Academy Award®-winning screen legends Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night; Duck, You Sucker) and Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire; Planet of the Apes) star in The Kindred, a chilling tale of a genetic experiment gone wrong… very wrong! Kim Hunter is Dr. Amanda Hollins, a molecular scientist who calls on her son John (David Allen Brooks) to eliminate all evidence of her genetic experiments… most specifically her “Anthony Journals.” Dr. Philip Lloyd (Steiger), an acquaintance of Hollins who is familiar with her experiments, wants to continue her studies no matter the cost! John heads to his isolated childhood home with a group of friends to uncover his mother’s research and destroy it all. There’s something else in the house, however… something watching and waiting… a tentacled creature born from the desire to alter human evolution. It’s evil. It’s mad. It’s ready to kill! One of the best “creature features” of the 1980s, utilizing all practical special effects, The Kindred also stars Amanda Pays (TV’s The Flash, Leviathan) and Talia Balsam (TV’s Mad Men, Homeland).
For thoughts on The Kindred, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Kindred comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Synapse Films in its 1.78:1 aspect ratio sourced from a fetching 4K restoration of a 35mm interpositive of the uncut version of the film. This presentation is a stunning effort from the label for a film that has not been the most widely available. The steady photography captures both the lovely countryside and the grotesque creatures which both impress in high definition in their own ways. The transfer provides the perfect amount of natural grain intact which resolves nicely and never appears clumpy or swarming.
The new transfer shows off a strong amount of depth and enhanced detail. There are certain elements like close-up shots of skin ripping apart or creature details that look beautifully disgusting in their clarity. That is not to mention the enhancements when it comes to other elements such as the textures on the clothing and production design. Black levels are fairly deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is likewise well defined with white levels not appearing overly bright, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside of a few stray specks. This transfer is likely better than anyone ever would have dreamed a few years ago.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with both a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track and a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround track in English (with optional English SDH subtitles). Both tracks represent the film in an engaging manner with the surround track mostly expanding things out slightly and adding a bit of texture. Dialogue is clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information even during more chaotic developments. The film employs some creepy and distinct sound effects during horrific moments that are given the appropriate weight within the mix. The music comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. This presentation is a great effort from Synapse Films.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Filmmakers Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow provide a pretty decent and informative commentary track in which they discusses their memories of the production (which can be slightly spotty for at least one half of the equation), the background and inspiration for the production, the background of the performers in the film, what they wanted to accomplish, the legacy of the film, and much more that makes this a valuable listen.
- Inhuman Experiments – The Making Of The Kindred: A pretty great 51-minute documentary featuring interviews with filmmakers Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, production designer Chris Hopkins, co-writers/co-editors John Penney and Earl Ghaffari, actors David Allen Brooks and Amanda Pays, special make effects artists Matthew Mungle and Michael McCracken, Jr., special creature effects artist James McPherson, and composer David Newman. In this piece the creatives discuss their early passion for horror movies, the process of writing the script, getting the most out of their limited budget, the casting process, how the script evolved from its initial stages, the intensity of Rod Steiger, the reshoots, the release and reception of the film, and much more.
- Rare Never-Before-Seen On Set Footage: An 18-minute selection of footage from the set mostly detailing different preparations to shoot scenes with some of the monsters.
- Still Gallery: A collection of different photos, sketches and promotional materials are provided here.
- Storyboards: A collection of storyboards are provided here mostly showcasing monsters.
- Original Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
- TV Spots: Two 30-second TV Spots are provided here.
- Video Trailer: A minute-long trailer for the home video release is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Kindred is patently cheesy and dumb by most measurements, but it is also a lot of fun at the end of the day. Even with plot holes and some two dimensional characters, you do become invested in the insane logic of the narrative. This is helped along with some truly terrific practical effects which make more of an impression than many of the digital creatures we are subjected to these days. If you approach it with a bit of a sense of humor, you should count this as an enjoyable ride. Synapse Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and an assortment of special features that enhances your appreciation of the film. If you are a fan of creature features, this release is calling your name. Recommended
The Kindred is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Synapse Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.