Transmutations
When high class hooker Nicole is kidnapped from her brothel, Rich businessman Hugo Motherskille hires her ex love Roy Bain to find her. Investigating the disappearance, he eventually finds traces that lead to Dr. Savary, who has produced a strange white powder that's coveted by a race of deformed human beings who live in the underworld in the sewers below the city.
Why it matters
A murky descent into 80s underground horror blending noir intrigue with deformed sewer-dwellers and dubious sci-fi alchemy.
- Denholm Elliott and Miranda Richardson lend unexpected gravitas amid shoestring sets and patchy effects.
- The sewer-dwelling mutants tap into body horror’s fascination with decay and otherness, albeit on a tight budget.
- Fans of grimy, atmospheric cult fare will appreciate the film’s willingness to roam dark, claustrophobic spaces.
- Notorious for its uneven pacing and sometimes laughable special effects, it’s a curiosity prized more for ambition than polish.
Director
2 horror films in catalog
Cast
Horror DNA
Gore
71
Slow Burn
33
Psychological
14
Supernatural
0
Creature
55
Disturbing
100
Fun Factor
17
Cerebral
28
Survival
50
