Directed, written, produced, starring and edited by Mark Polonia, this movie makes Carnosaur look like a 5D CGI spectacle by comparison, but come on. It was shot by a teenager in Pennsylvania and has the energy that that statement embodies.

I mean, what’s your tolerance for stop motion dinosaurs on green screen and Amiga graphics? You’re either the kind of person that looks at this and thinks it’s complete junk or you get obsessed and can’t turn away. There’s really no in-between. You know what side I end up on, because I’ve seen so many Polonia films, like the sequel to this, Saurians 2. Hell, I even have a signed copy.

Explosions wake up two dinosaurs, who proceed to destroy most of Mark’s hometown, Wellsboro, PA. It looks like this movie is all him and not as much of his brother John, who does show up as an extra. And Mark cares about you, his audience, so much that he even has his future wife do a shower scene.

This isn’t just low budget; it’s using the family camcorder and a dream budget. The stop-motion dinosaurs don’t just look rubbery—they look like they were unearthed from a discount bin at a 1980s Kay-Bee Toys and brought to life through sheer stubbornness.

The stakes in Saurians are hilariously localized. Most disaster movies threaten New York or London; Mark Polonia threatens the local diner and his neighbors’ backyards. The explosions that wake the beasts feel like someone set off a pack of Black Cat firecrackers behind a bush, yet the characters react like it’s the end of days.

And that’s beautiful.

Extras include commentary with director Mark Polonia, moderated by the Visual Vengeance crew; The Making of Saurians; a locations visit; interviews with Todd Carpenter and Kevin Lindenmuth; stop motion outtakes; Super 8 raw footage; the alternate, never released Rae Don Home Video version of Saurians; bonus SOV feature film The Dinosaur Chronicles; a commentary track for Rae Don version with director Mark Polonia and the Visual Vengeance crew; Visual Vengeance trailers; a “Stick Your Own” VHS sticker set; a reversible sleeve featuring original Saurians VHS art; a folded mini-poster with alternate vintage promotional art; a limited edition O-Card  and a rare, original piece of Super-8 film from the movie! You can get this from MVD.