Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Suckling Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 27, 2019

It’s amazing that 1989’s “The Suckling” isn’t a Troma film. For whatever reason, the tiny studio that lives to release garbage/cult cinema passed on or perhaps wasn’t even offered the feature for release, which seems like a distribution crime. Writer/director Francis Teri appears to have the Troma mood in mind for this endeavor, which explores the rampage of an aborted fetus infected with toxic waste, growing into a monster that sets out to kill everyone inside an abortion clinic/brothel. While I’m sure such a premise seems like bottom-shelf gold for some audiences, Teri, making his directorial debut, is way out of his depth with “The Suckling,” which looks cheap and plays dumb, trusting in the little shock value it has to keep viewers entertained. The effort never had a shot at being fun, but exciting and amusing were on the table, and Teri doesn’t bother to get the material to a place of B-movie insanity.

Rebecca is pregnant, and she wants to carry the baby to term, giving it up for adoption after it’s born. Phil, her boyfriend, doesn’t share her vision, taking his partner to a backwoods abortion clinic for a quick coat hanger procedure, with the establishment also doubling as a brothel overseen by Big Mama and her staff of prostitutes and bouncers. Drugged against her will, Rebecca’s fetus is flushed down the toilet, ending up in a sewer filled with toxic waste, mutating the body into a bloodthirsty creature. The monster grows in size and manages to cover the house in an unbreakable membrane, sealing in the crew, who immediately panic, trying to find a way out of the dwelling as the Creature begins to murder the inhabitants, traveling through pipes and walls.

It’s easy to be offended by “The Suckling.” That’s exactly the reaction Teri wants for his first film, broadcasting his no-budget skills with a provocative premise that initially appears to offer some commentary on the abortion debate, but quickly shows its true colors as a mindless genre offering. Teri is so fixated on the griminess of the picture, he forgets such important storytelling tools like character introductions, with a few of the players not even named during the feature, while the whole movie takes place inside a single location, limiting visual variation as the action moves from the living room to the basement and back to the living room.

Teri isn’t a practiced helmer, and his shortcomings are found often in “The Suckling,” which struggles to find things to do between Creature attacks, while its sense of humor is on the obvious side, dedicating an entire scene to one brothel client’s fondness for anal penetration, which Teri sells with flying sex toy imagery. A lot of work goes into the joke, and such labor is not shared anywhere else, with the story settling into a game of survival with those left alive, watching as the civilians, abortionists, and prostitutes turn on one another, escalating such antagonism to gun play. Sadly, few of the actors are seasoned enough to make magic with next to nothing, but a select few, including the performer portraying senior hooker Miss Candy, manage to capture the bad movie spirit, delivering far more character snap than Teri deserves.

The Suckling Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"The Suckling" made it far into home video circulation, eventually arriving on DVD, and there was a Blu-ray release in 2016, courtesy of, *checks twice*, "Mr. Fat-W Video." Vinegar Syndrome has elected to take the cult feature to the next level, offering a Blu-ray viewing experience that's "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 16mm original camera negative." It's an upgrade I doubt few expected to ever happen, and the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is likely the best the no-budget movie is ever going to look. Detail digs as deep as the original cinematography permits, achieving a feel for fibrous costuming and facial surfaces. Creature effects are equally textured, showcasing the ribbed wonders of the slippery menace. Colors are alert, offering sharp primaries for interiors and clothing. Brightness of hues is appreciable, including time with pink tile and outdoor greenery. Creature hues are lively, secured with deeper reds. Delineation is satisfactory, preserving basement adventures and shadowed posing. Grain is thick but filmic. Source is in decent shape, with some speckling and a few single-frame blotches.

The Suckling Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix communicates all the necessary elements of "The Suckling" listening event. What's interesting about the track is the use of industrial noises to fill in silences and create tighter sonic pressure. Thankfully, such coverage doesn't interfere with dialogue exchanges, which retain their definition, save for a few brief run-ins with sibilance issues. Scoring does well, providing a slightly heavier piano-based presence, achieving mood and satisfying suspense needs. Sound effects are limited but understood, with pipe and wall Creature travel most common, along with some milder gun shots.

The Suckling Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Teenage Mutant Ninja Fetus" (13:04, HD) is a conversation with horror journalist Michael Gingold, who also portrayed the Creature in "The Suckling" for a few days. Gingold tracks his connection to the production, which dates back to his college years, picking up an odd job to become a Man in Suit, eventually meeting the crew during his initial fitting. The interviewee breaks down the parts of the Creature suit (which didn't have eye holes), and he shares a lengthy anecdote concerning his task to break through an unbreakable wall for one attack sequence. Gingold recalls his first viewing during the picture's limited theatrical run, and shares his lone piece of memorabilia from "The Suckling." He closes with an assessment of the feature's legacy and its position on his resume.

• Interview (12:02, HD) with Francis Teri is a slightly uneasy chat with the writer/director, who details production origins, influences, abortion commentary, and interactions with crew members. Most interesting is a breakdown of Creature cost and staging challenges with the monster and locations. Controversy is detailed, and Teri is candid with his reaction to "The Suckling" and his immediate lack of interest in making another movie, with fatigue and disillusionment ruining Hollywood plans. The interviewee also shares final thoughts and some business lessons.

• Image Gallery (2:31) offers BTS snaps, publicity shots, script pages, a shooting schedule, magazine articles, a press release, and VHS cover art.

• A Trailer has not been included.

The Suckling Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Suckling" is best appreciated as a low-fi monster movie, as Teri conjures a reasonably vivid Creature to help provide monster mayhem. The beast slides around the building, bursting through pipes and walls. Teri aims for a Sam Raimi-style viewing experience with a vicious enemy and chaotic action, but he doesn't have a sense of style. There's also a strange grimness to the picture, which gets heavier as it goes, giving in to darkness, which sucks the life out the production. "The Suckling" is quite unpleasant on many levels (random too, with a special effects test slapped on the end credits), but its greatest sin is its lack of humor. Without silliness or oddity, the material becomes depressing, and a general absence of suspense doesn't help the cause. Teri tries to rile up his audience with this trip into the extremity of a terminated pregnancy, but he doesn't have a game plan to get out of the premise, leaving viewers stuck in ugliness for far too long.