Tuesday 5 June 2012

Progeny (1998)


The 90's tends to be regarded as somewhat of a sour patch for horror.  In my opinion, it's definitely not the strongest decade but there was still some excellent movies.  One of the guys who shone in the 90's was Brian Yuzna who released a string of good movies - Return of the Living Dead Part 3, Necronomicon, The Dentist 1 & 2, Bride of Re-Animator  and of course, Progeny.


Progeny is another good collaboration between Stuart Gordon (writer) and Brian Yuzna (director).  When these 2 team up it's always great.  With this movie they tried their hand at the alien sub genre and was described by Variety as ''a cross between 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Alien' with a pinch of 'ER' thrown in.''  I'd say this is a pretty good way to describe it if you're looking for comparisons.

Progeny focuses on a couple who have been abducted by aliens and the woman is pregnant as a result.  The husband is adamant his wife is carrying alien offspring but she refuses to believe it and does her all to keep her baby safe.  During this battle of the spouses, we're treated to some abduction flashbacks with cheesy aliens.  Unlike other Yuzna movies, this tends to focus heavily on the psychological aspects rather than visceral body horror and gore.  There still is enough gore to satisfy your needs though if that's what you're looking for.

Overall, it's a smart movie that plays to its strengths.  The budget was small so much of the movie places emphasis on character development and emotions.  The effects do look cheap but they're good considering the budget and plus, it adds to the charm of the movie.  This is a little gem that horror fans should check out,

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