MovieChat Forums > Without Warning (1980) Discussion > Was Joe Taylor supposed to be so creepy?

Was Joe Taylor supposed to be so creepy?

posted 9 years ago by gasmaskproductionsbooks
4 replies | jump to latest

Granted he did help Craig and Sandy to kill the alien, and he ended up killing himself in the process, but was he supposed to be so creepy? He was keeping the Alien frisbee things in jars, he kept leering at everyone, and when he rescues Sandy in the woods, he just says "I think that this belongs to you." Maybe it's jut because Palance played evil characters in films like Batman and Alone in the Dark, but he was pretty creepy despite being the hero in the film.

"The 21st century is all flash but no substance." ~ Smog City

[–] Akzidenz_Grotesk 9 years ago

In the commentary by director Greydon Clark on the new Scream Factory DVD and Blu-Ray, Clark does mention he was trying to produce some doubt in the audience as to where Jack Palance's character Joe Taylor's loyalty lied. This is heard during the scene where he puts an alien frisbee creature in a jar at his gas station, as Greg and Sandy wait outside in Taylor's pickup truck.

"You see what you want- you take. You take it! And I am going to do just that!"

[–] gasmaskproductionsbooks 9 years ago

There's a commentary? Wow, that's really far out, my copy of Without Warning is just an old VHS tape recorded for home use that I got at a thrift store. I'll have to check out the DVD. Thanks for clearing up the info on Taylor in the film, it's interesting to learn something new about it :)

"The 21st century is all flash but no substance." ~ Smog City

[–] Akzidenz_Grotesk 9 years ago

It's really a great buy, with modern-day interviews with Chris Nelson and Tarah Nutter, the two young lead characters!

"The sport is in the trackin' an' the huntin'..."

[–] gasmaskproductionsbooks 9 years ago

It sounds well worth the money to have it ☺

great username by the way.

"The 21st century is all flash but no substance." ~ Smog City