The son of a domineering, and conniving widow (Elke Sommer), whose henchman lover is some kind of Nazi doctor (Oliver Reed), tries to recreate his father's gene experiments. The son loses his arm after getting it caught in a door during an intense argument with them and in an act of desperation tries the formula he's managed to concoct so far on himself. Instead of growing back a normal arm, he grows a sort of tentacled monster arm that can detach, crawl off and kill. He runs away from his mother and befriends a bunch of homeless people who take him in (Garrett Morris's character among them). His mother and her brutal accomplice follow him to get the formula.
For B-movie fans, this is a pretty awesome treat. My biggest complaint is that they made this a tragedy with a heroes and not a feel-good revenge movie. I got sick of seeing the hero constantly being stepped on and acting like an idiot. He's got an army and a brain but doesn't seem to know how to use either. I realize that wanting a happy ending is my own personal preference. Others will enjoy it regardless. The effects are cheesy but fun, and the acting is well done on every one's part except for the main character, unfortunately. Sommer and Reed are deliciously wicked. The sets are great and the whole production was well done, in my opinion. If it weren't for the main character's acting and the way the script treated him, I would rate this much higher. In many ways, this reminded me of Idle Hands, which I enjoyed a little more. Definitely recommended for any B-movie lover who likes a cheesy, gooey mess of sci-fi and horror.
Review of Severed Ties
