The Mutations * (1974, Donald Pleasence, Tom Baker, Brad Harris, Julie Ege, Michael Dunn, Scott Antony) – Classic Movie Review 9048

Director Jack Cardiff’s 1974 exploiter British horror movie The Mutations stars Donald Pleasence as Professor Nolter, the typical movie mad doctor/ crazed scientist, who uses his students to create monstrous amalgams of humans and plants, in this remarkably silly, and sometimes quite offensive horror tale.

Tom Baker plays the deformed sidekick Lynch who procures the student bodies and Michael Dunn plays Burns, the midget showman who exhibits the experiments.

Uncomfortably, real fairground attraction people are used in this fairly risible amalgam of Burke and Hare plus Freaks. But Pleasence keeps his dignity by playing Professor Nolter in a low-key manner, his own idea, apparently.

Also in the cast are Brad Harris, Julie Ege, Michael Dunn, Scott Antony, Jill Hayworth, Olga Anthony, Lisa Collings, Joan Scott and Toby Lennon.

The Mutations is directed by Jack Cardiff, runs 91 minutes, is made by Cyclone and Getty Pictures Corp, is released by Columbia Pictures , is written by Robert D Weinbach and Edward Mann, is shot in Eastmancolor by Paul Beeson, is produced by Robert D Weinbach and is scored by Basil Kirchin.

It put paid to Scott Antony’s film career: he starred in just three movies: Savage Messiah, Dead Cert and The Mutations.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9048

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com