Movie Review: Colony Mutation

Colony Mutation Movie Review by Matt Boiselle

Colony Mutation – directed and written by Tom Berna, and starring Joan Dinco, David Rommel and Anna Zizzo

Synopsis: A genetic scientist finds out about her husband’s affair and doses him with an experimental serum which causes his limbs to separate from his torso. Soon he begins to stalk young women to quell the hunger of his evil appendages.

There’s nothing more effective cinematically than a cautionary tale, especially when it revolves around the wrongdoings of the married man – remember “Fatal Attraction?” – it literally paralyzed a nation of guys whose eyes may have wandered at one point or another in their relationships. For me, the most fearful part of that equation is the career that the wife in the union may possess, for that very well could be the telling tale of the wayward husband’s punishment. In director Tom Berna’s “Colony Mutation”, the notion of a man wanting to go astray plays out in quite horrific fashion when his wife implements a little “laboratory justice.”

A high ranking Public Relations executive (Rommel) decides to participate in a little extracurricular activity with a lady on the side, unbeknownst to his scientist wife (Zizzo)…or is she in the know after all? In any event, it’s not before long that she catches on to his games and hits him with a powerful dose of a genetic drug that literally makes his arms, legs…and well, little cheatin’ soldier detach from his body at varying instances and venture for nourishment – slightly disturbing, isn’t it? The gore here certainly pulls the wagon in this presentation, but it’s the destruction of the relationship that brings this film to a very sharp point, and combined with some pretty decent portrayals offered up, the movie more than holds its own, even with the dated look and feel. Now with the film having been released on Blu-ray with an absolute Vegas-sized buffet of special features, fans of body horror and low-budget chills really should drop some coin and pick this one up – read on below for all the special features within, then after you’ve agreed to sell your soul for a copy, you can pick one up at MVDshop.com

Special Features include:

Region free Blu-ray
New, director supervised 2K transfer and restoration from original Super 8 film elements
Commentary from producer/ director Tom Berna
Commentary with Tony Strauss of Weng’s Chop Magazine
Interview with director Tom Berna
Interview with star David Rommel
Interview with music composer Patrick Nettesheim
In the Director’s Chair: archival public access interview with Tom Berna
Alternate original 1998 VHS version of Colony Mutation
Alternate original 2013 DVD version of Colony Mutation
Complete original script
Image Gallery
Producer teaser trailer
Visual Vengeance trailers
Optional English subtitles
‘Stick Your Own’ VHS stickers
Reversible sleeve featuring original VHS art
Folded poster with original illustrated art
Booklet with liner notes by Tony Strauss – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
Limited edition O-Card with art by Justin Coons – FIRST PRESSING ONLY