Saat des Wahnsinns - Clonus Horror

Like most other people, I saw this movie on "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Although it received some well-deserved barbs, it's one of the better films to be featured on that show.

The premise is better than even your average Hollywood blockbuster these days; it poses some interesting moral dilemmas. Although the score is sometimes obtrusive, it also provides a few lovely moments when Richard is walking by the river. Watching the movie, you can see where a lot of plot developments probably looked very good on paper. Richard's discomfort in modern society is an interesting problem to ponder, and the ending probably would have been a nice '70s-style mindfuck if the preceding affairs hadn't been so goofy.

Unfortunately, the movie is visibly cheap, making the flaws all the more obvious. The "clone farm" is very obviously a college campus, and a beer can serves as a major plot point. Lena and Richard have zero chemistry -- we are supposed to believe this is a meeting of kindred minds, but there doesn't seem to be a brain cell between them. The "cranky old couple" schtick also gets real old, real fast. There are also some mistakes that can be blamed on bad directorial choices, such as the decision to hold a climactic conversation out of reach of any audio equipment whatsoever.

In all, a noble effort, but is nonetheless best viewed on MST3K.

The average 2.1 rating tells me that most of the people who rated this movie have only seen the Mystery Science Theater version. True, it was a poorly executed low budget 70s horror film but it had a good plot; good enough to be remade as THE ISLAND (2005).

As a 70s horror flick it is obviously violent and cheesy, but the unique plot, involving a secret clone factory, by itself keeps one's interest. In better hands it could have been a good movie, and THE ISLAND is, in fact, a good uncredited remake of this one. Consequently, the movie has historical interest, particularly considering that cloning as a reality was still many decades off back then.

The directing is obviously mediocre. The violence was designed for shock (although it is still tame compared to a Tarantino movie or even a lot of mainstream action or horror flicks of this generation). I cannot openly recommend the movie but do deny that it belongs in the "so bad its good" category. It is, perhaps, more of a guilty pleasure inasmuch as no one wants to admit liking the movie, but I can think of many many movies (including a list of theatrical releases from this year) which are far worse.

It is not something you can expect to keep in your home video library but it is a unique 70s horror flick that was the "inspiration" for THE ISLAND. It give it 6 out of 10 because of the story and ingenuity, otherwise it would have gotten a 5 at best.

All the young adults live in the sort of summer-camp existence that we have come to associate with the rich in 'evil future' movies. They seem naive and rather incurious, although there is talk about America. Then one of them finds an empty beer can in the river, and is sent to America, where he gradually comes to realize what the audience has known since it saw the title: he is a clone and all is not well.

It's a foolish and obvious sort of story, but I think the five guys, credited and uncredited, who produced this did a great job. It cost less than a million dollars to get in the can, and has some actual actors who charge actual money for their appearances in it: Peter Graves; Dick Sargent; and Keenan Wynn. True, none of them were hot commodities at the time, and I doubt any of them spent more than one day shooting their roles, but neither can I see any of them needing the work.

I'm sure it didn't put many extra patrons in the theater. I suspect the producers wanted these guys, talked them into it, and paid them their day rates, and everyone went home. The result is not particularly distinguished, but I didn't start watching this thinking it would be.

This movie has the feel of a pre "The Brood" era David Cronenberg film and I honestly prefer this over Rabid or Fast Company (I can't include the one with the parasites that turns an apartment complex into sex maniacs. That premise is too funny to not enjoy).

Clonus Horror also known as Parts is a decent low budget horror movie. The horror is more plot driven. The story centers around Richard a clone who lived his entire life on a clone farm with hundreds of others but because his mind is more developed than others, he is able to comprehend that something is not right about the place. He begins to ask questions. The authorities decide to deal with him but before they can, he learns the purpose of his existence and the fate of all the others who were supposed to go to America which is an Utopian concept. But Richard escapes to America and he tries to convince the person he is the clone of to help stop "Clonus" the clone farm.

Many no doubt, like me, were introduced to this by the MST3K episode where they riffed this movie. That version of the movie cuts out the most disturbing scenes completely. Add them in, and the movie is effective in the horror sense.

A lot of people rip the acting and there is some poor performances but many of the characters are near vegetable clones too and they do come across as such so the acting works. Richard is confused and scared and Tim Donnelly portrayed that well. The supporting cast has a mix of mid level stars and TV actors given a shot to appear in a feature film.

This is a low budget movie and the limitations that brings are apparent but despite the handicap, this movie comes across better in this category (low budget sci fi/horror). Pacing is a little of an issue in my view and that's a common problem with these types of movies. Many today, will find it very slow, but a lot movies in the 70's or earlier were much like this and it was common for the time, especially on the lower budget films.

I do recommend this if you are a fan of sci fi/horror films of this era.

"parts: the clonus horror" (the title uses only lower-case letters) stars Tim Donnelly as The Guy Who Played "Chet" in "Emergency", Dick Sargent as The Second Guy Who Played Darrin in "Bewitched", Paulette Breen as The Girl Who Kept Her Nose to the Grindstone, Kenan Wynn as The Grouchy Guy with the Really Really Big Scratchy Voice, and, of course, Peter "Biography" Graves.

With a cast like that, how can you fail?

Actually, although MST3K made this movie the butt of one of their funniest episodes (and make no mistake, their riffing on this movie was hilarious), I really can't say this film is that bad. The plot was interesting, with a fair number of twists and turns, and premise was fairly novel, and the acting was pretty good. (Could anyone look more completely bummed out than Emergency's Chet did throughout this movie?) The clones' vapid stupidity is consistent with the plotline, and Peter Graves projects just the right kind of blandness that you just know covers up a whole lot of evil underneath.

One thing bothers me, though; who was that really creepy looking guy with the eyepatch who appeared toward the end of the movie?