Suspended Animation (2001) - Review

Suspended Animation (2001). Starring Alex McArthur, Sage Allen and Laura Esterman.

Originally published Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

Three Stars

SPOILERS

This is one that fits right into the category of "they don't make them like this anymore." And it's true. This is one of those direct-to-video films that were common place in the late 80s through early 2000s. You know, the ones that you only saw because it was on Cinemax late at night? The ones that probably used the same cinematographer for the soft-porn shown on Cinemax as well? What sets this film aside from many of the other films of that era is that it is quite good. In fact, this would be a four star movie if not for the weird plot development and the odd plot hole involving the villain. But I will get to that in a minute.

This is one of the few movies that uses actor Alex McArthur to his fullest value. It's sad, because McArthur is an intense actor and his talents rival that of his contemporaries. Yet through most of his career, he has laguished in bit parts. Besides this film (and maybe Devil in the Flesh), the movie where he shines is William Friedkin's Rampage. I'm debating on reviewing that one later, but I'm still not sure it's genre appropriate.

Anyway, McArthur's character (a man named Tom Kempton) is a animator struggling with developing material for a new project. Something interesting to note he states, at one point, that he is director of The Lion King in this movie. So Disney willingly let this lowkey production actually name drop trademarked characters? Kempton runs afoul of two cannibalistic sisters out in the great woods of northern Michigan while on a snowmobile trip. The sisters are named Ann and Vanessa Boulette, both of which are elderly. Whereas Ann is the homely, large-boned homemaker type, Vanessa is a worldly woman who claims to have ballet danced for George Ballanchine, yet another weird name drop. Kempton appeals to the vanity of Vanessa by telling her he wants to base his next movie upon her. Through a series of events, Ann is killed. Kempton is rescued by his snowmobiling buddies. Vannessa snipes the friends off before getting consumed by an avalanche.

Months later, Tom has recovered from the incident and Vanessa is believed to be dead. As it turns out, he's so obsessed with the incident that he ACTUALLY WANTS TO MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT VANESSA! So after some research, he tracks down Vanessa's brother. Tom visits him in prison and the brother informs him of Vanessa's daughter that was taken away when she did a stint on the funny farm. Much to the chagrin of Tom's hot wife Hilary, he finds the daughter named Clara (Maria Cina). Clara is a mucho-attractive-yet-struggling actress seems really nice. And we get some weird sexual overtones, so much so that I'm pretty certain Tom would've ended up banging her. He hires Clara to model for him to draw, due to the fact that her frame closely resembles her mother's. Clara is unaware of her sinister legacy until tom relates his ordeal in rural Michigan. This shifts focus to Clara's demented son, Sandor, who beats and verbally abuses his mother on a regular basis. Tom follows Sandor to a secluded spot where he's been collecting dead animals. Surprise, surprise, Sandor has a severed vagina in his collection as well. Tom skedaddles back to warn Clara, which leads to an altercation with Sandor. As a result, Sandor is killed in self defense. Oddly enough, Clara seems to be fine with this later.

Cut to ANOTHER few months later. The new Disney flick based on the cannibalistic Ann and Vanessa is released. Clara attends along with Tom his pregnant wife. As they return home, they're greeted by . . . bum bum BUM! fucking Vanessa. Because after all, she was able to survive gunshot wounds, sub-zero temperatures and a fucking avalanche. I really like this movie, but come on? Do we really need to get the Roman Brady treatment for this character? This is the part of the film I really could have done without. Anyway, Tom is forced by Vanessa to coax Clara back to his home for a mother-daughter reunion. In the process, Clara is brutally killed, Tom wounded and pregnant Hilary is left to defend herself.

What impresses me about this flick is how good it is, despite being such an old school direct-to-video flick. There are times that if feels like it's going to turn into The Red Show Diaries (so much so that you expect to hear David Duchovnys' voice). I fully expected Tom to bang Clara at given moment. But this movie doesn't do that, it maintains class and integrity until the end. The direct, John D. Hancock, is a guy wouldn't expect less from either. He's known primarily known for the Robert DeNiro baseball flick Bang the Drum Slowly. He also directed one of my favorite vampire flicks, the early 70s surrealist-vampire flick Let's Scare Jessica to Death (which I plan to review at a later date). However, his career seems to have stalled since he and his wife Dorothy (who also wrote the book and screenplay for this movie) were dismissed from as creators of Jaws 2. This is an example of why Hollywood is absolutely turning to shit. Hancock clearly displays that he has the chops to still produce quality films. Yet, being limited to low budgets and shoddy productions is how some artists produce their masterpieces. Nonetheless, this is another film would gladly pay to see in the theater as opposed to, say, Man of Steel.