The Frankenstein Syndrome
Year: 2011
Director:Sean Tretta
Stars: Tiffany Shepis, Patti Tindal, Louis Mandylor
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: MTI Home Video
Running Time: 90 Mins

Normally when your truly reviews independent horror, I don’t have much anticipation for the most of the films. But with this film, it was different. The film stars one of my favorite horror actresses, Tiffany Shepis. After watching “Nympha” and The Violent Kind, I was excited for this film.

“The Frankenstein Syndrome” follows Elizabeth Barnes, a young stem-cell researcher, who joins a top secret group that is looking for a serum that heals everything. During her research, she develops a serum that can brings the recently deceased back to life. But the serum has it’s side effects, as it makes that person mentally unstable. When a guard is murdered at the research facility, Barnes and her team resurrects him. Once resurrected, the man starts to exhibit childlike behavior. Soon he something much more violent than ever before. Barnes must find a way stop him and his behavior, before she becomes his next victim.

What happens when you take the elements of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and mix them with stem cell research. The end result is a surprisingly good movie.

This one of those horror films, where it was about the story and not about slashing people to generate scares. The direction here was handled very well. If your going to have a film that is influenced by “Frankenstein”, then it has to be dark. Writer/Director Sean Tretta does a very good job making the tone very dark. He’s able to generate the tone of the film, from the way the film was directed. The scenes never gave you a sense that its going to end well for any of the characters, including the main character. That’s what makes this very dark and makes you feel like your watching a medical horror film that also feels like a well executed chamber drama. Tretta also does a very good job with the way that he directs the acting. The acting here was very good. I liked, how he makes sure that the performances are dark and dreary. It’s doesn’t make you want to like any of these characters.

Also I thought, Tiffany Shepis and Patti Tindall did a very good job making their performances work. They made their characters dark and interesting. In films like these, the performances have to be good or else your in for a long boring film. These actresses did a very good job in making their characters interesting and dark. There’s also a few scenes, where these actresses also did a very good job making the exchanges between their characters work. It’s good chemistry with lead actors that make dramatic scenes work and keep your interest with the film.

Tretta’s screenplay combining the elements of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to the controversial topic of stem cell research to create an interesting story. He uses the topic stem cell research as an element to the story, instead of trying to be preachy about the pros and cons of this controversial research. It makes it feel like a movie and not the debates of this controversial subject. The other thing that I like about this, the way that Tretta tells this story. He tells from the point of view of Shepis’ character. By having the film being told through the FBI interview, your getting the story from the main character‘s point of view and negates the topic from becoming a major factor in the story.

By far, “The Frankenstein Syndrome” does not try to be a ripoff of the original “Frankenstein”. Instead. this is very horrifying medical horror film with very good lead performances and good direction from Sean Tretta.

Review Rating: Four Stars

MTI Home Video recently announced that they have acquired Sean Tretta's new film, "The Frankenstein Syndrome" starring scream queen Tiffany Shepis and slated it for release in July.

Press Release

MTI Home Video, the premier studio for independent filmmakers, has just acquired THE FRANKENSTEIN SYNDROME from American World Pictures for a July 5th DVD release.

The film was written, directed and produced by Sean Tretta (The Great American Snuff Film, Death of a Ghost Hunter, and The Death Factory Bloodletting) and was produced by and stars Tiffany Shepis (Nightmare Man, Night of the Demons). Also starring are Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Patti Tindall (The Graves), Scott Anthony Leet (Freeway Killer), and film veteran Ed Lauter (The Longest Yard, Seabiscuit).

The film is a modern re-imagining of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, wherein a beautiful young stem-cell researcher, Elizabeth Barnes (Shepis) joins a secret research group attempting to develop a stem-cell based universal healing serum. Despite opposition from the project leaders Marcus Grone (Mandylor) and Dr. Victoria Travelle (Tindall), she quickly develops a serum that can bring the dead back to life - but with horrific results. Distraught, Elizabeth tries to leave the project, but the project's financier (Lauter) orders Marcus to hold the research team captive until their research is complete. When one of the project's security guards (Leet) is murdered and then re-animated, the team must contend with a man who at first is like a child, but quickly becomes something much, much more...

· Winner - Best Actress, Best Actor (Dark Carnival Film Festival)
· Winner - Best Feature, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Supporting Actress - (Oklahoma Horror Film Festival)
· Official Selection - (Dark Woods)· Official Selection - (Motor City Nightmares)
· Official Selection - (Phoenix Film Festival)
· Official Selection - (Frightnight Film Festival)
· Official Selection - (Gorezone Int. Film Festival)
· Official Selection - (Weekend of Fear Film Festival)
· Official Selection - (HorrorHound Convention 2011)

Shepis and Tretta will be in Indianapolis this weekend to promote the film at the Midwest's largest horror event, Horrorhound Weekend (March 25-27, 2011). A screening will be held on Saturday, March 26th.

In the meantime, here are some stills from the film courtesy of MTI Home Video