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The Suckling

  • 1990
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
4.6/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
The Suckling (1990)
A pregnant woman reluctantly goes to an illegal abortion clinic, which also doubles as a brothel, only to have her aborted mutated fetus attack everyone at the clinic.
Play trailer1:39
1 Video
43 Photos
Body HorrorMonster HorrorDramaFantasyHorrorSci-Fi

A pregnant woman reluctantly goes to an illegal abortion clinic, which also doubles as a brothel, only to have her aborted mutated fetus attack everyone at the clinic.A pregnant woman reluctantly goes to an illegal abortion clinic, which also doubles as a brothel, only to have her aborted mutated fetus attack everyone at the clinic.A pregnant woman reluctantly goes to an illegal abortion clinic, which also doubles as a brothel, only to have her aborted mutated fetus attack everyone at the clinic.

  • Director
    • Francis Teri
  • Writer
    • Francis Teri
  • Stars
    • Lisa Patruno
    • Tim Martin Crouse
    • Janet Sovey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.6/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Francis Teri
    • Writer
      • Francis Teri
    • Stars
      • Lisa Patruno
      • Tim Martin Crouse
      • Janet Sovey
    • 36User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:39
    Trailer

    Photos43

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    Top Cast27

    Edit
    Lisa Patruno
    Lisa Patruno
    • Girl
    Tim Martin Crouse
    • Bill
    Janet Sovey
    • Big Mama
    Frank Rivera
    Frank Rivera
    • Axel
    • (as Frank Reeves)
    Gerald Preger
    • Sherman
    Marie Michaels
    • Candy
    Michael Logan
    Michael Logan
    • Businessman
    Susan Brodsky
    • Sheryl
    Natasha Roberts
    • Vanessa
    Antoinette Greene
    Antoinette Greene
    • Bertha
    Astrid
    • Tammy
    Ella Aralovich
    • Mary
    Allen Lieb
    • Doctor #2
    Bobby Shapiro
    • Doctor #1
    Brian Muirhill
    • Customer
    Alley Ninestein
    Alley Ninestein
    • Nurse
    James Martin
    • Orderly
    Caesar Monroy
    • Attendant #1
    • Director
      • Francis Teri
    • Writer
      • Francis Teri
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews36

    4.61.6K
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    Featured reviews

    7EVOL666

    This Could Have Been The Best Film Ever Made...

    Get the f!ck out of here people...1's and 2's for this film??? I'm well aware that THE SUCKLING is no great feat of exploit cinema - but this is one of the best concepts out there for sleaze and gore fans. It's a shame it wasn't pulled off more competently and with more gore, if it had, this would have been one of my favorite films of all time...

    THE SUCKLING is about a guy and his girlfriend who go to a whorehouse that doubles as an illegal abortion "clinic" (?) to get rid of the unwanted bun-in-the-oven. The chick has reservations about getting rid of it, so boyfriend and the coat-hanger technician unwillingly drug the girl so she doesn't have a choice in the matter (??). After the fetus is yanked, it's flushed down the toilet (???) where it encounters some radioactive material (????) and begins to mutate(?????) (at this point I feel compelled to tell you that this is no joke, this is really the plot of the film - and the fetus-mutation scene is hilariously awesome - think the "resurrection" scene from HELLRAISER meets that weird looking baby-thing from COMBAT SHOCK...). The fetus grows into some giant goofy looking monster, puts some sort of membrane around the house so those inside can't get out...and takes it's revenge on the occupants of the whorehouse (including it's "parents") for it's mistreatment (????????????)...

    I couldn't make this sh!t up if I tried...THE SUCKLING has one of the most gloriously sleazy plots I could ever hope to actually witness on screen. But with such a wonderfully insane storyline - this film actually ends up being kind of disappointing. It starts out very strong, and ends very strong - but the middle is pretty dull and uneventful. There are SOOOOOO many things that could have been done with this film (even with a micro-budget) that weren't, and there was too much sitting around and talking by the "hostages", where there really should have been more gore and sleaze. Even so, I still dug this one if only for concept alone...but nah, it wasn't just that - there are definitely some "fun" things going on in this one. Probably not to everyone's taste as most "normal" people would have no interest in watching a radiated aborted fetus kill a bunch of people - but some of us really do - so if this sorta thing's your bag, I suggest giving it the once-over...7.5/10
    Dethcharm

    "We're Here To See Big Mama!"...

    THE SUCKLING opens with a rather bizarre nightmare sequence, followed by a woman and her boyfriend showing up at a combination brothel / abortion "clinic", where they meet several unsavory characters including the utterly odious "Big Mama".

    Next, we witness a procedure gone horribly awry. The -obviously rubber- "fetus" is disposed of down the old porcelain receptacle, which is a possible health violation! After a tour of the sewer system, the "fetus" is exposed to some -conveniently placed- toxic waste. This causes an unholy resurrection, and the grotesque / absurd creature springs to life! The transformation scene is a disgusting wonder of ultra-schlock filmmaking!

    The action switches back to Big Mama's place, wherein any further exposition is meant only to enhance the wretchedness of those who will soon meet their gruesome, collective doom. Whenever the hateful humans are busy NOT being killed, they blather on for intolerably long periods of time- 80-90% of the movie!

    The titular mini-monster, which does grow to giant size, is only seen sporadically. Even then, it's far from spectacular. Making matters worse, any scenes without the creature are simply excruciating! Things pick up a bit by the final 20 minutes or so, but by then, viewers are most likely praying for death.

    Heed the warning!...
    6canneryrowdoc

    A not too bad little early 90's exploitation flick!

    A 2?! Oh c'mon. It deserves at least a 6 for the baby effects alone, which are pretty good for such a low budget film. First of all disregard the box comments that seem to compare it to die hard or alien because its the furthest thing from that. Look at more as an above average Troma film, which is probably who should have released it in the first place. My quest to see the movie began at a flea market in Wallingford , CT where I saw a guy selling the suckling press kit with a badass "only could have been made in the 90's" T-shirt. It looked Like an all yellow local metal band shirt. I laughed and had a look and new I had to see the film. The press kit came with a small poster on which someone had written a note in marker on the back. It says" Mike, See you Friday aug. 23 midnight bleecker theatre if possible. If not there'll be bigger + better movies next. Pete." I don't know if the suckling was a CT made film, since the company who made it, JER Pictures has a Port Chester , NY address. Either way its pretty funny, or appropriate depending on your thoughts, that the poster hangs directly above my toilet. I say we need to bring on The Suckling 2: Keep on Suckling.
    OptimisticMe

    Sublime triumph of cinema. I have never seen such glory

    well. you may guess I was being sarcastic. This is probably the worst film I have ever seen. Sewage Baby is ridicule in its purest form, with awful plot, inconsistent characters, poor editing and a puppet that could have come straight from a cereal packet.. in fact I think it did. oh dear, I don't feel I will recommend this film to anyone but those with a very odd sense of humour, or those who really have no idea about film. Vaguely good idea, yet fails to take off in the slightest. I hope you are not one of those actors...
    7bemerkungen

    really funny and bloody story

    Sometimes, fun and blood go together. THE SUCKLING is under that rule. The plot is, of course, of clase B-films and so the FX and the actors. But the result is really funny: a little creature takes a house and its inhabitants and moves misteriously around it. The final scene is one of the more bizarre shots I have ever seen.

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    Related interests

    Jeff Goldblum in The Fly (1986)
    Body Horror
    Bill Skarsgård in It (2017)
    Monster Horror
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The monster suit cost ten thousand dollars to make.
    • Goofs
      In Lisa Petruno's opening dream sequence when she gets her throat slit, she goes to open the medicine cabinet and you can see the sliced throat makeup prosthetic already on her neck.
    • Connections
      Featured in Best of the Worst: Plinketto #9 (2021)

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    FAQ13

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sewage Baby
    • Filming locations
      • Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA(sewer)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $50,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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