# Voyage of the Rock Aliens
**Voyage of the Rock Aliens** is a 1984 American science-fiction comedy musical directed by James Fargo, in which a band of new wave extraterrestrials arrives in a guitar-shaped spaceship in the small town of "Speelburgh" while searching for the source of rock & roll.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) • [2](https://watch.troma.com/category-comedy/videos/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) It stars [Pia Zadora](https://www.edgepedia.org/pia-zadora), Tom Nolan, and [Craig Sheffer](https://www.edgepedia.org/craig-sheffer), with [Ruth Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruth-gordon) and Michael Berryman in supporting roles.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | James Fargo; Troma's listing also credits Bob Giraldi as director[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) • [2](https://watch.troma.com/category-comedy/videos/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) |
| US release | March 9, 1984[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/releaseinfo/) |
| Principal cast | Pia Zadora (Dee Dee), Tom Nolan (Absid), Craig Sheffer (Frankie), Ruth Gordon (Sheriff), Michael Berryman (Chainsaw)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew) |
| Premise | Alien ABCD and his band land in a guitar-shaped spaceship and give a beach girl a chance to sing[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) |
| Runtime and rating | About 96 minutes; rated PG[5](https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) |
| Production | Curb Entertainment and Inter Planetary Productions Corporation; screenwriters Charles Hairston, Edward Gold, and James Guidotti[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) |
| Later releases | West Germany May 31, 1985; Sweden October 18, 1985; Canada TV premiere March 15, 1986; Finland August 1987[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/releaseinfo/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and cast
The story follows Frankie (Craig Sheffer), leader of a high school rock band, who falls in love with the singer Dee Dee (Pia Zadora). Their happiness comes under threat when a guitar-shaped spaceship lands on Earth.[6](https://www.scifi-movies.com/en/short/0002579/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-1984/) The alien band is led by ABCD (Tom Nolan), whose crewmates carry the rest of the alphabet as names: Jaklem (JKLM), Nopquir (NOPQR), Stovitz (STUVWXYZ), Aeiou, and F-Gee (FGHI).[6](https://www.scifi-movies.com/en/short/0002579/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-1984/) Ruth Gordon plays the town's Sheriff.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew)
The film mixes its musical plot with horror-comedy elements: [Michael Berryman](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-berryman) plays Chainsaw, a chainsaw-wielding psychopath, and Wallace Merck plays a character called the Breather.[5](https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew) The band Jimmy and the Mustangs also appears.[7](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yoti1oty)
## Music
The film's original music is credited to [Jack White](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-white), with cinematography by Gilbert Taylor.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew) According to IMDb, early screenings of the film did not include the opening version of "When the Rain Begins to Fall," the song performed by [Jermaine Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-jackson) and Pia Zadora.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402) One audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes describes the film as roughly seven music videos stitched together with a plot involving a serial killer, a lake monster, a high school prom, and aliens whose spaceship is shaped like a [Gibson Flying V](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibson-flying-v) guitar.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens)
## Release and reception
The film opened in the United States on March 9, 1984, and reached other markets slowly: [West Germany](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-germany) on May 31, 1985, Sweden on October 18, 1985, a Canadian television premiere on March 15, 1986, and Finland in August 1987.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/releaseinfo/) It circulated under alternative titles including Attack of the Aliens and Attack of the Rock 'n' Roll Aliens in the United States, Alienígenas do Rock in Brazil, and Yön syke as a Finnish video box title.[6](https://www.scifi-movies.com/en/short/0002579/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-1984/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/releaseinfo/) In the United Kingdom, a home entertainment version running 95 minutes 19 seconds was classified by the [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) on February 1, 1991, distributed by Prism Distribution Plc; the BBFC lists its production year as 1990.[7](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yoti1oty)
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer score of 52 percent from two critic reviews, with more than 250 audience ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) Critic Dennis Harvey, writing in 48 Hills in 2022, called it a flop that nonetheless "screams 'Eighties'" in a way he suggested was worthy of a time capsule, and Jason Shawhan of the Nashville Scene called it "a future midnight-movie classic."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens) The American Genre Film Archive, which holds a restoration made from the original camera negative and offers it on 2K DCP, describes the film as "Devo meets GREASE," combining the experimentation of early MTV with the spirits of *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* and *Star Wars*.[5](https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/)
## References
1. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens)
2. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens, Troma NOW](https://watch.troma.com/category-comedy/videos/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens)
3. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/cast-and-crew)
4. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402/releaseinfo/)
5. [VOYAGE OF THE ROCK ALIENS (1984), American Genre Film Archive](https://www.americangenrefilm.com/theatrical-film-catalog/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens/)
6. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens - James Fargo (1984), SciFi-Movies](https://www.scifi-movies.com/en/short/0002579/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-1984/)
7. [Voyage Of The Rock Aliens, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/voyage-of-the-rock-aliens-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yoti1oty)
8. [Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096402)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 1980s › Released 1980 to 1985*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license