The Clonus Horror (1979)

Director:

Robert S. Fiveson

Writers:

Bob Sullivan (story)
Ron Smith (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

WARNING: The shock and horror of this film is unusually intense. It is not a film for the faint-hearted.

Plot:

Politicians scheme to clone themselves, assuring immortal life.

Plot Keywords:

Clone | Escape | Cloning | Presidential Candidate | Secret Experiment

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tim Donnelly	...	Richard Knight Jr. (as Timothy Donnelly)
Paulette Breen	...	Lena
Dick Sargent	...	Dr. Jameson
Keenan Wynn	...	Jake Noble
David Hooks	...	Prof. Richard P. Knight
Peter Graves	...	Jeffrey Knight
Zale Kessler	...	Dr. Nelson
James Mantell	...	Ricky Knight
Lurene Tuttle	...	Anna Noble
Frank Ashmore	...	George Walker
Larry Manning	...	Guide #4
William Bufkin	...	Clone
Tony Haig	...	Jack
Boyd Holister	...	Senator
Eddy Carroll	...	Doctor

Also Known As:

Alter Ego (UK) (video title)
Clonus (USA) (alternative title)
Parts: The Clonus Horror (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Moorpark College - 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark, California, USA

Company:

Clonus Associates

Trivia:

Peter Graves shot all of his scenes in one day.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Richard asks the confessional what 'Milwaukee' means, it eventually tells him it is a rare mineral found in the river; yet later he tells Lena the confessional said it was a plant found in the ocean.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Parts: The Clonus Horror (#9.11)" (1997)

Kind of makes you think.....

Finally this is out on DVD (under the name Clonus). I've been wanting to see this film for years & yet not willing to pay the outrageous prices for the long-out-of-print tape. Contrary to its reputation, I didn't find this to be a lousy film, but I actually rather liked it. Seems that a group of young people who have an idyllic life are only in that position because they're being farmed. Yep, they're clones, and once they reach a certain stage in their life they leave for the fabled "America". America is not quite what they expect it to be though. Seems like something very sinister is afoot. One young man finds a beer can in the river near their compound and asks what it is, and that starts him thinking about what's going on and he starts snooping around and eventually escapes to the outside world, to find he already IS in America, the real one, that is. After being pursued by an agent of Clonus, he manages to elude him and is taken in by an elderly man (Keenan Wynn) and his wife, and eventually is taken to the man that he thinks is his father, the brother of an important senator running for President (Peter Graves). As more is revealed it turns out that there is something very sinister indeed going on, which involves extended lives for important people, thanks to the organ bank provided by the residents of Clonus. Oh my! This is not top notch, but I still found it to be a pretty decent movie. Kind of makes you think, yes it does. 7 out of 10.