Movie Review: The Frankenstein Syndrome (2011)

Man, was I happy to see this film. Let me clarify that statement. I'm never really happy at the thought of watching movies that come out of the Phoenix film community. I'm not knocking the whole group of people that works out here, but there have been far more bad films than good made in our fair city. I should know. I'm in many of them. In fact, I'm only really proud of one of my performances. Recently, there has been an upswing, and that can be credited to a few small groups. The product has been getting better, and The Frankenstein Syndrome is the perfect example of what can really be done on a true independent level.

Buy The Frankenstein Syndrome on DVD or Watch it Instantly

I don't want you to think that I'm stroking this movie because our own David Hayes is in it. That will never be the case. He and I have collaborated on some turds, and you won't see those reviewed here. I'll just watch them alone in a dark room while "Fade to Black" plays in the background on repeat. What we have here is something the Phoenix film community can be proud of, and I'm proud of Dave for his work here. It's good. In fact, I'd hold this film up to any studio horror film. It's better than most these days.

Scream queen Tiffany Shepis heads up a great cast that includes Ed Lauter and an amazing performance by Scott Leet. Shepis is a doctor asked to participate in a lab project that focuses on human tissue regeneration. The project is underground, and could cost all of the doctors involved their careers. After months of testing on illegal immigrants, the perfect subject comes along.

The path of this subject is interesting, scary and sometimes even sad. There's a hint of Hannibal Lecter touch of Charly Gordon to him. Because of what the doctors did to him, you start to root for him when things go haywire. The build is steady, and the climax is better than you might expect. I was happy and intrigued during the whole movie. This is a definite must see for horror, sci-fi and suspense fans.