Overview: Academy Award®-winning screen legends Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night; Duck, You Sucker) and Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire; Planet of the Apes) star in The Kindred, a chilling tale of a genetic experiment gone wrong. Very wrong!

Kim Hunter is Dr. Amanda Hollins, a molecular scientist who calls on her son John (David Allen Brooks) to eliminate all evidence of her genetic experiments. Most specifically her Anthony Journals.

Dr. Philip Lloyd (Steiger), an acquaintance of Hollins who is familiar with her experiments, wants to continue her studies no matter the cost! John heads to his isolated childhood home with a group of friends to uncover his mother’s research and destroy it all.

There’s something else in the house, however. Something watching and waiting. Aentacled creature born from the desire to alter human evolution. It’s evil. It’s mad. It’s ready to kill!

One of the best creature features of the 1980s, utilizing all practical special effects, The Kindred also stars Amanda Pays (TV’s The Flash, Leviathan) and Talia Balsam (TV’s Mad Men, Homeland).

Blu-ray Verdict: In truth, although I’m sure we’ll all agree, The Kindred reminds me of the classic and excellent 80’s horror films The Thing and From Beyond (which is always a good thing in my book).

John Hollins’ Mother, Amanda, has been in a coma for a while. When she awakes, she remembers in a state of frenzy that Anthony - John’s brother he never knew existed - is still in the house. She requests him to go to her house immediately and destroy everything.

John, together with his wife and a team of biologists go to the house to investigate. Also along for the weekend is the mysterious Melissa, whom John met at his Mother’s funeral, and who seems to know more about Amanda’s work than he himself. And this is just the start of a series of horrific events to follow.

Meantime Dr Phillip (Rod Steiger) is conducting experiments of his own in the hospital basement. He used to work with Amanda and is eager to get his hands on Anthony. Anthony remains a mystery for most of the movie, but the horrible truth is soon to be revealed.

The film boasts excellent make-up and practical effects - rather grotesque, actually - and the effects during the climax, especially, are rather incredible. Now this is proper film making, in a time before everything was done with CGI. OK, sure, at times the creature looks a bit like the creature from Xtro, but overall, the performances are cracking!

And on that note, I can still remember how horrific I found the watermelon scene when Anthony, the mutated creature with long tentacles and sharp teeth, manages to miraculously crawl inside a watermelon!

The scene where it bursts out of the watermelon into the backseat of a car and attacks an unsuspecting woman by stuffing it’s tentacles up her nose and under her skin still grosses me out! You’ll have to see it to believe it. Very great visual effects for a little horror movie.

Furthermore, this movie gave me nightmares when I was a kid, but ok, now that I think about, the watermelon scene does come across a bit silly, but it’s still a very effective and creepy scene in the film.

And the fish lady transformation scene is permanently etched in my brain! If you can please buy this wonderful new Blu-ray edition from MVD Visual, check it out for the creepy and campy factor, for it is a film for all true 80’s horror fans, as they will not be disappointed (of that you have my word).

Special Features:
All-new 4K high-definition remaster of the unrated version of the film
New 5.1 English stereo surround remix (Original 2.0 mono theatrical mix also included)
Audio commentary with directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, moderated by horror journalist Steve Barton
Inhuman Experiments – The Making of “The Kindred,” an all-new documentary (52 mins.)
A special compilation of creature effects artist Michael McCracken, Jr.’s never-before-seen on-set footage (18 mins.)
Still gallery and original storyboards
Original theatrical trailer
Original video promotional trailer
TV spots
Optional English subtitles

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