Mutation

I viewed the "K7B Mutation" director's cut and thoroughly enjoyed this cheap and cheerful horror romp. Poor acting was balanced by creative effects, including some interesting CGI that was done on the thinnest of shoestring budgets.

This is by no means a masterpiece but, as an underground low-budget zombie-thon, it hits the mark. The crew behind this project have delivered a vision that's bigger and wider than some large-budget studio horror flicks and, for this alone, they should be commended.

The soundtrack's also effective and I may actually track down the official CD.

MUTATION (or, in director's cut form K7B:MUTATION) is the first of a trilogy of apocalyptic zombie films from director Marc Fehse. Actually, zombies are only a prevalent feature of the films. Much like Italy's new horror king, Ivan Zuccon, Fehse channels Lovecraft through the kaleidoscope vision of '70s splatter films. Shot on video- and looking it- MUTATION nevertheless overcomes almost all of shortcomings in inventive ways. The CGI effect can be absolutely brutal, or cartoonish- but always make sense in context to the scene that employs them. This is psychotronic underground film-making and as such is certainly not for everyone. But it stands far above most other underground horror efforts and should definitely be experienced by anyone seriously interested in horror films outside Hollywood. The second film in the series, GENERATION DEAD, is even better.

Just when you thought Germany's underground splatter scene had run its course, a gem like Mutation comes along and reminds you that there are still a lot of sick, twisted people out there with the ability to make quality, fun horror.

This film, while far from perfect, is a riotous romp filled with exploding heads, disembowelings, and mutated humans going berserk on the populace. The effects range from absolutely stunning to pretty bad, but nine times out of ten, you're left shocked and appalled - exactly what this kind of film should leave you doing.

The plot is simple. A chemical created by Nazi experimentation is discovered in modern-day Germany. Once released, it causes all sorts of horrific bloodshed, mutation, and madness. People try to find a way to survive, but most end up as piles of pulsating guts by the time the end credits roll.

The acting is, at times, amateur, but with a production like this, its expected. If you're looking for a wonderful throwback to the heyday of German underground splatter, look no further than Mutation!

The good: There is some nice gore. The computer effects, make-up, and CGI were very well done for a low-budget movie like this. A lot more creative and ambitious than most. The fake documentary at the beginning was cool.

The bad: Confusing plot, bad CGI effects for some of the gore scenes, the gore itself is rather sparse, the movie manages to be rather boring a lot of the time, and (while this doesn't really have anything to do with the actual movie) the subtitles on the version I watched were poorly translated which made the movie even more confusing.

I do have to give the movie extra points for ambition, as said before a lot of the effects are really well done, especially for a debut feature, and the movie is more creative than most movies of this sort. But unfortunately, the low budget held the movie back, and the general boredom and lack of gore dragged the move down.