The Deadly Spawn(1983)
1983 · Douglas McKeown · 81 min
When a meteorite touches down in the New Jersey woods carrying a monstrous alien slug, it’s up to four teens to stop it before it’s terrifying brood consumes all life on Earth!
Horror · Science Fiction
5.6111 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
4/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How The Deadly Spawn scares
The Deadly Spawn is a cheap, gooey creature feature from the early 80s that leans hard into practical monster effects and messy kills rather than mood or dread. The pace is quick and silly, with toothy alien critters popping out to grab people every so often instead of any slow build of tension. It's the kind of movie made to gross you out and make you laugh, not to actually unsettle you. Great for fans of old-school monster gore who want a fun, low-stakes fright night.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Deadly Spawn rates psychological 1/5, visceral 4/5, gore 4/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 1 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 4 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 65 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 30 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 15 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A quick shock at the start settles into a slow creeping buildup with occasional jolts, before piling on nonstop creature mayhem for the finish.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 3, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5.
How scary is The Deadly Spawn?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Deadly Spawn rates 3/5 — solidly scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It attacks the body more than the mind — physical, in-your-face horror. Expect it to be heavy on gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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