Just your basic story of lesbians, modern art, hot dog vendors, and alien abductions. But in case you’re prone to complaining that, “Geez, I’ve already seen five movies just like that this week,” “P*****s From Outta Space” freshens up the formula by emulating the film techniques of a silent movie mixed with the special effects and acting of an Ed Wood film.
The Hot Dog Girl (Wendy Taylor) and the Modern Potato Artist (Elizabeth Marie) live together in total bliss. But soon, as so often happens in relationships, they realize that love can’t pay the bills. The evil landlord’s threats have escalated from eviction to dismemberment and he’s started wearing a Jason Voorhees mask to spice up his visits. But when the artist goes off in search of a job, she’s abducted by aliens – alien cats…just in case you hoped the title implied something kinky. When the artist is returned, much later, the Hot Dog Vendor has already moved on. But what happens next to bring them back together may shock, disgust, amaze, or amuse you.
“P*****s From Outta Space” succeeds in its modest goals. While the score isn’t attributed in the credits, it’s a melange of silent film standards that match perfectly with Gaglio’s obvious love for silent film conventions. The stylized iris close-ups and accelerated running speeds are silent parody standards, but I especially liked the superimposed face of the crying Hot Dog girl over a cow clock showing the passage of time — pure Lloyd or Keaton. And as for the effects? They’re horrible in true “Plan 9” fashion! If the UFO isn’t a pie plate, it might as well be and the footage of the ship flying over the San Francisco hills is hilarious.
“P*****s From Outta Space” could safely be edited down by two or three minutes. A number of the reaction shots last much longer than they need to and some of the pacing seems redundant. In the place of those loose ends, it might help if the two characters were better established in the beginning, so as to lend sympathy to their relationship, while currently the women are largely interchangeable.
But it’s not like this movie wanted to be a complex character study or a gripping drama of alien paranoia. Gaglio wanted to make a cute, silent exploitation movie and she mostly hits her mark.
