Directed by: Sean Tretta
Written by: Sean Tretta
Cast: Tiffany Shepis, Ed Lauter, Louis Mandylor, Patti Tindall, Scott Anthony Leet
One of the best tests of a story's merit is its ability to be adapted. If it's truly good, it can span eras and be repeatedly refashioned into something more, something relevant for a new age. By this measure, Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is surely one of the great tales.
Through the years, Shelley's book has served as the foundation for countless entertainments, both high and low. Director Sean Tretta's new film, The Frankenstein Syndrome, distinguishes itself from the pack of Frankenflicks because it manages to be a rather serious examination of ethics as well as a brutal horror show.
Tretta has taken the Gothic source material, mixed in a little of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (itself a riff on the Frankenstein mythos) and framed it all with one of contemporary culture's hot-button issues, stem cell research. The combination is a perfect fit, allowing Tretta to transcend his influences and deliver a well-crafted flick that works on several levels at once.
The story conceived by Tretta involves an underground stem cell research facility headed by the mysterious Dr. Walton (Ed Lauter). To help further his illegal work, Walton has gathered a small group of the best medical minds by agreeing to assist with their dire personal circumstances in return for their services. Dr. Elizabeth Barnes (Tiffany Shepis) has signed on, despite the moral quandaries surrounding the project, to help her sick mother, whom Walton has agreed to care for in return for Barnes' services. With Barnes' contributions, important advances are made, but soon things go terribly wrong, as they often do in these situations. And, as all discover too late, Dr. Walton isn't letting anybody leave…alive, that is.
The Frankenstein Syndrome has a rich ensemble cast, with Shepis the first among equals. Her performance here is another step in her steady progression from scream queen to character actor. Shepis, one of the smartest actresses on the B-movie scene, consistently improves whatever flick she's in. That's true here as well, though the work of her cast mates is just as strong. Patti Tindall and Scott Anthony Leet, especially, give nuanced turns in key roles that are more than they seem.
It's clear from his sly adaptation that Tretta has great respect for Shelley's novel and understands the questions it addresses — everything from the nature of God to the very human need to know the unknown. He's able to weave together the theological with the fantastic while keeping everything grounded in reality, yet deliver enough twists and turns to keep his film interesting well into the third act, where it stumbles into "rats in a trap" territory.
As a screenwriter and director, Tretta has achieved quite a feat with The Frankenstein Syndrome. He's created an intelligent horror/thriller hybrid that combines the philosophical and the visceral, much like Shelley herself did almost 200 years ago. And like Shelley's wretched creature, the sum is greater than its parts, with the result being one of the better recent versions of this apparently timeless tale.
One of the best tests of a story's merit is its ability to be adapted. If it's truly good, it can span eras and be repeatedly refashioned into something more, something relevant for a new age. By this measure, Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is surely one of the great tales. 
The Frankenstein Syndrome has a rich ensemble cast, with Shepis the first among equals. Her performance here is another step in her steady progression from scream queen to character actor. Shepis, one of the smartest actresses on the B-movie scene, consistently improves whatever flick she's in. That's true here as well, though the work of her cast mates is just as strong. Patti Tindall and Scott Anthony Leet, especially, give nuanced turns in key roles that are more than they seem.
