28 March 2024
The Darker Side of Terror (1979)
90 min.
Directed by Gus Trikonis.
With Robert Forster, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Milland, David Sheiner, John Lehne, Denise DuBarry, Jack De Mave, Thomas Bellin.
A strong dual performance from Forster livens this small screen companion (of sorts) to 1976's Embryo.

Paul Corwin (Forster) is a university professor respected in his field and admired by his colleagues. But when his old mentor Meredith (Milland) approaches him about a top secret project, Corwin is bewildered.

Seems Meredith has achieved a breakthrough in cloning research - by duplicating a cell of Corwin's to a full embryonic state!

Together, the two bring the fetus through birth and to complete adulthood...resulting in an exact twin of Paul. But something's not right with the creature. Soon, some sort of mental imbalance is causing the Clone to murder those around his 'father.'

Could Paul's lovely wife Barbeau be the Clone's next victim?

An entertaining cast is the best thing about this well executed telethriller (Milland is always a pleasure to watch, while Barbeau is fresh and spirited here).

And while Darker would have benefitted from mustering up a more frenzied pace, it's still a fun amalgam of creepy imagery (the Clone's weird eye!) married with provocative ethical questions.

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