Movie Review: The Regenerated Man (1994)

Directed by Ted Bohus

Starring Pete DeLorenzo, James Benvenuto and John Bianco

In this take on the Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde theme, Dr. Robert Clark and his research team are working on a new formula for the regeneration of human tissue. Dr. Clark grows impatient with the testing procedures and decides to try the formula on himself. Soon after, a couple of his missing toes grow back, causing great excitement for the research team. Unfortunately, later that evening the lab is broken into by thugs looking for gold (huh?), frustrated with not finding anything of value in the lab, the thugs decide to play rough and administer the Dr. their own little cocktail of random chemicals from the lab counter. Apparently this doesnt agree with the Dr.'s tummy and he soon transforms into a guy in a cheesy rubber mask......uh, I mean....a powerful mutation (complete with pulsating cranium), hungry for human flesh and capable of shooting little bone darts out of his finger tips. When the Dr. reverts back to human form, he has no recollection of his transformation.



After the Doctor reads about a series of bizarre monster attacks he realizes this might be due to his own strange metamorphosis . He makes his condition known to his team and they frantically work on an antidote. Unfortunately, the experimental solution causes him to mutate into an even larger, more hideous form of life.

In the world of bad cinema there are varying levels of cheesiness. And depending on your personal taste, some are palatable and some....not so much. If you dig far enough below this sea-bed of cinematic cheesiness, you come apon the world of “shot-on-video” horror movies. A wasteland reserved for the most forgiving of horror fans. And its here that you'll find The Regenerated Man. It has all the attributes of a truly bad movie....shoddy direction, silly script, poor acting and even frustratingly bad audio ( I had to adjust the volume between just about every scene). I could call the effects laughable, but cheap and unconvincing would work just as good. Often times movies like these can get over the hump with the aid of some type of creative element, whether it be a funny script, an outstanding performance by a main character, excessive nudity, or of coarse the old stand-by....buckets of blood and guts.

This one was a swing and a miss on all counts, unfortunately. Trying to be as nice as I possibly can, I'd call it a quaint piece of retro 90's cinema, and to its credit, it does contain what may be the worst CGI creature ever seen on screen. And that in itself may have some type of obscure historical significance. Bonus Features include a trailer, still gallery, behind the scenes commentary and a “making-of” featurette.

3 out of 10 Reviewed by KennyB