This film was a very typical monster movie that incorporated all of the usual dumb cliches. It's got a slow moving, fake looking monster, really stupid victims who deserve to die, and a lame story about the monster resulting from a genetic experiment gone awry. (Why did the professor even make the monster in the first place? It never really says why. I guess that's just what scientists do.) Still, this movie is an okay time-waster if you happen to enjoy bad sci-fi or horror. It's certainly not the best, but I have definitely seen worse. I give it a 5/10 rating.
23 Reviews
Cool humanoid creature and... uhm, that's about it.
Vomitron_G29 February 2012
William Malone didn't exactly deliver a good movie here. Far from, actually, but heck, it was his first one. Still, you'll have to tolerate some atrocious 'chop-chop' editing, some bad acting and a plot way too basic for its own good. All the events in this film move at the pace of a snail that's stuck in the mud. The whole story is played by the book, and it's one with not many pages in it (just enough to write down the premise: a murderous creature is loose in the city and two people must stop it). Surprisingly, things do remain watchable most of the time, somehow. The creature design is pretty cool, but also nothing more than a man in a rubber suit. A bit of full frontal female nudity during the opening-scene and a lack of gore throughout the entire film is what we get. But my guess is that it's still worth a watch for lovers of obscure creature features (honestly, I myself didn't mind watching it). "Scared To Death" always seemed to me a bit of a stupid, unsuitable title for this kind of film though. Given the place where the creature resides, why not dub it... "The Sewer Dweller"? Malone's first outing even got some sort of a semi-(un)official sequel nine years later, called "Syngenor" (1990). Would have been much easier if they had called that one "Syngenor 2" and this one simply "Syngenor". Aw, what the hell am I talking about.
One of the first ever ALIEN clones
DigitalRevenantX72 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Former detective turned private eye Ted Lonergan & his girlfriend / assistant Jennifer Stanton are approached by one of Ted's former colleagues, Detective Lou Capell, to help with investigating a rash of killings where the victims fall into a coma after being drained of their spinal fluids. Jennifer manages to find a lead when a genetic scientist calls her with information but is attacked by the killer & left in a coma. Ted & the scientist discover that the killings were the work of the Syngenor (an acronym for Synthesised Genetic Organism), a genetic cyborg creature that was created by a dead scientist & that has escaped from the laboratory & is lurking in the sewers in order to feed on human spinal fluid in order to survive.
Believe it or not, Scared to Death is probably one of the very first ALIEN templaters to have come out in the 1980s, alongside other similar films such as THE INTRUDER WITHIN & the el bizarro British entry XTRO. The film was the debut of director William Malone, a makeup effects artist who has designed the mask of serial killer Michael Myers from the Halloween films whilst working at Don Post Studios. Malone raised $74,000 in order to make the film & co-wrote the story with another effects wizard, Robert Short.
Scared to Death is an interesting film, although nowhere even near the stature of the original Alien – while the Syngenor looks a bit like a H.R. Giger creation, it still is kept to the shadows to disguise its shortcomings (although the creature's body suit looks quite impressive). The rest of the film is basically Alien melded with Friday the 13th – plenty of undressing girls & shenanigans going on in the dark. The idea of a genetic cyborg (a being made from synthetic DNA) is quite good – indeed the film's attempt at setting the template on Earth & providing a reasonable explanation for the monster's nature earns full marks for being innovative despite the ultra-low budget. The only problem being that Malone is nowhere even near the skill set & vision of Ridley Scott, with his handling frequently turning the film's pace into a hard slog & having no idea on how to create suspense. Still, it was one of the earliest Alien templaters & the Syngenor still looks cool, enough for a sequel-remake to come out a decade later.
Believe it or not, Scared to Death is probably one of the very first ALIEN templaters to have come out in the 1980s, alongside other similar films such as THE INTRUDER WITHIN & the el bizarro British entry XTRO. The film was the debut of director William Malone, a makeup effects artist who has designed the mask of serial killer Michael Myers from the Halloween films whilst working at Don Post Studios. Malone raised $74,000 in order to make the film & co-wrote the story with another effects wizard, Robert Short.
Scared to Death is an interesting film, although nowhere even near the stature of the original Alien – while the Syngenor looks a bit like a H.R. Giger creation, it still is kept to the shadows to disguise its shortcomings (although the creature's body suit looks quite impressive). The rest of the film is basically Alien melded with Friday the 13th – plenty of undressing girls & shenanigans going on in the dark. The idea of a genetic cyborg (a being made from synthetic DNA) is quite good – indeed the film's attempt at setting the template on Earth & providing a reasonable explanation for the monster's nature earns full marks for being innovative despite the ultra-low budget. The only problem being that Malone is nowhere even near the skill set & vision of Ridley Scott, with his handling frequently turning the film's pace into a hard slog & having no idea on how to create suspense. Still, it was one of the earliest Alien templaters & the Syngenor still looks cool, enough for a sequel-remake to come out a decade later.
Good low-budget sci-fi/horror
lastliberal19 August 2008
While Star Wars Episode V and The Howling were winning awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, this film was also a winner as Best Low-Budget Film. Low-Budget filmmakers could do worse in watching how William Malone (House on Haunted Hill ) managed to make an interesting film with award winning special effects for $74,000.
It was Malone's first film and it starred Diana Davidson, whom I am sure no one remembers as they girl who was shot in the swimming pool in Dirty Harry. It also stars John Stinson, Jonathan David Moses, and Toni Jannotta, in her only film. Malone made sure that he had a good selection of beautiful victims to keep your interest.
The staging was good in the respect that terror was built up gradually with a lot of suspense, and the creature was only partially shown until it got towards the end. You never really knew what you were dealing with.
And, of course, when it is all over, you don't really know if you solved the problem.
It was Malone's first film and it starred Diana Davidson, whom I am sure no one remembers as they girl who was shot in the swimming pool in Dirty Harry. It also stars John Stinson, Jonathan David Moses, and Toni Jannotta, in her only film. Malone made sure that he had a good selection of beautiful victims to keep your interest.
The staging was good in the respect that terror was built up gradually with a lot of suspense, and the creature was only partially shown until it got towards the end. You never really knew what you were dealing with.
And, of course, when it is all over, you don't really know if you solved the problem.
An uninspired man-made monster movie.
BA_Harrison10 December 2017
Rather than use his scientific genius to benefit mankind, a genetics expert creates a vicious synthesised life-form that uses its forked tongue to drain the spinal fluid of its victims. Why? I dunno
must've seemed like a good idea at the time, I suppose. Cop turned novelist Ted Lonergan (John Stinson) helps his police pal Lou (David Moses) to investigate.
This one starts out in classic B-movie monster mode with a naked blonde babe slipping into sexy, silky red underwear before becoming another victim of the Syngenor (Synthesised Genetic Organism). Its a fun, trashy way to kick things off, but the rest of the film offers very little to get excited about: lots of dull chit chat, a few gore-free deaths, and some roller-skating, all leading to the inevitable showdown between Ted and the incredibly slow moving H.R.Giger-style creature in a factory (an ending that might possibly have influenced The Terminator!).
Missable stuff, unless you absolutely have to see every movie inspired in some way by Ridley Scott's Alien.
This one starts out in classic B-movie monster mode with a naked blonde babe slipping into sexy, silky red underwear before becoming another victim of the Syngenor (Synthesised Genetic Organism). Its a fun, trashy way to kick things off, but the rest of the film offers very little to get excited about: lots of dull chit chat, a few gore-free deaths, and some roller-skating, all leading to the inevitable showdown between Ted and the incredibly slow moving H.R.Giger-style creature in a factory (an ending that might possibly have influenced The Terminator!).
Missable stuff, unless you absolutely have to see every movie inspired in some way by Ridley Scott's Alien.
Pretty boring, even if you like bad movies
darkblood5516 September 2007
(Warning: I'm not fully bilingual, so please forgive me for my poor English vocabulary) This one was awful from start to finish! There was no notable action: the main characters were in a big investigation, full of dull dialogues, and the creature was just wandering around in the sewers doing some cheap kills once in a while, nothing too original, entertaining or gory.
Not absolutely painful, just plain boring.
If you want to see something a little better with the same creature, try Syngenor instead. I'm a big fan of the genre, especially the "so bad it's good" sub-genre, but this one is definitely not in that league. Avoid.
Not absolutely painful, just plain boring.
If you want to see something a little better with the same creature, try Syngenor instead. I'm a big fan of the genre, especially the "so bad it's good" sub-genre, but this one is definitely not in that league. Avoid.
Cheap and tacky thrills
lost-in-limbo26 January 2005
An ex-cop who's a writer now, gets brought back on the job after a string of weird murders with the killer leaving a web like substance
Is it human or not?
Really this is nothing but cheap (and that's very cheap) z-grade trash, but still 'fairly' amusing well that's if you're in the right frame of mood. This is no more than a "Alien" rip-off, but set on earth. There are certain shots that resembled some of those from "Alien" and as well the creature looks very similar too.
The story is extra ordinary. The usual scientific creation that's on the loose killing victims and an ex-cop who's the only one that can stop it. So don't expect anything special or original. Sometimes the pacing is a bit tedious; like a slasher film.
The acting is not that bad from a bunch of nobodies... with a pretty charming and gawky heroine. Although there is one or two annoying characters which you have to deal with. Added to the film's script is some sharp humour and witty one-liners, especially from the geeky lead. A very gritty and grim atmosphere is found throughout the picture, with a lot of the film taking place in dark and dim lighting. While the special effects are hilariously shoddy and cheap, which gives it a sort of charm... well I think so.
I found this more enjoyable than the glossy, but bland "Ghost Ship (2002)" I watched before it.
This film is unoriginal, campy and cheap... but I found this schlock watchable and rather fun.
3/5
Really this is nothing but cheap (and that's very cheap) z-grade trash, but still 'fairly' amusing well that's if you're in the right frame of mood. This is no more than a "Alien" rip-off, but set on earth. There are certain shots that resembled some of those from "Alien" and as well the creature looks very similar too.
The story is extra ordinary. The usual scientific creation that's on the loose killing victims and an ex-cop who's the only one that can stop it. So don't expect anything special or original. Sometimes the pacing is a bit tedious; like a slasher film.
The acting is not that bad from a bunch of nobodies... with a pretty charming and gawky heroine. Although there is one or two annoying characters which you have to deal with. Added to the film's script is some sharp humour and witty one-liners, especially from the geeky lead. A very gritty and grim atmosphere is found throughout the picture, with a lot of the film taking place in dark and dim lighting. While the special effects are hilariously shoddy and cheap, which gives it a sort of charm... well I think so.
I found this more enjoyable than the glossy, but bland "Ghost Ship (2002)" I watched before it.
This film is unoriginal, campy and cheap... but I found this schlock watchable and rather fun.
3/5
Nothing: The Movie
CuriosityKilledShawn12 April 2020
I remember seeing the VHS box for this movie on the shelf in a video store when I was 5 years and thinking that it was terrifying. Who would want to be scared to death? Why would grown-ups willingly watch such a movie? This was back in the days when I thought that all of the monsters would come out of the boxes and haunt the video store after it was closed. Being locked in a video store was one of my worst nightmares. It was only when I got to my 20s and worked in a Blockbuster that I realized this wasn't accurate.
The "plot" for this movie has a monster stalking people in cheap locations in Los Angeles and...doing something to them that gives them brain cancer. An ex-cop (who looks like a dorky Michael Bay who'd lose a fight with a wet paper bag) eventually investigates after his new girlfriend is molested by said ghoul. The V-A-S-T majority of this movie is made up of people wandering around, looking...just looking, wandering more, and more, "anyone there", looking, "hello?", and wandering in depressing, sparsely-lit sets.
I don't know why William Malone edited the movie this way as it is 96 minutes long and could have been a far punchier 85-minute borefest. Malone went on to direct the slightly better Titan Find and then the far superior House on Haunted Hill, so he has talent, but not as a writer. Brain cancer-giving monsters? Really? I can handle silly science in my movies, but he clearly knows nothing about what he is attempting to tackle here. It sure ain't written by Michael Crichton. There's nothing here. Even the monster is a xenomorph rip-off with significantly less articulation that is apparently made out of cereal boxes and old tyres. It's played by a guy called Kermit! So...
The print on Amazon has a high amount of damage, dirt, missing frames, and warps, along with faded, ruined colors, though this might be inherit to the naff photography. I'm sure a label like Vinegar Syndrome or Arrow could do a restoration, though they usually choose movies of some substance, of which this garbage has none.
A sequel was made with higher production values, but why even bother?
The "plot" for this movie has a monster stalking people in cheap locations in Los Angeles and...doing something to them that gives them brain cancer. An ex-cop (who looks like a dorky Michael Bay who'd lose a fight with a wet paper bag) eventually investigates after his new girlfriend is molested by said ghoul. The V-A-S-T majority of this movie is made up of people wandering around, looking...just looking, wandering more, and more, "anyone there", looking, "hello?", and wandering in depressing, sparsely-lit sets.
I don't know why William Malone edited the movie this way as it is 96 minutes long and could have been a far punchier 85-minute borefest. Malone went on to direct the slightly better Titan Find and then the far superior House on Haunted Hill, so he has talent, but not as a writer. Brain cancer-giving monsters? Really? I can handle silly science in my movies, but he clearly knows nothing about what he is attempting to tackle here. It sure ain't written by Michael Crichton. There's nothing here. Even the monster is a xenomorph rip-off with significantly less articulation that is apparently made out of cereal boxes and old tyres. It's played by a guy called Kermit! So...
The print on Amazon has a high amount of damage, dirt, missing frames, and warps, along with faded, ruined colors, though this might be inherit to the naff photography. I'm sure a label like Vinegar Syndrome or Arrow could do a restoration, though they usually choose movies of some substance, of which this garbage has none.
A sequel was made with higher production values, but why even bother?
There is little chance of being scared to death watching this film...bored to death, well maybe.
Aaron137528 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I got this movie as I love watching horror films and I normally enjoy the horror of the past a lot more than the horror of today. This one though was just not what I was expecting. I had high hopes at the beginning when the film opened up and we are greeted with a point of view shot of the monster peeking in on a girl totally nude. However, this would not be the norm in this film, and the cynical part of me thinks this scene was added in to spice things up as the quality of this movie screams television. As did the guest starring portion of the credits. Other than this scene and one where the lead character and his new lady friend hook up, there is nothing all that risqué in this film in terms of nudity or even gore.
The story has a creature lurking the city streets of L.A. killing its victims. Wait a minute, that sounds awfully familiar doesn't it? Oh yes, it is a lot like the film "The Dark", in fact this film could be "The Dark II: This Time it Actually looks like an Alien". Seriously, it is almost the same movie other than the fact the monster looks different. We get a kill, we get lead guy Tim doing scenes establishing him, another kill, and then more boring scenes that go nowhere and are pointless. Then a final showdown with said creature in a factory setting that is so slow and plodding. At least that portion of "The Dark" was fairly well done, here it just takes to long as there are to many monster walking toward our intrepid heroes. The only curve ball this movie throws is when they take out the lead guy's girlfriend and substitute her for this nerdy, but very cute girl. A nice upgrade, as the lead guy's girl wore way to much eye makeup and reminded me of that hooker from "Mitchell".
So there really is not much going for this movie other than a nice nude scene at the beginning and a scene with a cute couple of skater girls later. The monster gets a lot of show too, what I mean is they are not hiding it as they must be proud of it. They should be, if this were a science fiction show like Star Trek, but this thing looks to much like an alien from a science fiction show more so than a bioengineered monster. It seems to be beating people to death at first, and I also thought it may be raping its victims because the first two victims are female. However, this is not a Roger Corman film, so no...it is not raping anyone. Even when it is sticking its tongue in its victim's mouth it is not doing anything sexual. It just has an idiotic thirst for spinal fluid. I know you are trying to be creative, but really...why not simply do blood and that way the film is at least a bit more gory.
So what we have here is a film that is trying to capitalize on the success of "Alien", but rather than following that film's format, it instead thought it should be more like "The Dark" in that it is very slow, not tense and has a television movie feel to it. The lead guy is annoying, the lead female to hooker looking and the monster would look right at home in a science fiction show, but not a monster movie. You do get to see a bit of nudity, but nothing good after the first initial scene (trust me, you do not want to see the one involving the lead guy). To much awkward flirting, not enough gore! To much monster coming down hall, not enough action! To much nerdy but cute girl screaming, and not scenes of her naked! This film just does not have enough going for it to be an entertaining film and it just has a been there, done that feel for me. It not only borrows from "Alien", "The Dark", but it does the same things countless films from this era did and it brings nothing new to the table. Unless you count watching a girl skate down an entire parking garage and then slowly dressing in more clothes while feeling threatened as something new.
The story has a creature lurking the city streets of L.A. killing its victims. Wait a minute, that sounds awfully familiar doesn't it? Oh yes, it is a lot like the film "The Dark", in fact this film could be "The Dark II: This Time it Actually looks like an Alien". Seriously, it is almost the same movie other than the fact the monster looks different. We get a kill, we get lead guy Tim doing scenes establishing him, another kill, and then more boring scenes that go nowhere and are pointless. Then a final showdown with said creature in a factory setting that is so slow and plodding. At least that portion of "The Dark" was fairly well done, here it just takes to long as there are to many monster walking toward our intrepid heroes. The only curve ball this movie throws is when they take out the lead guy's girlfriend and substitute her for this nerdy, but very cute girl. A nice upgrade, as the lead guy's girl wore way to much eye makeup and reminded me of that hooker from "Mitchell".
So there really is not much going for this movie other than a nice nude scene at the beginning and a scene with a cute couple of skater girls later. The monster gets a lot of show too, what I mean is they are not hiding it as they must be proud of it. They should be, if this were a science fiction show like Star Trek, but this thing looks to much like an alien from a science fiction show more so than a bioengineered monster. It seems to be beating people to death at first, and I also thought it may be raping its victims because the first two victims are female. However, this is not a Roger Corman film, so no...it is not raping anyone. Even when it is sticking its tongue in its victim's mouth it is not doing anything sexual. It just has an idiotic thirst for spinal fluid. I know you are trying to be creative, but really...why not simply do blood and that way the film is at least a bit more gory.
So what we have here is a film that is trying to capitalize on the success of "Alien", but rather than following that film's format, it instead thought it should be more like "The Dark" in that it is very slow, not tense and has a television movie feel to it. The lead guy is annoying, the lead female to hooker looking and the monster would look right at home in a science fiction show, but not a monster movie. You do get to see a bit of nudity, but nothing good after the first initial scene (trust me, you do not want to see the one involving the lead guy). To much awkward flirting, not enough gore! To much monster coming down hall, not enough action! To much nerdy but cute girl screaming, and not scenes of her naked! This film just does not have enough going for it to be an entertaining film and it just has a been there, done that feel for me. It not only borrows from "Alien", "The Dark", but it does the same things countless films from this era did and it brings nothing new to the table. Unless you count watching a girl skate down an entire parking garage and then slowly dressing in more clothes while feeling threatened as something new.
fun low budget sci flick
CLEO-829 April 2003
I thought this movie (for being so bad) was very entertaining. The main characters are the biggest geeks! Especially the male lead. I'm talking about Dorkenstein with a capital D. It was fun making fun of them while hoping the monster eats them. This film seemed to merge cheesey 50's Sci Fi elements with 80's slasher gimmick to create a movie that worked on some level. Mystery Science Theatre would have a field day on this one. I must give it props though. The creatures actually looked good and were indeed creepy.
Surely they meant "BORED to Death"?
Coventry22 September 2007
Cheesy & low-budgeted 80's monster movies form a truly peculiar cinema breed. A small selection of them is so bad they become good again (or at least very amusing), but most of them are so bad they're just plain awful, period. "Scared to Death" represents a category on its own, namely the absolute worst of the worst. Besides being badly written, poorly acted, weakly directed and cheesy, this film is also unimaginably boring! Horror fans, myself included - are generally quite tolerant when it comes to 80's junk, but one thing nobody can stand is a mixture of cheese and boredom. The building up towards the killings takes far too long (up to seven minutes even) and when the creature finally strikes, we see absolutely nothing and the action promptly swifts to another scene. What's that all about? The story is also pretty non-existent and incoherent as hell. It's some kind of earthbound "Alien" rip-off, with a murderous monster dwelling around the sewers and occasionally perpetrating a lonely woman's house or car in order to kill her. One incompetent cop and one pathetic ex-cop slowly (better make that VERY slowly) discover the creature is a genetic experiment that went a little awry and got dumped in the sewers by its creators. They call it a Syngenor, which stand for Synthetic Genetic Organism, and apparently it has a large appetite and a preference for young chicks on roller blades. The sub plot about the ex-cop's beautiful romance with a lady whose car he accidentally hit is totally irrelevant and dreadful. There isn't the slightest bit of suspense or any attempt to create an atmosphere; all the potentially interesting sequences are dimly lit and when we finally catch a decent glimpse of the monster it looks like a poor imitation of "Alien". The cast members are a bunch of untalented nobodies and William Malone's direction is weak and uninspired. William Malone? Wasn't he also responsible for the more recent but equally stinking pile of garbage "Feardotcom"? Twenty years later and still a lousy director, practice doesn't always makes perfect. However, his other cheesy & low-budgeted 80's monster movie "Creature" (starring Klaus Kinski!) does qualify as so bad it's good!
A really likable and enjoyable low-budget earthbound "ALIEN" clone
Woodyanders26 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A lethal scientific mistake called a Syngenor (an acronym for Synthetic Genetic Organism) makes its home in the Los Angeles sewer system and occasionally comes out to either stick its slimy forked tongue down people's throats so it can feast on their spinal fluid or drag various unfortunate folks underground to feed its grotesque shellfish-like offspring. Dorky ex-cop turned bestselling novelist Ted Lonergan (an engaging performance by John Stinson) and attractive genetics student Sherry Carpenter (the fetching Toni Janotta, who resembles a young Barbara Steele) go after the malevolent humanoid reptilian monster (Kermit Eller in a nifty rubber suit) while the police make fools out of themselves trying to figure out the baffling clues. This really fun and lively earthbound "ALIEN" clone starts out rather sluggishly, but still winds up delivering the satisfying creature feature goods with an especially stirring and suspenseful conclusion. Writer/director William Malone, who went on to helm the big budget "House on Haunted Hill" remake and the dreadful "FearDotCom," keeps the pace moving at a reasonably brisk clip, only slowing things down for a few dreary dialogue scenes and a boring romance between Lonergan and girlfriend Jennifer Stanton (the lovely Diana Davidson) that are sandwiched between the pleasingly snappy and fairly gruesome beast attack set pieces. Moreover, the sequences in the sewer have a genuinely creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere to them, the monster is very cool, and the film overall has a certain earnest quality to it that's both endearing and entertaining.
Atmospheric low budget monster flick
Leofwine_draca2 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SCARED TO DEATH is a nice little monster flick from director William Malone, shot on a very low budget in Los Angeles. Despite the lack of money and technical prowess, this has a cheap and scuzzy vibe, a kind of spooky atmosphere which works really well. In addition, there's much more interesting plotting than in a typical slasher film of the era, so even when the monster isn't around it's still interesting. The hero is a former cop turned writer who is reluctantly called in to help when a number of murders are committed by an apparent serial killer. The monster itself is no great shakes - merely a man in a suit, inspired by ALIEN as so many were - but the kills are gruesome and the climax may have inspired THE TERMINATOR.
Slasher to syngenor
BandSAboutMovies9 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
William Malone wanted to be a director and decided that a horror movie was the way to go. After all, he'd made monster masks at a factory so he could make the monster himself. And by that, I mean spend three months making an H. R. Giger clone. Then he sold his car, mortgaged his house and somehow got Rick Springfield to be in this, but he dropped out the night before shooting started, which feels like a total kayfabe story.
This might seem like a slasher, but then you learn that the killer is drinking spinal fluid and this woman just shows up and says, "Oh, I worked at the lab where we made a creature named the Syngenor that lives off spine juice. And in case you wonder, the name means SYNthesized GENetic ORgansism."
Yes, the very same Syngenor that Re-Animator villain David Gale goes absolutely full-on bonkers within. That's why when this movie was released to DVD, it got the new title Scared to Death: Syngenor.
Malone would move on to make Creature, House on Haunted Hill, feardotcom and Parasomnia. If we let him make another movie, I really worry what the title will be. I have no idea who let him make a film again after feardotcom because not even my steady diet of Franco and Mattei could get me through that movie.
This might seem like a slasher, but then you learn that the killer is drinking spinal fluid and this woman just shows up and says, "Oh, I worked at the lab where we made a creature named the Syngenor that lives off spine juice. And in case you wonder, the name means SYNthesized GENetic ORgansism."
Yes, the very same Syngenor that Re-Animator villain David Gale goes absolutely full-on bonkers within. That's why when this movie was released to DVD, it got the new title Scared to Death: Syngenor.
Malone would move on to make Creature, House on Haunted Hill, feardotcom and Parasomnia. If we let him make another movie, I really worry what the title will be. I have no idea who let him make a film again after feardotcom because not even my steady diet of Franco and Mattei could get me through that movie.
Minor monster movie
lor_22 January 2023
My review was written in December 1982 after a screening at Lyric theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.
Made during the horror production boom of 1980, "Scared to Death" is an unusual amalgam of the standard Earthbound killer on the rampage format with many elements lifted from the sci-fi hit "Alien". Never trade-screened, this thriller has already played off and is reviewed here for the record. Picture is unrelated to Ovidio Assonitis's "Scared to Death", aka "There Was Once a Child", also shot in 1980.
Monster on the loose in L. A. is a synthesized genetic organism, known as the Syngenor, the result of a genetic engineering experiment. While local police are searching for a maniac, it is the real killer, using its long tongue to live off its victims' spinal fluid.
Picture works best in atmospheric chases through the storm sewers, a favorite haunt of monsters dating back to "Them" and "The Snow Creature" in the early 1950s. Filmmaker William Malone's self-designed creature is effective when glimpsed briefly, but looks like a man in a rubber suit when shown too fully in the final reels. Besides the careful "Alien" imitation regarding the monster's appearances and attacks, pic's climax for dealing with the beast is taken from "The Fly".
Cast is okay, though little interest is created during the sluggish non-horror scenes. Credits are below par, with an adequate blowup from 16mm.
Made during the horror production boom of 1980, "Scared to Death" is an unusual amalgam of the standard Earthbound killer on the rampage format with many elements lifted from the sci-fi hit "Alien". Never trade-screened, this thriller has already played off and is reviewed here for the record. Picture is unrelated to Ovidio Assonitis's "Scared to Death", aka "There Was Once a Child", also shot in 1980.
Monster on the loose in L. A. is a synthesized genetic organism, known as the Syngenor, the result of a genetic engineering experiment. While local police are searching for a maniac, it is the real killer, using its long tongue to live off its victims' spinal fluid.
Picture works best in atmospheric chases through the storm sewers, a favorite haunt of monsters dating back to "Them" and "The Snow Creature" in the early 1950s. Filmmaker William Malone's self-designed creature is effective when glimpsed briefly, but looks like a man in a rubber suit when shown too fully in the final reels. Besides the careful "Alien" imitation regarding the monster's appearances and attacks, pic's climax for dealing with the beast is taken from "The Fly".
Cast is okay, though little interest is created during the sluggish non-horror scenes. Credits are below par, with an adequate blowup from 16mm.
Scared to Death
Scarecrow-887 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Genetically created asexual lifeform(syngenor), whose tongue enters into the victim's throat removing spinal fluid(..and in turn causing epileptic seizure and rendering the person comatose if not dead), is using LA as a hunting ground, lurking in the dark, moving undetected by police(..who believe they are seeking a dangerous psychopath) through the underground sewer system. It leaves behind a slimy residue at the crime scenes and has reproduced creatures(..in cocoons)which are being housed in an area within the sewers, feeding from the spinal fluid of living humans. The syngenor, at times, lets out a high pitch squeal which signifies it's presence. A trash novelist, Ted(John Stinson), once a detective before alcoholism stifled his career, is pulled into the case by long time pal, Detective Lou Capell(Jonathan David Moses) who is puzzled by the strange circumstances surrounding these peculiar deaths. Ted, through a chance encounter thanks to an accidental crash, has found love with a sophisticated business woman, Jennifer(Diana Davidson). Jennifer begins getting involved with Ted's everyday life, finding herself at a crime scene after he decides, thanks in part to Lou's constant pleas for help, to assist his friend in such a baffling mystery. Jennifer finds herself in the clutches of the syngenor when a woman who has information on the killer flees the scene in fear leaving her to a possible death. Jennifer, unconscious and comatose, with what the medical staff considers a brain tumor, lies in a hospital bed in grave condition as Ted seeks out the monster with the help of Sherry Carpenter(Toni Jannotta)..Sherry was the woman who was supposed to meet with Jennifer and chickened out. Informing Ted and Lou of her former(..now deceased)employer, a geneticist who had planned on killing the beast before it could escape onto a world with no knowledge of it's existence, they will have to search for it without the police's assistance. Lou explains to Ted that his superiors have closed the case after a shootout with a suspect they believed was the psycho on the loose. Ted and Jennifer will brave the darkened, cold sewer system in search of the syngenor hoping to stop it so that the killing will cease.
I will admit that I was hoping for Monster carnage, but director William Malone(feardotcom;House on Haunted Hill;Creature)opts for building suspense instead. I was hoping to see the creature's tongue inserting into a victim's mouth, enabling the viewer to see just how it removes spinal fluid, but Malone's budget(..as obvious from the dark, gritty cinematography)was perhaps just too small to elaborate such grisly details. And, perhaps to prevent us from realizing the fact that the creature is merely a monster suit with a stuntman inside, Malone doesn't allow true visibility of the syngenor lifeform until the very end..and even at the end, Malone carefully blankets it in darkness. But, we get to see those slobbery, sharp teeth with a serpentine tongue as it slithers from the mouth towards a poor female victim, face clutched within it's long fingers, feet high off the ground, frightened out of her wits. Malone spends a great deal of time showing potential victims unaware of what's in store for them(..one girl is actually attacked in her home). The creepiest scene, besides a well executed jump scene concerning a missing construction worker, takes place in the sewer when Ted and Sherry discover that innocent people have become life-support for the syngenor's cocooned offspring, drinking their spinal fluid through a type of umbilical cord! The search through the sewers is probably Malone's greatest triumph because he's able to build a dread in such a hostile environment where the monster considers home. There's a Carrie-type of jolt sequence at the end to cap off Malone's nightmare scenario of a creature hiding in the dark. Malone moves the pace rather slow in the early going, developing his small group of characters, while also establishing the prey, at night oblivious to their predator. The lack of gore was really what bummed me out, but Malone was making a different kind of film than the one I was expecting. A bit ugly and rough-around-the-edges(..a bit too murky for it's own good), Malone's film shows he was a pup learning his craft, but the final chase through the sewers into a machine shop displays potential. I've seen a lot worse shot on a shoestring budget, and this film certainly shows promise..a promise, I don't feel he's capitalized yet, despite the visual polish of his nightmarish urban hell of "feardotcom". The syngenor itself favors the alien walker in ALIEN quite a bit, perhaps fueling the mockery of those who detest filmmakers who attempt to cash in on the success of another.
I will admit that I was hoping for Monster carnage, but director William Malone(feardotcom;House on Haunted Hill;Creature)opts for building suspense instead. I was hoping to see the creature's tongue inserting into a victim's mouth, enabling the viewer to see just how it removes spinal fluid, but Malone's budget(..as obvious from the dark, gritty cinematography)was perhaps just too small to elaborate such grisly details. And, perhaps to prevent us from realizing the fact that the creature is merely a monster suit with a stuntman inside, Malone doesn't allow true visibility of the syngenor lifeform until the very end..and even at the end, Malone carefully blankets it in darkness. But, we get to see those slobbery, sharp teeth with a serpentine tongue as it slithers from the mouth towards a poor female victim, face clutched within it's long fingers, feet high off the ground, frightened out of her wits. Malone spends a great deal of time showing potential victims unaware of what's in store for them(..one girl is actually attacked in her home). The creepiest scene, besides a well executed jump scene concerning a missing construction worker, takes place in the sewer when Ted and Sherry discover that innocent people have become life-support for the syngenor's cocooned offspring, drinking their spinal fluid through a type of umbilical cord! The search through the sewers is probably Malone's greatest triumph because he's able to build a dread in such a hostile environment where the monster considers home. There's a Carrie-type of jolt sequence at the end to cap off Malone's nightmare scenario of a creature hiding in the dark. Malone moves the pace rather slow in the early going, developing his small group of characters, while also establishing the prey, at night oblivious to their predator. The lack of gore was really what bummed me out, but Malone was making a different kind of film than the one I was expecting. A bit ugly and rough-around-the-edges(..a bit too murky for it's own good), Malone's film shows he was a pup learning his craft, but the final chase through the sewers into a machine shop displays potential. I've seen a lot worse shot on a shoestring budget, and this film certainly shows promise..a promise, I don't feel he's capitalized yet, despite the visual polish of his nightmarish urban hell of "feardotcom". The syngenor itself favors the alien walker in ALIEN quite a bit, perhaps fueling the mockery of those who detest filmmakers who attempt to cash in on the success of another.
A Waste Of Time And Talent...
P3n-E-W1s36 March 2020
This film had a lot going for it, unfortunately, it has much more that doesn't.
The basis and synopsis of the story are solid. It the old story of science trying to better mankind and force our evolution by genetic manipulation. As this is a horror flick you can guess the results are far from optimistic. What science gives the audience is an a-sexual beast with a penchant for killing and kidnapping humans. The lucky ones are dead. The cop assigned to the case wants to bring his old partner in on the situation. The partner, now a writer, wants no part of the investigation... until his girlfriend becomes a victim.
Sounds good, doesn't it(?) Well, it is too good to be true. Writer and director William Malone and writer Robert Short meander all over the place. This wouldn't have been too bad if they had built up the characters is this time, but they don't. In all honesty, all of the characters are flat and unappealing. For most of the film, I wanted to slap the main character, Ted Lonergan. He is pretty obnoxious, at best.
Malone then brings his meandering ways to the direction of the film. Add to this the slow pace and you get a yawn-fest. There are a couple of decent shots but not enough to renew my attention, which was drifting all over the place.
The acting was below average. That isn't surprising though, as I stated above the characterisations are rubbish. The actors can only work with what they're given and how they are instructed.
One good thing is the monster. The super-human is nicely designed and constructed. It definitely could strike fear into somebody. I even liked the tongue, which would slither out into the throats of its victims to impregnate them. Shame I couldn't get the idea out of my head that it had been stolen from Alien. It would have been better had the tongue moved faster and snaked more. Speaking of "borrowed" ideas the ending is right out of Terminator.
I cannot recommend this to any horror fan out there. I don't want to be blamed for wasting your time, so do yourself a favour and stay away from this flick.
Feel free to come on over and see where this film charts in my Absolute Horror list. You should, at least, be able to find something more interesting and entertaining to watch.
The basis and synopsis of the story are solid. It the old story of science trying to better mankind and force our evolution by genetic manipulation. As this is a horror flick you can guess the results are far from optimistic. What science gives the audience is an a-sexual beast with a penchant for killing and kidnapping humans. The lucky ones are dead. The cop assigned to the case wants to bring his old partner in on the situation. The partner, now a writer, wants no part of the investigation... until his girlfriend becomes a victim.
Sounds good, doesn't it(?) Well, it is too good to be true. Writer and director William Malone and writer Robert Short meander all over the place. This wouldn't have been too bad if they had built up the characters is this time, but they don't. In all honesty, all of the characters are flat and unappealing. For most of the film, I wanted to slap the main character, Ted Lonergan. He is pretty obnoxious, at best.
Malone then brings his meandering ways to the direction of the film. Add to this the slow pace and you get a yawn-fest. There are a couple of decent shots but not enough to renew my attention, which was drifting all over the place.
The acting was below average. That isn't surprising though, as I stated above the characterisations are rubbish. The actors can only work with what they're given and how they are instructed.
One good thing is the monster. The super-human is nicely designed and constructed. It definitely could strike fear into somebody. I even liked the tongue, which would slither out into the throats of its victims to impregnate them. Shame I couldn't get the idea out of my head that it had been stolen from Alien. It would have been better had the tongue moved faster and snaked more. Speaking of "borrowed" ideas the ending is right out of Terminator.
I cannot recommend this to any horror fan out there. I don't want to be blamed for wasting your time, so do yourself a favour and stay away from this flick.
Feel free to come on over and see where this film charts in my Absolute Horror list. You should, at least, be able to find something more interesting and entertaining to watch.
Just Miss It
ryan-100759 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Murders are taking place in LA and copper Lou Capell is at his wits end trying to catch the killer. He turns to his buddy, has-been ex-detective Ted Lonergan to assist him on the case. Yet, the murders are being committed by what looks like if the creature from the black lagoon and the alien had an offspring. Even right down to the protruding tongue. Unfortunately not a memorable horror film, but somehow was able to garner a sequel in 1990. Even the side plot of Ted's car colliding with Jennifer Stanton's and the romance that blossoms is more interesting than the ultra-dark or poorly lit kill scenes, but still is not really worth your time as it not a real good meshing of comedy and romance. Some of the effects aren't quite the best as for example some of the blood looks like thinned out strawberry jam. But, given it's super small budget William Malone (who also directed and co-wrote) did a good job with the monster costume (even though it was completely inspired by ALIEN). This could have been a complete disaster if the look of the monster didn't work at all. In the end 4/10 rating.
Bland Creature Feature
gwnightscream1 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This 1980 sci-fi/horror film features an experimental creature that starts killing
people and mostly hides in the sewer. This is a bland flick with many dark scenes, choppy editing, bad sound effects & acting. The film is sort of a pre-"C.H.U.D." and the creature is kind of creepy, but you can tell it's someone in a suit. If you like creature features, give it a try.
Cool movie, dumb title
lordzedd-321 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The year is 1981 and most people are making slasher movies, but SCARED TO DEATH is a twist on the serial killer, slasher type movie. Even though it has got to be the dumbest movie title ever. But the creature in the movie is cool and unique. The story is somewhat a-typical, but predictable doesn't always mean bad. All the jumps are all in the right place and all the kills are all in the right place. Basically it's pretty cool movie, once you overlook the stupid title. The characters are a little on the weak side, and the film quality could have been much better, even for the time period. But all and all the style of the movie, the look of the creature and the characters all make the movie worth while. I give SCARED TO DEATH 9 STARS.
Typical regional low budget horror filmmaking
Serpent-522 July 2000
This is your typical regional horror sci-fi filmaking from the late 70's early 80's period, the ones without any "names", with slow pacing, foggy cameras, poor lighting, and music that can actually put you to sleep! In fact it reminds me of another small town sci-fi film called ALIEN FACTOR! This creature, SYNGENOR, is actually cool looking, so cool someone made another film with the syngenor titled, what else, SYNGENOR, but with a better budget, and a professional cast (not sure why William Malone didn't get involved in this one.). This film the violence is very tame, not really scarely, the random act of attacks by the creature to nameless victim is few and far between, in between you get a boring cop and his partner trying to solve the crime, losts of talk, overall a slow film that probably bored the audeince to tears! This film actually got a decent release back in 82, but didnt play here in Seattle, but was playing in Oregon as a double bill with SCREAMER! The creature is really cool looking for its time, so I don't know why they didn;t show it more often.`
Decent movie that makes the most of what it has going for it.
LJ2727 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I read about this film in magazines like Fangoria and Cinefantastique. It looked and sounded good and I was looking forward to seeing it in theaters. Unfortunately it never made it to any theater near me. It never made it to home video either. 40 years later, I finally caught it on streaming, sporting a washed out print and low fidelity audio. However, the shortcomings cannot hide the fact that the movie has a lot of things going for it. (*Warning, possible spoilers ahead*) First off, you have a very nicely designed monster, courtesy of director, William Malone, assisted by Robert Short, among others. Clearly inspired by the work of H.R. Giger, who designed the title character of ALIEN, released the previous year, Malone, who was already a mask designer for Don Post Studios, and made his own replicas of film robots like Robby the Robot from FORBIDDEN PLANET, made a creature for this film that looks amazing. The acting is competent, the lighting is pretty good, although a tad too dark, but that might be due to the printing, and also due to the fact that it's possible the film was shot on 16 mm and blown up to 35mm. I saw a credit at the end for the company that made 16mm to 35mm blow ups is the main reason I think this. I don't know if they used canned music or if it was composed for the film, but the music is pretty good, although at times it seems like it is trying to imitate Jerry Goldsmith's score for ALIEN, but hey, if you're gonna borrow, borrow from the best. They do a good job at building suspense. Most monster movies just aren't very scary, but this is one of the very few that pulls it off by now showing too much of the monster too soon. I think it's a real shame that this film does not appear to have gotten a very wide release to theaters. It did somehow get a sequel, that is actually easier to see than this film has been. I hope that someday we will get a BluRay of this film. It is pretty obscure and is not deserving of that status.
"Listen, I'll Call You Guys Tomorrow, If I'm Still Alive!"...
azathothpwiggins25 June 2019
Something has emerged from the sewers of Los Angeles and started killing people. Private Investigator, Ted Lonergan (John Stinson) is brought in when the police are stumped, and unable to stop the slaughter. Not even roller skating enthusiasts are safe from hideous doom! It is soon discovered that the murders might have something to do with a genetics experiment gone horribly awry.
SCARED TO DEATH is an extremely low-budget monster movie. The monster itself looks a lot like some of H.R. Giger's early, rejected test drawings for ALIEN. The creature is best left in the shadows, since it isn't overly impressive. Others have commented on its glacier-like speed. Watching it creep through the sewer system is like watching an earthworm climb stairs!
While not at all frightening, this movie is enjoyable enough for one viewing. Just don't expect anything spectacular...
SCARED TO DEATH is an extremely low-budget monster movie. The monster itself looks a lot like some of H.R. Giger's early, rejected test drawings for ALIEN. The creature is best left in the shadows, since it isn't overly impressive. Others have commented on its glacier-like speed. Watching it creep through the sewer system is like watching an earthworm climb stairs!
While not at all frightening, this movie is enjoyable enough for one viewing. Just don't expect anything spectacular...
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