Screamers

Dan O’Bannon, (1946-2009), is best-known for co-writing the script for the classic 1979 science fiction horror film “Alien” with Ronald Shusett, (1935-2024). O’Bannon and Shusett also worked together to adapt Philip K. Dick’s 1966 story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” as the 1990 feature film “Total Recall.” Philip K. Dick, (1928-1982), had one of his earliest successful stories with the 1953 publication of “Second Variety” about a type of robotic killing machine on the loose after a nuclear war has destroyed most of the Earth. In 1981 O’Bannon wrote a first draft script adapting Dick’s story, but relocated the events to the mining planet “Sirius 6B.” Although there was some interest in developing this project over the years, nothing came of it and O’Bannon moved on. Then in 1995 O’Bannon’s agent informed him that a Canadian company had filmed and released the picture and had given him screen credit! Surprise!

This week’s movie was “Screamers” from Triumph Films in 1995, directed by Christian Duguay from a script by Dan O’Bannon, rewritten by Miguel Tejada-Flores. The story takes place on the planet Sirius 6B where the “New Economic Block,” (N.E.B.), has been mining the new energy source “berynium.” A civil war broke out when the miners realized that they were being exposed to dangerous radioactive pollution. These miners formed “The Alliance.” The turning point of the conflict came when the Alliance unleashed robotic killing machines called “Screamers.” The planet is now a barren wasteland and the civilian population is now extinct. Only a few soldiers remain and continue to fight. In 2078 “Commander Joseph A. Hendricksson,” (Peter Weller), is contacted by the commander of the N.E.B. Forces with an offer to negotiate a truce. At almost the same time an Alliance troop carrier crashes near his base. The only survivor is “Private Michael Jefferson,” (Andrew Lauer). Jefferson reveals that berynium has been discovered on the planet Triton 4, and that world has now become the focus of the war. Both the Alliance and the N.E.B. are abandoning their troops on Sirius 6B to fend for themselves. Hendricksson and Jefferson set out to search for the N.E.B. base to discuss the truce. On the way they encounter a strange little boy named “David,” (Michael Caloz). But David is actually an android, a new variety of Screamer! Hendricksson begins to realize that any “humans” that he encounters on his journey might actually be “Screamers!”

This movie is a mixed bag. Weller and Lauer give good performances, as does Jennifer Rubin as “Jessica Hansen,” a woman who just might be a Screamer. The production design and the special effects are well crafted in spite of the film’s fairly low budget. Unfortunately the script is rather confusing and a bit rambling. Duguay’s direction is sometimes effective, but overall it’s a bit plodding. The best moments all come straight from Dick’s story.

Reviews of “Screamers” were pretty bad, and the picture only earned back about half of its production costs at the box office. Still the picture stirred enough interest that a sequel was created. “Screamers: The Hunting” appeared in 2009, but financial difficulties prevented a theatrical release. The movie went straight to home video, where it didn’t make much of an impact.