The Frankenstein Syndrome (2010)
Elizabeth Barnes (played by Tiffany Shepis) is quite the young upstart in the field of stem-cell research. She takes a job working in a secret laboratory for the infamous Dr. Walton (Ed Lauter). Walton is trying to develop a serum that will cure every known disease, perhaps even cure death itself, and he has gathered a crew of brilliant physicians together to make this happen.
The reason for all the secrecy is that his group of scientists is illegally obtaining their materials from homeless women willing to sacrifice their bodies for science. Elizabeth immediately takes flack from Dr. Victoria Travelle (Patti Tindall), the team’s leader, who sees her as a threat to her position. After David Doyle (Scott Anthony Leet), the head of security, is killed, they use his body to test the serum and resurrect him but the results of this experiment are less than ideal.
This film delves into the sub-genres of medical horror and mad science and comes out all nasty; coughing up black bile, spraying blood, and flinging chunks of bodies and stuff. The Frankenstein Syndrome has a cool look and boasts some nice camerawork and lighting. It’s hard not to come away from this film feeling cold and slightly depressed. This is not the feel-good splatter flick of the year!
The cast is where The Frankenstein Syndrome really succeeds. One of the horror genre’s sexiest go-to gals, Tiffany Shepis, is excellent in her role (she also gets a producing credit on this film) that is complex and fascinating. The incredibly prolific and always dependable Ed Lauter has a good, smallish part and Louis Mandylor is perfect as the cold and calculating, Marcus, one of Dr. Walton’s lackeys. I really enjoyed Patti Tindall’s ice queen act that only melts when things get really fucked up and it just makes her character even more disturbing. Scott Anthony Leet completely caught me off guard and puts in an extremely dynamic performance.
While The Frankenstein Syndrome isn’t breaking any new ground, the film is full of some cool, if heavy-handed, ideas. I won’t spoil any of those ideas here because they are part of what makes this film unique from your average straight-to-video horror flick and might be possibly spoilerish. Let’s just say there is some immoral and profoundly dark shit going on and leave it at that. Director Tretta and crew make the most of their modest budget and great cast to pull off something horrifying, smart, gory, and quite bleak. If you happen to stumble across this indie horror film or go seek it out, you won’t be disappointed.