Uninvited
1988
Director: Greydon Clark
Stars: George Kennedy, Alex Cord, Clu Gulager
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
Okay, this is a weird one. It’s the film from 1988 that is about an ugly, killer, venomous cat living inside a cute, fluffy good cat (and I am not metaphorically speaking) that stows away on a yacht of a criminal crewed by young college students. And somehow the writer and director, Greydon Clark, managed to get Clu Gulager and George Kennedy involved. Clu I can kind of see saying yes to anything, but George must have needed a mortgage payment. Yeah, this movie is a trip; it is definitely an acquired taste for fans of the so-bad-it’s-good kind of flicks, and Vinegar Syndrome just released it as a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. Is it worth a get? Well, let’s find out.
An evil genetics laboratory creates a virus, puts it into a weird mutant cat, then somehow, that cat lives inside another cute and harmless cat. Because science! Then there is a yacht owned by a criminal, a Wall Street inside-trader type, on his way to the Cayman Islands to avoid the SEC. He gets some cute young girls to come with him and unfortunately for him, they bring along their boyfriends. Unfortunately for all of them, the cute kitty with the deadly kitty inside it also comes along for the cruise. Before long the bad cat comes out, the bodies start piling up, and it’s a good old-fashioned creature-feature-meets-slasher set on a boat with cats. You know, that old story.
Uninvited is goofy as all get out but it is fun. It is typical 80s cheese and I am a diehard fan of that. The evil cat puppet effects have that right amount of rubbery fakeness, the kills are good, and George Kennedy looks both bored and embarrassed to be here but hey, George Kennedy. The direction is serviceable and while this one is in no way a classic, a lot of fun can be had here. Get some beers, get some friends together, and have a ball ripping this one a new one.
Let’s get to the extras and special features on this new Blu-ray and DVD combo pack from Vinegar Syndrome. There is an audio commentary with writer and director Greydon Clark. There is an alternate international edit of the film that has deleted scenes and a completely different ending from the one released in the U.S. There is an interview with cinematographer Nicholas Von Sternberg that just under 10 minutes, and a theatrical trailer. So there’s not a ton of extras on this, but the alternate cut of the film is definitely cool and something I’ve never seen until now.
Uninvited is the definition of a cult movie. It isn’t for everyone, but fans of such schlocky delights will love it. I do. So for weird folks like that I can easily recommend this one. If you are not a fan of the so-bad-it’s-good kind of movies I would suggest a pass. So consider this one a good recommendation but a conditional one.
