The Film (3/5)

A young woman and her boyfriend go to a rundown brothel run by the notorious Big Mama to see about an abortion. The woman isn’t sure if she wants to keep it. Before she can make up her mind she is drugged and worked on. The fetus is flushed down the toilet and ends up in a toxic waste exposed part of the sewer. This turns the fetus into a blood thirsty monster that comes back to the brothel looking for food.

Vinegar Syndrome is godsend to exploitation movie fans. They dig up strange and forgotten films and give them the deluxe treatment on Blu-ray and DVD. So, when they release something there us a chance it will be an enjoyable trash piece or a hidden gem. THE SUCKLING (1989) is an offbeat creature feature from one-time writer director Francis Teri. A film filled with unlikeable characters that still manages to be fun thanks to its wild DIY filmmaking.

The setting and characters are slimy and nasty. The limited locations are brought to life with plenty of bargain basement thrills. The sewer is created with plenty of smoke, steam, and running yellow liquid. It’s silly and gross and adds to the atmosphere. This is one sweaty and nasty little grindhouse movie with piles of dirty clothes, dishes in sinks, and vivid red blood.

The special effects are a wild mix of puppets, stop motion, and wirework. The creature suit of the adult suckling is impressive with lots of eye moment and realistic looking teeth. The gunfire and wounds are a little less then impressive with parts of the low budget showing. The camerawork is also lively with some breezy hand held shots and quick zooms.

The character bits drag down in the sleepy middle section of the film. Everyone is a little wooden and seem to be misremembering lines. The best character has to be the most wet blanket businessman in cinema history who yells out random bits of social commentary with “I’m a businessman not a laborer!!”.

Audio/Video (4/5)

Vinegar Syndrome gives the film a worthwhile transfer and sound mix. The 2.0 DTS-HD MA English mix is mostly balanced with a few moments of drop off. Some of the audio in the basement scenes are echoic and soft. The music and effects are smooth with no hiss or pops. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer is soft with a few scenes that suffer from being out of focus. The black levels are smooth and there is some print damage. The yellow lighting is too bright, but the blues and the reds look fine.

Extras (3/5)

There is an interview with Fangoria and Rue Morgue writer Michael Gingold who plays the adult suckling creature. It’s a quick interview detailing the production. The second interview is with the writer director Francis Teri who discusses the guerilla filmmaking and how hard it was to get money for the production. Rounding out the disc is also an image gallery.

Overall (3.5/5)

THE SUCKLING is a bizarre movie with some of the most unlikeable characters around. But the movie’s DIY spirit and creature effects make it a hilarious choice for any movie night.