Metamorphosis (1990)

Many years ago when I visited Thailand I also took a trip to Koh Samui, the island. It was a very unhappy trip, pure shit to be honest - but at least I got a chance to buy a lot of DVDs and VCDs from a fine selection of stores and markets. I found this film, the horror film Metamorphosis, at a night market on Samui and now, 6-7 years later I finally sat down and watched it: an Italian horror film, dubbed in Thai without subtitles... on VCD. Try to beat that, hipsters! Was it worth the way? No, but I've seen worse movies in cinema here in Sweden... so what the hell. Here's a review.

A scientist/teacher is experimenting with a serum to stop aging. When he's not getting more money to conduct his bizarre monkey-experiments and starts experimenting on himself instead and gradually transforms to something primitive, something that humanity left behind it a long time ago. He's getting black-outs, becomes violent and slowly getting older and older...or is that what's really happening?

Yeah, exactly. This an ultra-cheap, trashy, Italian version of Ken Russell's Altered States (it's even more visible when you see the film). In a way, but an ending so damn silly it stops the time! Oh, I loooove that, and I wish I could spoil it for you - but I'm not that kind of guy. In all honesty, Luigi "George Eastman" Montefiori does a better job than I expected it to be. The film looks good and the storytelling part isn't bad at all. It has that late eighties/early nineties realistic style, less colourful and with more blue tones and more stylish and cold. Like a well-made TV-movie.

And TV-movie is also the aura that Metamorphosis reflects. Its effective but very simple, not many locations and competent but quite flat actors. It has some violence and blood - but I suspect this Thai VCD is cut, because there's some instances where it seems to be missing something. But I'm quite sure it's not the most violent movie on earth even in its uncut state.

But what makes this movie so crazy is the final twist, the revelation of what's lurking out there in the dark. It's very unexpected, and not in a smart way, but in a way that almost heighten the movie to something special, to something extra dumb. But mind me, I love stuff like that and I rather have something like this than a realistic ending - at least in an exploitation film like this. I mean, what to expect? Art? No, not exactly.

I could see Code Red release this one...and I would buy it. It's up there with the silliest of the last of the Italian horror era. Not as fun and gory as Primal Rage, but still... it has something, something that attracts me and nice directing from George Eastman.