A plague has pretty much removed mankind off the map for the exception of underground bases throughout the US. There are two at least we know of..Mojave Desert base, the one where our low-budget sci-fi horror flick is set, and the Rocky Mountain base where our base communicates with from time to time. It seems mutated "gargoyles" have spurned from the plague/virus that killed off civilization and are trying to break the stronghold(a minor steel door "hidden" inside an old metal shack)of the Mojave underground base. The film opens with hero David(Andrew David)and Sue(Starr Andreeff), secret lovers, searching for possible survivors and running into a pregnant woman(..after finding a dead family with their stomach's ripped open)who herself is fleeing a gargoyle. At first, we see through the eyes of the monster after her. David and Sue, through the permission of base commander Hal(George Kennedy, really slumming it..he must've really needed the cash), bring this female, named Karen(Yvonne Saa), inside the the installation paying dire consequences..she is carrying a monster fetus growing at an alarming rate. In a scene VERY reminiscent to ALIEN, the gargoyle fetus, as Dr. Linda(Terri Treas)attempts to abort it, explodes forth from Karen's womb and escapes into the air duct. The rest of the film shows our small crew trying to find the monster, now fully grown within 45 minutes(..now that's fast!), on the four levels of the base as it picks them off one by one, slashing their throats with it's sharp clawed hands. The characters of Andre(John Lafayette)and Neil(Tommy Hinkley)are modeled after Parker(Yaphet Kotto) and Brett(Harry Dean Stanton) without much success. Bright spot is Starr Andreeff as Stevens' beautiful love-interest who may possibly become a victim of the rampaging gargoyle..in the plot, the gargoyles rape and impregnate other human females so that their race may breed and grow;Sue, when attempting to assist her hurt lover, is captured and victimized by the rubber fiend.<br /><br />An unconvincing rubber monster suit wore by a tall stuntman, a plot which unashamedly borrows elements from another popular film(s), cheap sets patch-worked together, and underwritten characters..living the B-movie experience. "The Terror Within" does move at a quickened pace and the cast, at least, seem inspired keeping a straight face. The rubber monster is corny and inspires giggles instead of fear. I do feel this is the kind of film for bad alien movie connoisseurs only. The gore is pretty good..the way the monster tears at it's victims. There are chase scenes in air-ducts also very reminiscent of ALIEN/ALIENS. Go into this expecting an unoriginal monster sci-fi actioner and you might find it entertaining. But, if the whole point of the film is for the viewer to bite their nails at this horrifying monster popping up out of nowhere, then it fails miserably. Because the rubber monster in this film sure doesn't elicit the same effectiveness as the creatures in ALIEN.