genre cinema, stretching back to the drive-in double bills and Saturday matinees of the 1950s, that has never really gone away. Low budgets, rubber monsters, improbable small-town settings and a cheerful disregard for the conventions of polished studio filmmaking: these are not bugs, they are features. Explorer from Another World (2024), produced by Piranha Drama and clocking in at a very brisk 45 minutes, plants itself squarely in that tradition. Set in the fictional Buetter County, Indiana, the film drops a mismatched group of locals, among them an eccentric professor, a law enforcement officer and a gang of teenagers, into the middle of a rural mystery involving missing persons, mutilated animals and lights in the night sky. The tagline, "From the cosmos to the corn fields, the battle for earth's survival begins in... Indiana?", tells you more or less everything you need to know about the register this one is going for. For another science fiction film that plays things rather straighter, you could have a look at my review of Fire in the Sky.
Writer-director Woody Edwards also takes on one of the leading roles, which is either a sign of admirable commitment or a practical necessity on a production of this scale (probably both). The cast also includes Nolan Gay, Harper Gay, Dan Freel and Stu Fastback, a group who appear to be working within a small, tight-knit production that has more enthusiasm than resources, which is, again, rather the point. Piranha Drama is not a name that suggests a major studio machine behind the curtain, and Explorer from Another World makes no pretence of being anything other than a passion project. The horror-comedy-science fiction blend it attempts has a long and honourable lineage, from the creature features of the Eisenhower era right through to the affectionate genre pastiches that have kept independent filmmakers busy ever since. If you want a sense of what the horror side of the ledger can look like with genuine craft and resources behind it, my reviews of You Won't Be Alone and Castle Freak offer an interesting point of comparison. And for something from the 2020s that takes a very different approach to genre filmmaking on a smaller scale, Tiger Stripes is worth your time too.
An homage to the B movies of the 50s I watched this because it was 45 minutes long and that's all the time I had. It's in the realms of "so bad it's good" here. It's deliberately cheesy, corny, over acted, poorly dubbed, great gore scenes etc... the colour schemes and vibrant wigs and make up make this whole thing just a heap of fun, even if ultimately it does feel just like a high school project with a small team of a few people. Impossible not to like, just not gonna win any awards
I will admit, going in with nothing more than a spare 45 minutes and low expectations is probably the ideal way to experience something like this. There is a real warmth to films made by people who clearly love what they are referencing, even when the seams are showing and the dubbing is wandering off in its own direction. It is not the sort of thing you would press on someone as a serious cinematic event, but then it was never asking to be. Sometimes a short, daft, gore-splattered love letter to a bygone era is exactly what the evening calls for. Fun, scrappy and unpretentious: that combination goes further than you might think.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2024 | Watched: 2025-04-29
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Explorer from Another World (2024) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
