The Kindred (1987)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

the audience applauded

Excellent but underrated film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Another "When science goes bad" themed b-movie film about a son who discovers the extent of his mothers experiments and the creature that lives within the bowels of her home.Truth be told The Kindred has some good ideas, some of the practical effects are great and it's not entirely awful. Sadly on the flip side it's not very well made, for every decent sfx there is a poor one and the characters are instantly forgettable.The Kindred is one of those very few films I'd like to see a reboot of, or at least modern sequel. The potential is there, it just needs a budget and a decent team to put all the pieces together.In it's current form The Kindred is a barely passable effort that I'd advise only big fans of the genre give time to.The Good:Some great practical effectsA few good ideasOne decent death sceneThe Bad:Some poor practical effectsWeak constructionDoesn't meet its potentialThings I Learnt From This Movie:Had Japan made this film it would have been an entirely different movie, you know......the tentacles!

Okay, first and foremost, let me take my pants off. Just kidding... No, First and foremost, this film will delight you ONLY if you are a real fan of films described in my summary above. It is ULTRA low budget, but you really have to admire how well they did with what they had. I thought for very low cost creature effects, the creators / directors of the film did an excellent job in making them as believable as possible and actually truly scary at times. You could tell that the directors had a nice natural sense of how to visualize what they wanted; for example, without giving too much away, just the simple scene with the little guy in the jar was really quite good. When compared to MANY other similar scenes in Horror or even Goofy, NOT-Serious Horror (A La 'GREMLINS', for example) where you would use similar effects, I really felt that they made it very believable and lifelike, which went a LONG way in involving and truly immersing you more in the film.Sure, as some others have stated here, there are some pretty Cheeeeeeezy moments, but even compared to MOST of the Horror crap that has come out during that time and even within, say, ten years of this being made, I think this one very much holds it's own in drawing the audience in and creating a decent level of tension. There are also a nice twist or two that adds to the entertainment value of the movie. One transformation scene, which I WON'T go into because I do not want to enter Spoiler territory, was honestly quite effective and well done, despite some of the scornful comments from a couple of other reviewers here. The acting is nothing to get too excited about; we don't see very much from the veterans here, except the usual Rod Steiger getting worked up to either an orgasm or heart attack, take your choice... I personally liked Brad though; he had a rather entertaining personality. Everyone else was adequate; the British girl was decent, of course the accent (to us easily impressed Americans) always helps.I'm NOT trying to say that this is by ANY reach of the imagination an 'ALIEN', 'SESSION 9', or 'EVENT HORIZON', believe me; but for the modest intent of the film and for PRECISELY what it is, it comes across surprisingly well. So, like I mentioned before, IF you are indeed a fan of these kinds of films, then you should have a lot of fun watching it...

I remember this film from when I was a wee little thing. It definitely scared the crap out of me when I was kid. Not bad for a little horror monster movie that probably not a lot of people have heard of. The most memorable moments in the film for me have already been mentioned in previous reviews.Now that I'm 27 years-old, I can still remember how horrific I found the "watermelon" scene when "Anthony", the mutated creature with long tentacles and sharp teeth, manages to miraculously crawl inside a watermelon. The scene where it bursts out of the watermellon in backseat of a car and attacks an unsuspecting woman by stuffing it's tenacles up her nose and under her skin still grosses me out. You'll have to see it to believe it. Very great visual effects for a little horror movie. This movie gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Now that I think about, the "watermelon scene" does come across a bit silly but it's still a very effective and creepy scene in the film. And the "fish lady" transformation scene still etches itself in my brain. If you come across this rare little horror movie, check it out for the creep and camp factor. True 80's horror fans won't be disappointed.

For the demographic demanding to see Rod Steiger covered in slime, this movie is for you! THE KINDRED is actually a fun little monster flick. Dr. John Hollins (David Allen Brooks) heads to the home of his scientist mother (Kim Hunter) with some friends to clean up her work after she has a heart attack. While he isn't quite sure what she was working on, she demands he destroy it all. Oh, she also reveals he has a brother named Anthony. What is Anthony? A mutant hybrid of John's genes and some aquamarine life. Of course an evil scientist (Steiger) is also out to get his hands on Anthony. The film does have a few problems (most notably the slow first half hour and low body count) but this is still an enjoyable monster mash with good acting. Titular creature Anthony is an original looking design and the rest of the effects work is very good. In addition, the film has a great score by David Newman. Co-directors Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow are also responsible for THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, THE POWER and SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT.