Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)

This film was sourced from my friends mum who worked in a charity shop. She gave it to us along with a load of other unknown cassette tapes. The film itself is a bit rubbish. There are a few notable bits to laugh at like the bit when his girlfriend gets her head drilled into, but in general the film is bland. Interstingly when I saw the trailer for "The Island" I couldn't help noticing the similarities. Clonus may have been the inspiration for that film? All in all don't bother watching this film as it is dull and boring. We enjoyed it so much when we were 16 that we named our band after it. Another sign this film is a bit crappy is the shots on the back of the video case don't actually appear in the film? weird

How many English 101 student's versions of 1984 must America endure? "Gosh, this is a great book, but kind of a downer. I know, I'll write one just like it where everything works out okay. I'll also replace Orwell's old, used up political insights from the thirties with my own insightful, informed opinions form the 1970s. Think, think, political insight... Evil Politicians, I'm a genius! And there will be clones that they make of themselves for some diabolical reason... I'll work on that. It'll work." No it won't, Bob Sullivan, writer of this story. This really is all you're fault. You could have stopped them early and said, "Guys, with our budget and acting abilities, I was thinking more… romantic comedy, or we could move away form taking ourselves so seriously and make a campy spoof this tired, familiar genre of movies." Did you do that though bob? No you didn't, and you've had 28 years to think about it. I don't mean to be so spiteful. I'm sorry I yelled at you Bob. You've obviously had to live with this mistake a lot longer then I have. Some blame really should go to Ron Smith, who helped you adapt the screenplay. He could have stopped you at any time. You were young and naive, and he took advantage of you. Now he wrights the plots for video games and you, bob, well who knows what you do. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh Bob, but that's the way it is. You were sold upriver by the Hollywood hotshots. As if Ron wasn't enough, Michael bay also saw your movie, and without even asking for rights or anything, added some explosions to your concept and turned it into "The Island." That I think is the most disgusting part of all, that with a little eye candy, your script could of easily been good enough for a major Hollywood production, which I'd of hated just as much as this movie and not felt sorry for you at all. I'm sorry things worked this way for you bob. Ron and Michael walked all over you, leaving you a withered shell of a man, who's height of movie writing greatness will be a joke on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Don't focus on that though Bob, because Karma works in mysterious ways, and one day, they'll pay for what they did to poor little Bob Sullivan.

The movie deals with the topic of cloning humans for the purpose of harvesting organs for transplant. Rich and powerful people set up a laboratory where people are raised like cattle. They are merely a life support system for their vital organs. An interesting premise and easily believable. The clones are kept ignorant of their purpose in life and many are lobotomized if they become a problem.I think the director did a really good job with a low budget. I think this movie was ridiculed because of the insipid dialogue of the clones. But the clones were supposed to sound stupid because most of them were LOBOTOMIZED! Overall, the movie was surreal. Not a lot of special effects but they are not needed. The real scary part about this movie is that it is entirely possible that this could happen.There are some good actors in this one including Keenan Wynn, Peter Graves, and Dick Sargent. TAKE A LOOK and don't believe the low ratings. It's not a great movie but both my girlfriend and I enjoyed it a lot. 7/10

It's a solid science fiction story that borrows heavily from pieces like Logan's Run, Brave New World, Soylent Green, and THX1138. Although the production value is rather low, the work is an honest creative effort. The movie is enjoyable, but you have to heavily rescale expectations. It is easy to put on the MST3K goggles because cultural (late 70s made-for-TV style) and special effects limitations make it feel worse than it really is. The acting isn't great, but still tops the Star Wars Prequels in that respect. Overall, as a science fiction fan, and given the poor rating on the IMDb, I found myself pleasantly surprised.