Prey (1977)

Prey
DirectorNorman J. Warren, Walter Beck
GenreLGBT-related film, horror film, monster film, science fiction film
Runtime78 min
CountryUnited Kingdom
Budget£50,000

Plot

A carnivorous shape-shifting alien named Kator lands in the woods of rural England. The vanguard of an invasion force, his mission is to evaluate the suitability of humans as a source of food for his species. He kills Anderson and Sandy, a couple having a tryst in their parked car, and assumes the appearance of Anderson. Later, he encounters Jessica-Ann and Josephine, a lesbian couple who live in a manor house. Although Jessica owns the property, having inherited it from her Canadian parents, the dominant of the pair is Jo, who is unusually possessive of Jessica and suspicious of men. Simon, Jessica's boyfriend, has mysteriously disappeared. The women are vegetarians and live in seclusion with only some chickens and a pet parrot, Wally, for company.

Calling himself Anders, and feigning an injured leg, Kator is taken in by Jessica and Jo. His arrival immediately causes friction between the two women. Bored of her monotonous existence, Jessica welcomes the stranger's presence, but Jo is openly resentful and suggests that the socially-awkward Anders is an escapee from a psychiatric hospital (which she is herself). Returning to the spot where he killed Anderson and Sandy, Kator kills and partly devours two policemen who are examining the couple's abandoned car. At the house, Jessica finds a knife and bloodstained clothes in a spare bedroom. Recognising Simon's clothes, she realises that he was murdered by Jo.

The next morning, Jo is furious to find all the chickens slaughtered. Blaming a local fox, she lays traps for the animal and goes after it with a rifle, assisted by Jessica and Kator. When the hunt fails, Kator tracks and kills the fox on his own and presents it to Jessica and Jo as a trophy. The trio celebrate with a champagne party for which Jo dresses Kator in drag. A subsequent game of hide-and-seek brings out more of the hunter in Kator. Later, Jo is disturbed to find the fox carcass stripped bare and realises that the animal was not caught in a trap as she and Jessica thought. Jessica angrily rejects her warnings about Anders, interpreting Jo's fear as jealousy and revealing that she knows the truth about Simon.

The next morning, Jo arms herself with her knife and stalks Kator as he hunts swans on a nearby river. Her murder attempt is thwarted when Jessica calls for her from the house. Kator wades into the river and starts to drown, alerting Jessica with his screams. Jessica and Jo rescue him and take him back to the house. While the women clean themselves up, Kator consumes Wally. Jessica tells Jo that she will no longer be controlled and is leaving with Anders. Outraged, Jo knocks her unconscious and runs into the woods to dig a grave for her. On waking, Jessica seduces Kator. As they start to have sex, Kator's predatory instincts are stirred, causing him to revert to his natural form and tear open Jessica's throat, killing her. Having returned to the house, Jo attempts to flee but falls into the open grave just as Kator catches up with her. She screams as the scene fades to black.

Some time later, Kator leaves the house and calls his mother ship on an alien transceiver. Hungrily watching two girls walking along the river, he advises his superiors to dispatch more of his kind to Earth.

Cast

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