DEATH WARMED UP

New Zealand, 1984, 85 minutes.
Michael Hurst, Margaret Umbers, Bruno Lawrence, Gary Day.
Directed by David Blyth.

Death Warmed Up is a small-budget New Zealand production directed by David Blyth and co-written by him. Sometimes it looks as an attempt that New Zealanders can make horror films with exploitive touches as well as anybody else!

The film focuses on a young man who is made a brain-mutant and kills his parents. After getting out of an asylum he wants revenge on the mad doctor who brought about this situation. In the meantime, the mad doctor has an island like that of Dr Moreau and behaves like a bizarre Dr Frankenstein making ugly mutants who are killers.

The film is stronger on sketching characters and atmosphere rather than developing causality in the plot. Episodes are presented to us and the audience is meant to make the connections.

Most of the characters are fairly unsympathetic, which makes the film difficult to respond to. Gary Day enjoys himself as the berserk doctor. The youngsters who join the hero in his quest of revenge look like any from a teenage horror film from the United States. Veteran Bruno Lawrence makes a guest appearance - almost unrecognisable as a mutant.

Despite the exploitive touches, the rather readymade small-budget treatment of the theme, it has a certain vitality.

1. Entertaining thriller? Science fiction and fantasy?

2. New Zealand production, budget? Locations, the countryside? The island? Laboratories? The musical score?

3. The title and its tone? How seriously should the film be taken?

4. The time sequence: the past, the passing of the years, the development of Dr Howell's island?

5. The opening: Michael and his hurry, the hospital world, the nurses, his awkwardness? Listening to Dr Howell threaten his father? Dr Howell's plans? His father leaving? Dr Howell's care of him, the shower, the injection, taking him to the cell, the operation, transformation? His becoming a mad mutant? His parents and their lovemaking, being shot? His internment for seven years?

6. Michael and his release, transformed (looking like a young Rutger Hauer)? His friends, their trip to the island? Lucas and his girlfriend, sex, help, Sandy and her love for Michael? His quest? The mutants in the van on the boat, threatening him? Pleasant discussions with the captain? Background information about the island?

7. Dr Howell, the big complex, his madness (indicated by his television interview)? The operations, the staff? Tex and his transformation? Becoming a mutant? In agony? The thugs on the boat in agony? Dr Howell's henchmen?

8. The arrival on the island, the youngsters and their pursuit of the van, clash and fight? Relaxing on the beach? Their decision to get her to the institute? In the tunnels, the girls lost, their fears, the mutants chasing them, the girlfriend's injury? Michael and his refusal to take her to the institute? Her going berserk? Her death?

9. The operations, the doctor in control? At the shop? Finding out that the patients were going berserk? His return? The death of the mutants? Michael and his pursuit, obsession, killing Dr Howell?

10. The youngsters, the pursuit, the fights? Lucas and his death, his girlfriend? Sandy and Michael escaping?

11. Sandy and her bewilderment (and the audience sharing it)? Michael, obsessed, the power lines and his death? Sandy's running away?

12. The sketch of the characters - stereotypes, familiar? The situations and their influence by science fiction - Frankenstein, Island of Dr Moreau, mutants? The lack of development of plot causality - and the rough impact of the characters and the situations? The vitality of the film?