Aberration (1997)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Tim Boxell

Writers:

Scott Lew (writer)
Darrin Oura (writer)

Release Date:

9 July 1998 (Singapore)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Where civilisation ends...the nightmare begins!

Plot:

Mutant lizards attack a woman on the run hiding out in a cabin in the woods.

Cast

Pamela Gidley	...	Amy Harding / Alex Langdon
Simon Bossell	...	Marshall Clarke
Valeri Nikolayev	...	Uri Romanov (as Valery Nikolaev)
Helen Moulder	...	Mrs. Miller
Norman Forsey	...	Mr. Peterson
Merlin	...	Frankie, the cat

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and gore, and brief language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Singapore:PG | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Grundy Films

Goofs:

Continuity: The second time Amy feeds Frankie, she gives him canned food. When Marshall brings her back to the cabin, the crumbs left in the cat dish are from dry food.

Quotes:

Marshall Clarke: There's going to be more of them soon. I suggest we torch the place as soon as possible!
Uri Romanov: *You* suggest? *I* suggest you shut up!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Aberration" (2001)

pamela gidley haha

pamela gidley shows that she really knows how to take control of mutated reptiles, although she can't do too much with the script. the actors are so forgettable that the creatures should get top billing. on-screen chemistry between gidley and simon bossell is perhaps the worst ever if not for the recent star wars trilogy.

the effects and props are outlandish but there's plenty of them - a guy's head explodes and you've gotta love that, another guy gets eaten by mutant lizards, and there's an absolutely great scene toward the end where gidley almost loses her leg to a hasty operation on (of all places) the counter in the general store. more lizard battles follow, lots of blood, puss, etc. it's a miracle that the characters' lack of anything resembling common sense didn't get them dusted in the first ten minutes.

if you're a fan of gore, crackerjack horror, B-anything, peter jackson's older work, or have a "thing" for pamela gidley, then you'll probably enjoy it. it succeeds where a lot of cheap movies fail, which is to say that while the plot is essentially brainless, it manages to stay consistently fun and entertaining. aberration's biggest drawback may be its 'TV movie' feel but given the subject it doesn't suffer much for it.