The Deadly Spawn is a 1983 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Douglas McKeown, and produced by Ted A. Bohus.

The film's plot centers on a meteor that lands on Earth, which unleashes a carnivorous alien that finds refuge in the basement of a house.

A house near the crash site is the home of Sam and Barb, who are set to venture out of town, and their two children, college student and budding scientist Pete and his younger brother Charles, a monster movie fan.

Uncle Herb, a psychologist, and also preparing for a conference, wants to investigate Charles' interest in the macabre, and he holds a brief interview with the boy before he falls asleep in the living room.

Meanwhile, Ellen and Frankie have discovered one of the tadpole creatures dead on the way over to the house, and deem it unlike any animal on Earth when they dissect it.

Back at the house, Pete, Ellen and Frankie seek out Uncle Herb to get his opinion on the creatures, only to find him being devoured by the spawn.

Meanwhile, Charles has concocted a plan: he has filled a prop head with explosive flash powder, with a frayed electrical cord trailing behind to act as a fuse.

Millie returns to the house to care for Pete and Charles as best she can, while we see Frankie and Kathy sitting in the back of a police vehicle.

Producer Ted Bohus said that he conceived the idea for The Deadly Spawn in 1979, and that he was inspired by an article in National Geographic about seed pods that were recovered from the Arctic.

[3] According to Bohus, he created an initial creature design that involved a man in a suit, but associate producer and effects director John Dods was unenthusiastic about that prospect.

[7] AllMovie's Fred Beldin described the film as an "engaging, exciting sci-fi/horror adventure with realistic characters, effective acting and a willingness to betray expectations.

"[8] In 2018, Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called the film "one of the most surprising, gory creature features of the decade", writing that, "thanks to fantastic creature designs and effects by Dods and his team, a relentless dedication to gore and carnage, and an extreme sincerity at heart, there's a lot to love with The Deadly Spawn.