EMBRYO (1976) - sci-fi madness starring Rock Hudson

The Burgomaster · September 23, 2006, 02:31:32 PM

This movie is included in the NIGHTMARE WORLDS 50 MOVIE PACK.

While driving home one night, scientist Rock Hudson runs over a pregnant dog. He brings the dog home where, luckily, Rock has a mad scientist lab in his basement! He is able to save one of the dog's fetuses by hooking it up to some equipment and letting it grow outside the mother's body. The experiment works so well that he decides to try it on a human. The result is Barbara Carrera! She grows into a mature, extremely intelligent woman within a few weeks. As expected, things go horribly wrong. Poor Rock. What a way to enter the twilight of his acting career . . .

Things to watch for:

* Barbara Carrera naked (even though this is rated PG)
* Roddy McDowall (who shows up just long enough to play a game of chess with Barbara)
* Dr. Joyce Brothers (who shows up just long enough to annoy the audience)
* A fetus that hits the floor, bounces, and rolls

This is basically an embarrassing rehash of the well-known FRANKENSTEIN plot. It's definitely NOT a good movie, but it is very watchable. Rock Hudson seems like a 1970s version of Bela Lugosi as he paces back and forth in his lab and talks to himself. Plus, the 1970s clothing and haircuts are a real hoot. I can't believe I used to dress that way . . .

ulthar · September 23, 2006, 09:09:05 PM

Is this the one where Rock Hudson is teaching the child (or maybe the embryo itself) at an accelerated rate by playing tapes? If so, that's all I remember from it - that voice, over and over going "one plus one is two, two plus two is four, four plus four is eight." Over. And. Over.

Wow. It's been like nearly thirty years since I've seen this movie, and I saw it once (on HBO believe it or not). I've never gotten that voice out of my head.

The Burgomaster · September 24, 2006, 08:21:32 AM

Ulthar:

You are correct!

Scott · September 24, 2006, 04:17:35 PM

This sounds like a lot of fun especially with the bonus of Barbara Carrera. These are the films that I've seen with her in:

Love at Stake
Emma: Queen of the South Seas
Wild Geese II
Never Say Never Again
Masada
The Island of Dr. Moreau

RCMerchant · September 25, 2006, 06:34:11 AM

I MUST SEE THIS MOVIE! Bouncing fetus.HAHAHAHA!HELL NO!HAHAHAHA!

Ed, Ego and Superego · September 25, 2006, 11:05:41 AM

Y'know old Rock really hit some lows towards the end of his career.
-Ed

peter johnson · September 25, 2006, 11:15:31 PM

Yeah, but he did some good weird ones too --
Ever see "Pretty Maids All in a Row"? Low-budget, yes, but creepy-good & Hudson does a fine job -- plus lots of VERY attractive naked women!
peter johnson/i'm not really staring . . .

The Burgomaster · September 26, 2006, 09:33:33 AM

And let's not forget AVALANCHE, which I also own on DVD!

BoyScoutKevin · October 01, 2006, 03:33:03 PM

"Avalanche" That one I saw on television, and even on the small screen, that film has to hold the record for the fakest-looking avalanche in film history.

I did like one thing about the film. One of the characters was ran over and killed by an ambulance. The only thing better, would be to be ran over and killed by a hearse, which happened to a character in the television remake of "Winchester 73."