The Kindred - 1987

Reviewed by Sammi and Belial



Year: 1987

Director: Stephen Carpenter and Jefferey Obrow

Starring: David Allen Brooks, Rod Steiger, Amanda Pays

Synopsis: A scientist, named John, is told by his dying scientist mother that he has a brother he never knew about. She explains to him that he needs to go and take care of "Anthony" and to burn her journals. He gathers a group of his colleagues together to go to her secluded house and figure out what exactly she was trying to tell him. Who's Anthony? Where are these journals? Where's the dog?! Tentacly monstery chaos ensues...

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Review: So, Belial and I were determined to watch something that would surprise us as actually being a good movie (our last couple of attempts didn't turn out so well, but will be reviewed at a later time, as soon as the idea of it doesn't make me nauseous). We popped in "The Kindred", which I had vaguely remembered from when I was young, and all I can say is that we got so much more than what we had anticipated!!
When you expect a movie about a monster test tube baby, and you get people turning into fish and hybrids and a monster big enough to flip a car over....what the hell more do you ask for?! There wasn't much gore, the film was more squishy than splattery, and no nudity (I know...horror without boobs? In the late 80's?) but it didn't matter. The effects were brilliant, the creatures were beyond imaginative looking, and all in all, this film looked and felt more Lovecraftian than most films that are actual adaptations of his work.
All in all, I was thrilled with this film. The pacing was great, it definitely held your attention through it's duration. The story wasn't anything innovative, but was executed very well. I even started to care a little about the characters. It wasn't one of those cases of one solid character and a plethora of monster fodder. This film is definitely fun for repeat viewings with friends. Not only do I recommend this film...I demand you find yourself a copy!

Score: 8.0/11

Trivia: Jefferey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter had actually worked together many times before, having already made Pranks (The Dorm that Dripped Blood) in 1982 and The Power in 1984. Carpenter went on to later make a film that was so horrible, it's actually become a bit legendary for it's ineptness, Soul Survivors (2001).

Availability: As far as I can tell, this film has never been released on DVD, but Amazon does have used copies listed starting at $3.70.