Tyler Rusell (director)
(studio)
18 (certificate)
69 (length)
24 October 2020 (released)
25 October 2020
The title tells you a lot about what you are about to see, more so if you have seen the poster.
Opening in 1961 nurse Patricia (Eva Habermann) is covered in pus as Dr Guy (George Hardy) bursts a cyst on the patient’s neck. His offer to use his invention the ‘Get Gone’ machine having been refused as Patricia remembers there were problems with it before. The theory is that it can remove the cyst and clean up at the same time.
Fact is Patricia had threatened to quit over it and her bluff is called as Dr Guy prepares to host the patent committee, again. Being familiar with his work, he’s given an hour. However it takes him much less time to demonstrate that his machine is not ready. Insisting on his allocated time the three patent officials go to lunch leaving the Doctor to set up.
That set up includes growing a repulsive cyst on Minions lookalike Preston (Darren Ewing). On returning the demonstration starts and there are the predictable, horrid and icky results that leaves Preston sucked out and his skull growing an eye and legs which attaches itself to a neck and from there proceeds to grow. There’s no option but to lock down the hospital plus patients with the monster and probably more troubling, the ever more demented Dr Guy.
There isn’t much that’s new here with everything signposted to some degree or another, also playing on the viewer’s knowledge about these types of movies. The main point is that it’s a pastiche and affectionate homage to the monster movies of the 1950’s and is a lot of grotesque fun. The practical effects are first class, harping back to an earlier age, though having something of a revival at the moment. It also has a great sense of period with director Tyler Russell (co-written with Andy Silverman) working hard with the colour, costume and sets.
Bonkers as it is there’s a very Outer Limits vibe about the whole thing. Equally I do wonder if Russell had The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway when he conceived the monster?
Cyst had its world premiere at the October FrightFest on 24 October.
