Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker

Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker is a truly unique experience. The plot of the film is very simple; we follow alien skeptic Paul (Peter Gingrich). One night, after a weed-filled conversation about aliens with his friend, Paul discovers a crashed alien ship and takes the injured alien back to his hotel room. From there, they form a telekinetic (and sexual) bond, and in between trippy psychedelic abstract sequences, Paul and the alien try to evade capture from Government agents.

Like every film released by Bleeding Skull, this one is pretty bad on its own. However, it is a highly entertaining and creative effort that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. The plot is very simple and not thought through at times, but I can’t get enough of the fact that this is a queer love story between a man and a guy in a classic Halloween store alien costume. I think the constant realization of that fact just makes me chuckle throughout the runtime of the movie. The story is almost secondary to the long psychedelic sequences that McGuinn created for this film

The biggest selling point for Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker is the truly inventive visual art sequences paired with an acid rock soundtrack, which provides a perfect break in between the plot of the movie. The sequences are not quite at a Stan Brakhage level of abstract cinema, but the fact that they were done on videotape is impressive. I would recommend this movie for the end of the night when you and your friends make it home from a night out and just want a ridiculous movie with cool visuals. 

Vital Disc Stats: Blu-ray 
Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker stalks the 1080p landscape with a new Blu-ray release from Bleeding Skull and OCN Distribution. The film is pressed on a Region Free disc and is housed in a clear case with a booklet recreating the original press kit. If you ordered directly from Vinegar Syndrome, you can add an exclusive slipcover to stash

The scan of this release was taken from the original S-VHS master, and it certainly looks like it. The tape vibe is Bleeding Skulls’ bread and butter; while it looks bad generally, it adds something to the viewing experience since the movie was shot on tape to begin with. The degraded tape visuals make the psychedelic sequences even cooler to look at and add a little bit more than just the retro feel of watching a film on VHS tape.

The bad part about films being shot on tape is that the audio quality usually suffers, and this presentation for Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker is no different. Most of the time, the audio is severely muffled, but you can make out most of the dialogue. But again, the point of these reissues is not necessarily for the audiophile audience, and the subpar audio adds to the nostalgic aesthetics of the experience.

As always, Bleeding Skull is killing it with the supplements with their releases. I super appreciate how they gather as many other films from the director of the feature as they can. This release has a whopping 8 extra short films by McGuinn, which are all worth a look. This release also includes a commentary track with the director and a very cool booklet reproduction of the original press kit.

• Audio Commentary with director Patrick McGuinn, moderated by Bleeding Skull’s Annie Choi
• Archival Interview with star Peter Gingerich
• Bonus Film: Desert Spirits (1994) - restored from the original 16mm film elements
• Short films restored from the original 16mm film elements: 
• Terrance Baum (1986)
• Agnes Keedan’s Secret Plan (1988)
• When The Owling Has Come (1989) 
• Say Thank You, Please (1990)
• SPF 2000 (1997) 
• Soda Pop (2001)
• Baby Blue (2002)
• Booklet 

Suroh: Alien Hitchhiker is a movie I would recommend, despite my average rating. This film is wildly entertaining and inventive while also being ridiculous. The psychedelic visuals and psychosexual plot are so entertainingly perplexing that you can’t stop watching. The audio and visuals of this release are comparable to any film shot on tape; there’s overly grainy muddling of the visuals as well as the audio being muffled at times; however, those aspects of the AV are major draws to trashy horror movies from the 90s. This is the type of movie that is great for a late-night movie hang with your friends after a night on the town, or perfect for any bad movie night. Worth A Look