Customer Reviews

The Suckling

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Suckling is truly amazing if you like watching REALLY bad cinema. It boggles the mind at every twist and turn of the worst plot ever devised. I would say that the direction (?!) reminds one of the legendary Ed Wood, but the acting in The Suckling is beyond description. It has to be seen to be believed...

its an ok movie if u like fake camera views and bad acting and good blood this movie is for u

`The Suckling' opens with a very self aware (and very funny) preamble scroll which reads as follows:

"On April 1st 1973 the most bizarre and macabre event in all of Brooklyn's modern history occurred. Twelve people, inhabitants of a reputed house of prostitution and an illegal abortion clinic were killed. Only one occupant survived.

When found by police, she told a tale so fantastic and horrific, she was believed to be insane. Authorities immediately placed her in an insane asylum.

The most brilliant investigators spent years trying to solve this gruesome mystery, but to this day, are still baffled.

Could the rantings of a girl, supposedly insane, be true? The makers of this film believe so."

I believe this film delivers entirely on the expectations set out by the premise and themes, as well as its placement in the late 80s/early 90s era indie horror genre field. I consider this to be a completely unfairly neglected classic, and as far as vaguely satirical, boundary-testing gross-out mutant-monster vehicles, few films surpass the wonderful demented tone and execution of this one. It is truly one of the last GREAT entries into this field.

On very limited means this film deals admirably with some of the most uncomfortable issues, never compromising once no matter how potentially tasteless or offensive. This film did sincerely make me squirm a few times, particularly in its handling of the proceedings of an illegal abortion clinic. It balances well the dual emphasis on bold exploitation and absolutely deranged black humour. I would wager that a lot of the alleged genre fans who pan this film are being slightly dishonest, and I think their real issue comes from their being made to feel genuinely uncomfortable by it.

Aside from the already mentioned strengths, it also features a great synth score, and some excellent, inspired special effects. The editing is decidedly goofy, and while you could consider this a sign of ineptitude, I am amused by it as a quirk rather than a weakness. There is also nothing wrong with the direction at all, and in the sewer scenes it actually achieves a rather impressive mood, which I think is true throughout most of the film in fact.

If you are wondering if this film "delivers" (get it yet?), I promise, if you fully appreciate films like `Basket Case', `Blood Feast', `The Toxic Avenger', `Class of Nuke 'em High', or `Inseminoid' to name a few, you will not find it stillborn (I do go on).

The general atmosphere is one of delirious absurdity and hyper-macabre, and it should not be taken too seriously as a reflection on anything but taste standards in film. Obviously this film is not "Vera Drake", and it doesn't quite have the social conscience of other films in its close family, but it's brilliant in its own right, so do not be dissuaded by what I consider to be a misleading sampling of opinion here or elsewhere.

The DVD itself is a very nice treat. It is a really sharp anamorphic widescreen, has perfect colour balance, and is neither too bright nor dark. The print is very clean and the transfer shows a LOT of grain, so being a fan of that I am really impressed here. Elite does a fine job, as usual, especially considering the relative obscurity of this and most of the other films they release. There are no "special features" to speak of, but the theatrical trailer is included, which I always love to see, as they are always fun with films like this. Other than the lack of additional content, there is little to raise issue with here.

To any fan of outré cinema, the description on the back of the DVD case is simply mouthwatering. Back-alley abortion, toxic waste, an ambulatory mutant fetus, a group of people trapped in a house of ill repute--all the earmarks of a fun, campy, over-the-top horror movie. If nothing else, it's probably one of those so-bad-it's-good flicks in the Ed Wood vein, right? WRONG! Wrong, at least, if the film in question is 1990's THE SUCKLING (released as SEWAGE BABY in the UK). Although released on DVD by the well-regarded Elite Entertainment--which has distributed some "lost" gems in the past such as the Alan Ormsby-scripted POPCORN (1991), Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE (1977), and the highly controversial I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978), among others--THE SUCKLING is way beneath the company's usual offerings.

Many popular and successful low-budget and indie films rise above their meager foundations by exploiting a well-written script, a talented group of actors, or skilled crew members and technicians. Or clever filmmakers can even use humor and copious T&A to disguise weak material, talentless actors, or an inexperienced crew. Unfortunately for the viewer, it seems the makers of THE SUCKLING not only lacked quality material and personnel, they were also not clever enough to camouflage their shortcomings. Instead, their film reads like a school project slapped together by students who hadn't yet decided if they were going to actually major in filmmaking or not.

The overall look of THE SUCKLING is more frightening than the eponymous infant itself. Set decoration is drab or bleak at best, and though the bulk of the film's action takes place in a single room, very little (if anything) is done by way of camera work or editing to add zip to the dull surroundings or to achieve any sort of visual interest. The script is replete with unrealistic and often stilted dialogue, and the obviously amateur actors deliver most of their lines with the same emotive flair seen in high-school productions. Though small bits of humor are thrown in here and there--one of the best gags is when the abortionist is cleaning off her "medical" instrument, then bends it back into its original shape and uses it to hang up her lab coat--they are incongruous with the starkness of the surrounding dialog and events, making it confusingly unclear if the film is intended as camp or serious drama. All the T&A in the film is delivered mainly at the film's beginning with an in-your-face subtlety that makes it seem as if it were tacked on as an afterthought. Not only that, but the nudity is mixed in with downright goofy visual gags that are even more incongruous than the other laughs scattered haphazardly throughout the film. Worse yet, the denouement of the primary tissue-thin plot is downright ridiculous and unbelievable, and the following epilogue is so predictable and cliche that even a blind person could see it coming.

There is no doubt that those who made THE SUCKLING are fans of horror cinema. Several aspects of the film are obviously influenced by greats of the genre: As in Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and its first two sequels, the protagonists are trapped and confined to one locale, forcing them to confront their preternatural enemy if they are to have any hope of survival; a mutant baby, fresh out of the womb, has become a powerful and formidable killing machine, much like the titular character in Larry Cohen's IT'S ALIVE (1974); and the suckling itself has many characteristics of the titular character in ALIEN (1979). Sadly, when making THE SUCKLING, their enthusiasm as fans didn't match their sense of cinematic aesthetics or technical skill, and it is surprising that they were ever able to get such a film into wide distribution. In truth, a film of this low caliber should've been screened only at the filmmakers' own informal parties or family reunions, if ever shown at all.

The DVD from Elite Entertainment is a no-frills disc offering only a theatrical trailer (one nearly as slipshod in quality as the film itself). It's hard to say if the transfer is a good one, as there is so much grain in the original film that it would be nearly impossible to see any digital artifacts even if there were some. It doesn't really matter anyway, as the DVD edition of THE SUCKLING should be of interest only to those needing an example of really deplorable cinema.

Released in Britain as "Sewage Baby", that title more aptly sums up this film

What could have been a good film is killed by only a few faults; bad script, poor acting, and really weak/cheap special effects.

Don't believe the other two reviews. It has no 'social message' about abortion. It is just a film exhibiting one badly mauled person after another - at the hands of an aborted child, who flushed into the sewer comes in contact with some kind of mutant-producing chemical waste! Yep, it's that bad.

What would have been better is if the creature used its umblical cord to feed off its victims in some kind of parasitic way, instead of slashing them with its claws for no apparent reason - it doesn't really feed off them.

Also, I was fooled into thinking that this was a recent film. It was made in 1990, over 15 years ago. It shows in that everyone still has 80s hair (it may have been made prior to 1990, and only first released then).

It has been many years since a movie has come along as astounding terrifyingly and dramatically as the Suckling, a visual tour-de-force, unstoppable in horror and hitting you with new revelations about life, love, and happiness every second. This is not a film to be missed, the greatest love story of our time, and a masterpiece of modern cinema.

To say I had one of the scariest experiences of my life is to put it mildly. The director really knows how to tell a story, which is unusual in a lot of horror films. The problem this film has is in its casting with the exception of Frank Reeves who is tremendous and reminded me of Marlon Brando mixed with Jimi Smits. Marie Michaels is also very interesting as the "Lady of the Night". I recognize her as an actress from Scorcese's "Good Fella's". I highly recommend this film especially for you horror buffs. A wonderful treat for Halloween parties!