The Mutation

I smell a rat!  A big one with cute, furry ears and it is coming this way for some bite-sized Halloween fun!

Directed by Scott Jeffrey, The Mutation is a creature feature that keeps its suspense in check until it can no longer keep it or the corniness kettled.  This is a good thing as THE MUTATION at the center of this horror flick is decidedly CRACKERS with all the cheese it is stepping in, especially when the B-movie celebrates its influences and goes wild in a restaurant free-for-all whose irony should not be lost on the viewer.  

"should be approached with a healthy respect for B-grade schlock as that’s exactly what this rodent-centric flick celebrates"


Let’s just say that when it comes to rats this size, well, NO ONE IS SAFE!   The rat, performed by Derek Nelson, becomes - obviously - human sized and, thus, the violence grows and grows as do the well-staged attacks.

Forget about the humans.  The drama in The Mutation is soap operatic at best, which makes for somewhat of a chilly watch when you are stuck with only the human characters to stare at.  You might laugh, but you will probably groan as Zoologist Allen Marsh makes every excuse in the world for his spending time with a not-so grieving widow, Dr. Linda Rowe, while a gigantic rat - her late husband’s creation - runs wild in the street, killing anyone who gets too close to the ravishing rodent’s teeth!

But Marsh is only trying to protect her!  Really, he is.  Riiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhhht.  While a bit of the bubbly is opened and shared between them, things are going decidedly downhill fast, especially when the venomous night spreads over the city.  The killing continues as the rat finds itself growing in size and in hunger.  

That’s what happens when a deadly experiment goes awry!  The Mutation

Now, a not-so clever group of detectives are on the hunt for this man-killing beast.  He might be cute, but there’s a level of deadliness to its fuzzy ways that says, “BACK OFF!”  While the attacks are minimalistic at best, things go off the rails toward the finale where a restaurant attack steals the film away from all of the humans and ends up . . . rather hair-raising!  

And through it all, our hero, the innocent Marsh, must work alongside that aforementioned “grieving” widow in order to help the detectives EXTERMINATE the mutated rodent and keep the city streets safe for pedestrians. As the body count rises, no one is safe, and the rat continues to grow at a rapid pace!

Starring Ricardo Freitas, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Abi Casson Thompson, and James Robertson, The Mutation should be approached with a healthy respect for B-grade schlock as that’s exactly what this rodent-centric flick celebrates.  While played straight, there is little about this creature feature that remains sober for too long and that makes enjoying this mindless film all the more enjoyable, especially as Halloween approaches.

This October, find out how the search for a cure created a creature that can’t be controlled! The Mutation comes to DVD and Digital October 5 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

3/5 stars

 

Film Details

The Mutation

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Scott Jeffrey
Writer:
Scott Jeffrey
Cast:
Megan Purvis; Sarah T. Cohen; Abi Casson Thompson
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
The search for a cure created a monster.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
Uncork'd Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date:
October 5, 2021
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: After a deadly experiment on a rat goes wrong, the mutated rat has been let loose in a city and a group of detectives are on the hunt for the beast. Zoologist, Allen Marsh must work alongside a grieving widow to help the detectives capture and exterminate the mutated rat. As the body count rises, no one is safe, and the rat is growing at a rapid pace!

Art

The Mutation