"Shivers" isn't all that bad, but it does have some really bad flaws to it.
**SPOILERS**
At the Starliner Hotel in Canada, Dr. Roger St. Luc, (Paul Hampton) the building's doctor, is called up by Mr. Merrick, (Ronald Mlodzik) the local agent on call, he finds several bodies badly mutilated in one of the apartments. Finding a trail of evidence that leads him to the work done by a former friend, Dr. Emil Hobbs, (Fred Doederlein) on the benefits of introducing genetically-altered parasites into an incapacitated human body to help it continue to function properly. Discovering that Nicholas Tudor, (Allan Kolman) one of the building's residents, was a participant in an experiment to receive them, he realizes instead that they're dangerous and deadly, and turns to his wife Janine Tudor, (Susan Petrie) and his friend Rollo Linsky, (Joe Silver) to help him put a stop to the parasites when they get loose in the building.
The Good News: This here wasn't that bad of a film, and has some good parts to it. One of it's best features is that the ending is insanely fun and features a lot to like about it. The general pandemonium with the changed people going after the lone unaffected person in the complex is great fun, since there's plenty of stumbling across the residents of the complex performing sexual acts of various stages with everyone around to provide some good goings on, and the long chases through the building, with the sight of them crashing through the under-construction hallways or through the glass doors into the swimming pool are two great moments that make for some really big action scenes. There's also some really nice sequences from before, such as the opening attack in the living room, a marvelously creepy showing in a bathtub and the encounter in the hallway being some of the better action scenes in the film. That there's a really nice story here to account for the release of the creatures, since the experiment has a much more original feel to it, and there's certainly a lot to appreciate about that. Combined with the fact the film simply flies by without feeling like it's going as slow as it is, and these here make up for the film's good parts.
The Bad News: There wasn't that many flaws to this one, but it did have a few. The most obvious one here is that the transformation the parasites force their victims to undergo is simply not scary or terrifying at all. Being forced into a state of complete amorous adulation for the closest person toward you, regardless of anything or anyone, is so far from terrifying some might see it as something to enjoy and be desired of. The change is one for the better, and despite the vomiting, is a positive experience that seems to be desired rather than shunned or launch a strike against. That is a big flaw against the film, since it builds nicely to it, and the end result is something pleasureful rather than feared, which is the reaction provided here. A more terrifying end result would've made this one a little better. The other flaw here is that the threat here is ignored early on and would've been discovered then had pure stupidity not allowed it to get out of hand. The follow-up check-ups would've found them at an early time, yet nothing is done and the creatures are able to disperse amongst the tenets. The parasite looks a little cheesy and not at all like what they should look like, but they're hardly seen and won't be a bother to some. These here are the film's flaws.
The Final Verdict: This wasn't a completely terrible film, but the fact that the flaws in here are pretty big lower this one somewhat. It's good enough to be given a look-see, so fans of the creative staff's work would enjoy this one, while those curious should also give it a shot, but others should heed caution with it.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and several sex scenes
**SPOILERS**
At the Starliner Hotel in Canada, Dr. Roger St. Luc, (Paul Hampton) the building's doctor, is called up by Mr. Merrick, (Ronald Mlodzik) the local agent on call, he finds several bodies badly mutilated in one of the apartments. Finding a trail of evidence that leads him to the work done by a former friend, Dr. Emil Hobbs, (Fred Doederlein) on the benefits of introducing genetically-altered parasites into an incapacitated human body to help it continue to function properly. Discovering that Nicholas Tudor, (Allan Kolman) one of the building's residents, was a participant in an experiment to receive them, he realizes instead that they're dangerous and deadly, and turns to his wife Janine Tudor, (Susan Petrie) and his friend Rollo Linsky, (Joe Silver) to help him put a stop to the parasites when they get loose in the building.
The Good News: This here wasn't that bad of a film, and has some good parts to it. One of it's best features is that the ending is insanely fun and features a lot to like about it. The general pandemonium with the changed people going after the lone unaffected person in the complex is great fun, since there's plenty of stumbling across the residents of the complex performing sexual acts of various stages with everyone around to provide some good goings on, and the long chases through the building, with the sight of them crashing through the under-construction hallways or through the glass doors into the swimming pool are two great moments that make for some really big action scenes. There's also some really nice sequences from before, such as the opening attack in the living room, a marvelously creepy showing in a bathtub and the encounter in the hallway being some of the better action scenes in the film. That there's a really nice story here to account for the release of the creatures, since the experiment has a much more original feel to it, and there's certainly a lot to appreciate about that. Combined with the fact the film simply flies by without feeling like it's going as slow as it is, and these here make up for the film's good parts.
The Bad News: There wasn't that many flaws to this one, but it did have a few. The most obvious one here is that the transformation the parasites force their victims to undergo is simply not scary or terrifying at all. Being forced into a state of complete amorous adulation for the closest person toward you, regardless of anything or anyone, is so far from terrifying some might see it as something to enjoy and be desired of. The change is one for the better, and despite the vomiting, is a positive experience that seems to be desired rather than shunned or launch a strike against. That is a big flaw against the film, since it builds nicely to it, and the end result is something pleasureful rather than feared, which is the reaction provided here. A more terrifying end result would've made this one a little better. The other flaw here is that the threat here is ignored early on and would've been discovered then had pure stupidity not allowed it to get out of hand. The follow-up check-ups would've found them at an early time, yet nothing is done and the creatures are able to disperse amongst the tenets. The parasite looks a little cheesy and not at all like what they should look like, but they're hardly seen and won't be a bother to some. These here are the film's flaws.
The Final Verdict: This wasn't a completely terrible film, but the fact that the flaws in here are pretty big lower this one somewhat. It's good enough to be given a look-see, so fans of the creative staff's work would enjoy this one, while those curious should also give it a shot, but others should heed caution with it.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and several sex scenes