Scared to Death: Syngenor (1980)

"You know what is, Ted? It's garbage!" - Victor

An ex-cop tries to stop a killer monster.
Starring: John Stinson, Diana Davidson, David Moses, Walker Edmiston, Toni Jannotta

Link to IMDB

Ted is a burnt-out ex-cop that now writes novels to pay his bills, but when his old partner, Detective Lou, starts asking for help on a new case about a psycho killer, Ted refuses to get involved.
Besides, Ted is busy getting romantic with his new lady friend, Jennifer, so say 'hello' to the bothersome romance sub-plot.

We have seen a few glimpses of the killer in action and there's nothing typical about these murders. It seems that a slimy fish-man monster has crawled out of the sewers and it's been chomping people to death!
As the body count continues to rise, Ted finally agrees to help Lou, but he really jumps into action after Jennifer gets attacked and is left in a coma.


No one has realized yet that they're dealing with a monster, but then a scientist named Sherry comes forward with information. She suspects the killer is an escaped creation from the laboratory she used to work for, and now this "synthetic genetic organism" (syngenor for short) has mutated into a savage beast and needs to kill humans to feed!
Ted and Lou think that Sherry's wild story fits the clues they've found, but how are they going to stop this vicious monster!?

 Jennifer                                Det. Lou                             Sherry  

This movie really hits that sweet spot of being a mess, but still crafted with love. Pretty much every single aspect of the filmmaking is clumsy and awkward, but it feels like it comes from lack of experience instead of lack of attention to detail. Everyone is trying their best, but no one has any idea what they're doing.

"I'm in contact with Earth... occasionally." - Ted

The biggest problem is the lack of forward momentum in the first half. There are some really slow sections when nothing is happening, and we spend a lot of time in the dark, literally, while the characters try to figure out what is going on. It's a shame they always keep the monster in the shadows, because it does seem to be a pretty impressive costume.

I was able to find some good laughs here, especially with Ted. Sometimes he's a total jerk, but he's also quirky and exaggerated enough to be likeable. Now that I think of it, the entire movie could be described that way; sometimes it feels like an actual movie but there's plenty of accidental nonsense to always keep it slightly bewildering.


Be sure not to miss:
- Ted really likes Pop Rocks for the first 20 minutes, and then the idea is forgotten.
- Gordon, the cat.
- I think I lost my appetite for sardines.

Internet review:
"an okay time-waster if you happen to enjoy bad sci-fi or horror." - Trooper82

Should I watch it?
Not essential viewing.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Scared to Death gets...