PopHorror Let's Get Scared
On April 1, 1973. the most bizarre and macabre event in all of Brooklyn’s modern history occurred. Twelve people inside a reputed house of prostitution and an illegal abortion clinic were killed. Only one occupant survived. When found by police, she told a tale so fantastic and horrific, she was believed to be insane. Could the rantings of a girl, now institutionalized, be true?
So begins The Suckling, a 1990 film that has been lost to the masses for years. Also known as Sewage Baby, this horror comedy fits neatly into the So Bad It’s Good category. The film was written and directed by one time director Francis Teri (Flesh Eating Mothers 1988) and stars Susan Brodsky (I Was On Mars 1991), Frank Rivera (Reasonable Doubts 1991), Ella Aralovich, Gerald Preger, Marie Michaels, Redemption’s (2013) Janet Sovey and Tim Martin Crouse, Antoinette Greene (ICE: Chapter 1 TV series), and The Ranger’s (2018) Michael Gingold as The Suckling.
The Suckling‘s synopsis:
A woman goes to a back alley abortion clinic, only to have her aborted fetus attack her, her boyfriend, and everyone else at the clinic.
Special Features:
- Newly scanned and restored in 2k from its original 16mm camera negative
- “Teenage Mutant Ninja Fetus” – An interview with the Suckling itself, Actor Michael Gingold (writer for Rue Morgue and Fangoria)
- Video interview with Writer/Director Francis Teri
- Archival image gallery
- Reversible cover artwork
- English SDH subtitles
Named after the acetic acid that’s released during the cellulose triacetate degradation in acetate film when it is stored in hot, humid locations, Vinegar Syndrome has made it their mission to preserve lesser known, hard to find movies filmed on acetate before their original source material has been destroyed forever. On March 29, 2019, nearly 30 years after the film’s initial release, Vinegar Syndrome is offering the film on Blu-ray for the first time in a new, region-free 2k restoration which was made from the original 16mm camera negative.
I have to start off by saying that The Suckling is hilariously awful. It doesn’t quite reach Troma territory, but the films could be kissing cousins. The acting is cringeworthy, and the sound hardly ever lines up with the video. However, the gore is plentiful, the characters are funny, and Special FX Artist Dean Mercil’s (Critters franchise, Face/Off 1997) creature is a masterpiece. From his untimely birth to his full-grown, irradiated, Pumpkinhead-esque self, this prenatal monster is magnificent at every step. We get to see his body grow, bubble and twist as the toxic waste transforms him, his eyes wide as he realizes he’s growing claws and teeth. Once he’s done forming, the fun begins.
I smiled when the unlikable characters (pretty much all of them) tried to break through the huge womb that the monstrosity created around the house – one even tried crawling through a deadly birth canal – and I actually cheered when the creature’s malicious teeth, claws and umbilical cord hit the target of their soft adult flesh. Most of these people sucked and deserved to die.
Unfortunately, The Suckling transfer is less than stellar. I’ve reviewed other recent Vinegar Syndrome releases (Body Melt 1993, Wacko 1982) and found them to be absolutely gorgeous. Wacko was so pristine, I had moments when I forgot the original film was over 35 years old. I don’t know if this was because the source material was shot on low quality film, and the restoration company was limited as to how well they could clean it up. After watching other Vin Syn releases, I’m going to go ahead and assume that they did the very best with what they had. I will say that the upgraded transfer made it easier to see the pre-monster’s strings, but that’s to be expected. However, the clarity showed off this pro-life film’s finer details, and you couldn’t ask for a more realistic creature.
Final Thoughts
With all of the schlocky goodness going on in The Suckling, you barely notice the not-so-fine points. Things like the magnificent creature, the cringeworthy wire hanger joke, the tinkling piano music that kept things light, the random T&A, Big Mama’s Beetlejuice dress, the claymation Evil Dead hand, the banter between the prostitutes, the excruciating twist at the end, and even the random melting guy shown during the credits (I’m wondering if he’s supposed to be the business man after his attempted escape?) make a trip down The Suckling Lane totally worth it. You can grab this Blu-ray/DVD combo at the Vinegar Syndrome website or find on Amazon through the above link.
