The Mutations (1974)
A low budget British re-imagining of Tod Brownings 1932 classic Freaks. However being a sleazy seventies Brit flick it also throws in Donald Pleseance as a mad scientist and Tom Baker as his deformed henchman, who abducts college students as human guinea pigs to use in cross breeding experiments with plants.
The first hour if i'm honest is a bit of a drag up until the "parade of freaks" at the carnival. There's lots of exposition about carnivorous plants in the form of crazy Donald's college lectures. However the last third is a deranged nut job of a film, concentrating on Pleasence's experiments and their slightly gross looking outcomes. The mutated human / plants are well designed and are only seen in quick flashes as they attack their latest victim. This definitely helps, as our imagination works far better than lingering shots of dodgy rubber Doctor Who reject designs and certainly gives them more impact and shock value particularly in the stalking sequences.
The dvd i watched is from cheapie label Desert Island Classics with the US title The Freakmaker, and is a straight port of the film with two sound mixes and two commentaries (Only accessible via your dvd remote audio options as there is no menu screen) from the long out of print disc from Subversive cinema. The 25 minute doc is missing.
For fans of seventies British horror this is a definite pick up.
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