16

I was only allowed to watch the opening scene then was sent to bed.

A man had the helmet on and they were testing it by putting different animals in front of it.

The man took off the helmet and laid it on a lab table then the camera slowly entered the helmet as a scientist stepped in front of the unworn helmet and the helmet read out "Not a Human Being."

Improve this question
4
  • When you say an 80s feature was it actually made then (and you watched it years later) or is that when you actually viewed it so, in theory, it could be from pre 80s?
    – Danny Mc G
    Commented Jan 28, 2023 at 7:29
  • 1
    I actually viewed it in the early 80's as a kid, I'd say around 82 or 83, I guess it could have been pre-80's made and a re-run I'm not sure. For a while I thought it ight have been a scene from V the series but I've never been able to find it and a google search brings up nothing.
    – J.B.
    Commented Jan 28, 2023 at 14:27
  • How that helmet looked like? Was there a separate screen or letters were projected? Was it protective helmet or pure scientific device?
    – Yaroslav Kornachevskyi
    Commented Jan 29, 2023 at 20:38
  • 1
    @J.B. You can accept a correct answer by clicking on the checkmark by the voting buttons as per the tour. If an incorrect answer is posted, it's an excellent chance to edit your question to add new details that came up (e.g. "I know it's not Invitation to a Party because the protagonist was African-American and it was definitely not faerie, but aliens. Also, I'm pretty sure I saw it on the ABXY network.")
    – FuzzyBoots
    Commented Jan 30, 2023 at 12:29

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
15

This sounds like Invitation to Hell. The helmet was a component of a spacesuit being developed by the company for which the protagonist was working.

In the first test of the helmet, it was aimed at a human and a houseplant, and it analyzed them as "human - terrestrial - benign" and "non-human - terrestrial - benign" respectively.

The scientist for whom the helmet produced an analysis of "non-human - malignant" was a member of the local country club that was pressuring the protagonist and his family to join.

Other scenes that I remember:

  • The protagonist wearing the spacesuit at a function hosted by the country club - all of the country club members are analyzed as "non-human - malignant".
  • The protagonist's wife becoming violent, leading the protagonist to suspect that she has been kidnapped and replaced.
  • The protagonist going through a door at the country club and finding the firey caverns of Hell on the other side.
  • The protagonist finding his real wife in Hell, where she was under a compulsion to play a piano.
Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Its on Youtube - the scene the OP talks about is like half hour in - i.imgur.com/INwW41Z.png youtu.be/fssQqdTALnA?t=1759
    – blobbymcblobby
    Commented Jan 30, 2023 at 12:44
  • I watched it for Robert Urich and Susan Lucci. It was non-spectacular made-for-tv fare. But I do enjoy watching it again every now and then. The kids are Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster) and Barret Oliver (from Neverending Story).
    – ArlettaS
    Commented Jan 30, 2023 at 20:58

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.