Laserblast

Teenager Billy Duncan is cruising the desert on a sunlit afternoon when a strange glow under the sand catches his eye. He digs up a bizarre laser weapon, an object from outside Earth that hums with power. At first he treats it like a gadget, a toy that makes his days feel brighter. But the gun begins to change him in unsettling ways, driving a widening gap between him and his friends Kathy Farley and the local sheriff while attracting the scrutiny of two alien beings who want the weapon for themselves. As Billy struggles to keep control, the weapon reshapes his life and the town around him, turning normal adolescence into a perilous collision with powers beyond human grasp.

Laserblast hit theaters in 1978 under the direction of Michael Rae from a screenplay by Frank Ray Perilli and Franne Schacht. It's a lean low budget science fiction horror that embodies late 70s B movie energy.

Over the years Laserblast has earned a cult following among fans of offbeat 70s sci fi and practical effects laden genre pictures. Its desert visuals, a quirky performance by Eddie Deezen, and the oddball premise keep turning up in retro genre discussions and midnight screenings. The film also appears in fan zines and retrospective collections, reminding viewers of a time when indie filmmakers chased big ideas with small means.

Critics at the time treated it as a rough but earnest effort, noting the film’s blunt look at power and temptation, the way an ordinary kid can be warped by technological relics, and the tension between small town boredom and cosmic danger.

Box office data for Laserblast is not widely documented, reflecting its status as a modest budget release that found a later cult following on home video and in midnight screenings, rather than delivering significant theatrical returns.