Inhumanoids scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.
It was a short lived TV show based off of a short lived toyline, but good God did it leave an impression on me.
The show itself was made by the same folk that gave us GI Joe, Transformers, and Jem. I actually started in the same way Jem did, in 6-7 minute shorts that were eventually strung together to make a direct to video movie.
Basically, the show involved ancient giant monsters being awakened from their slumber. These included Tendrill, the vine like monster whose limbs would grow into another Tendrill creature if it was cut off. The leader was the lava beast Metlar, who looked like Satan and lived at the Earth's core. He was the leader and had the power to animate stone statues as his soldiers. However, the most remarkable of the original three was D'Compose, an undead dinosaur like creature whose mere touch could turn living things into his decayed zombie slaves. In their way are the Earth Corps, 4 scientists with special suits that could help them survive in the Earth's core and fight the Inhumanoids on somewhat equal footing. These include the leader Herc Armstrong (what a badass name), Auger (the hot head, and my favorite), Dr. Bright, and Liquidator (the chemist). Also allied with Earth Corps are ancient races that were dedicated to fighting the Inhumanoids in ancient times, the Tree-like Redwoods and the Rock-like Granites. There is also Magnacore, a being that can split into two separate creatures with magnetic properties, and the only ones who can subdue Metlar. There are also Sandra Shore and her brother the villainous Blackthrone (yes, that is his first name, lol). Blackthorne is interested in exploiting the power of the Inhumanoids for his own goals, while Sandra funds the Earth Corps once their federal funding is pulled, and even suits up with the team as well.
The show combined elements ranging from Godzilla, Evil Dead, Lovecraft, Harryhausen, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and I'd even say having scientists as the heroes kind of gave them a kinship to Ghostbusters. The show was downright horrifying by kids show standards. I can't believe this thing was made for kids even in the 80s, and no way in hell it would be marketed to kids today. D'Compose in particular was terrifying (making him my favorite by default). The show only lasted 13 episodes, but managed to expand the cast, including two new members of Earth Corps, the Soviet named codenamed Tankmaster, and the pilot Sabre Jet, whose suit allowed him to fly. Best of all were the newer villains, Nightcrawler, who was an associate of Blackthornes that was killed (yes, they killed a character!) but combination of cybernetic parts and D'Compose's powers gave birth to a horrible abomination. There were also two new Inhumanoids. The always hungry Gagoyle was downright disgusting as he ate everything in his path (including his new born siblings! This show was downright sick!). And finally there was the snake like Slither, the true master of the Inhumanoids before being imprisoned by Metlar.
Phew! Got all that? They packed alot into just 13 episodes. The show was notable not only for its creativity and horror like elements, but for its heavy use of shadows, split screens, and on going storyarcs. Events of each episode would play into the next giving it a very comic book like feeling.
I have theories on why it didn't last. First of all, the toyline's key pieces, the three Inhumanoids, were by far the largest and ergo most expensive pieces. So the toys that everyone would want to collect were too expensive for a lot of parents to get. Granted, they were neat toys, but if they had scaled the Inhumanoids down to maybe 8 inches and worked everything else appropriately, it might have worked out better. But sadly, because the toyline didn't sell, the show didn't last long. Also, the show itself was nightmare fuel which I'm sure ruffled some parents feathers. Granted, there were other shows around that had horror elements (The Real Ghostbusters for example) but Inhumanoids really pushed the boundaries in terms of scares and even violence (watch the Gagoyle episode...Jesus). Maybe if it had comeout in the 90s or even marketed to an older audience, it wouldn't have been as big of a deal, but market that to kids? That's bound to cause some phone calls to be made.
However, I do have very fond memories of the show. I was always a huge fan of monsters and crazy creatures, so I felt like the show was practically made for me. Below are some clips to give you an idea of what the show was like:
The Intro
The Most Famous Moment From The Show: D'Compose Transforms Sandra Shore into his undead servent:
And this video basically outlines the entire show and uses clips
other Kiwis can help you try to help remember it.
.