He'll always be mommy's little mutant.Imagine, if you will, a movie dedicated entirely to the mutant/zombie offspring in Dead Alive (aka Braindead). Now throw in the acting talent and special effects wizardry of The Deadly Spawn, sell the rights to Troma and call up Frank Henenlotter to direct. That would about describe The Suckling in a nutshell —a campy, low budget exploitation horror film whose only crime is that it seems like a half-hearted effort on the part of director Francis Teri.
The plot is completely bat shit insane and in better hands such as Lloyd Kaufman or the aforementioned Henenlotter, could have been an instant cult classic. Essentially, the storyline centers around a young couple who decide to have a back alley abortion at (of all places) a sleazy bordello/whorehouse. Despite any sane person's better instincts the couple go through with the "operation" and their unborn offspring is flushed down a toilet. I suppose the fetus must have ended up in the same sewer as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because before you know it the little critter comes around and mutates into a giant, ugly beastie.
Aside from an obvious lack of budget the special effects are actually pretty decent, the "mutation" scene is even offers shades of Frank's rebirth sequence in Hellraiser. The fatal exception is unfortunately the monster itself which has the same impact as the final reveal of the creature from The Being. If you can get past the monster, however, the film is plenty of schlocky fun and makes no excuses for what it is... a poster child for using prophylactics. Surprisingly enough, there is very little nudity in the film, though there is a fair amount of kinky subtext to keep the horndogs in check. Just remember kids, "When in doubt shroud your spout."
I've always wondered about this one, but never quite took the plunge. Maybe I'll bump it up on the list.