Clarke M Smith gave us the 1992 film Specimen, which is pretty much a flashback homage to the past. A past consisting of The Terminator, Universal Soldier, Re-Animator and even a mix up of Frankenstein and George Romero. This is good fun from the very first frame. A brilliant blend of science fiction, horror, fantasy and old fashioned thriller.
Good times.
Specimen The Story
Two friends wake up and notice strange happenings at the deserted church across the street. They go to investigate and end up fleeing the scene, running for their lives. The two have to keep out of harm’s way for 28 minutes.
The Cast
Ande Felix as the mad scientist.
Steve Corty is the specimen.
Don Moline as the assistant.
Beth Eastburn as phone sex girl.
Shi**y as Till.
Specimen Works
Smith puts this almost crowded homage film together brilliantly. The sunglasses, the “I’ll be back,” the “tropes” included: making noise while hiding, tripping, et al.
The tale itself is fast paced. Its 28 minute run time speeds by with no let up in the action.
There is the issue of image quality. This was filmed in 1992 and on video obviously. However, this does not take anything away from the movie itself. It would be interesting to see this remade using the Sony R.E.D. This digital camera was used so well on the exquisite 2010 film Monsters.
A Sad Note
Specimen is Ande Felix’s last film. The actor managed to convince in whatever role he played. Whether he was a zombie expelling goo or a mad scientist, it felt real. RIP.
FX
The practical FX here are great. This is amazing considering the film’s budget was 8K. The lab assistant’s shattered skull looked shattered. *On top of that, the blond friend shooting the sawed-off shotgun “recoils” each shot. This alone sells the scene where he is attacking the zombie Terminator.*
Specimen Verdict
This film earns an easy 4 stars. Specimen suffers from “restrictions” of the time (1992). Upscaling manages to improve picture quality a lot, but not enough. Still, the film entertains and the list of homages is impressive. I loved this one.
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