LouHomey From my favorite movies..

pointyfilippa The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Luisito Joaquin Gonzalez (LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez) Now here's a review that I never thought I'd be adding to my list of rare slasher movies. Could a feature length edition of a four-part series that was aired way back in 1991 on the comfort of a Sunday evening's television really be classed a slasher flick? Surprisingly the answer is yes. I remember watching Chimera as a ten year old child and being absolutely petrified by the sights I was witnessing. Many years later as my love for horror grew, I often reminisced about Lawrence Gordon Clark's opus and was enthusiastic when I discovered an ageing copy at a video store under the alias of Monkey Boy. Chimera had launched to much critical acclaim in the United Kingdom and I wondered whether it could survive the stark condensation from a four hour runtime to a measly length of a hundred and four minutes. Chimera launches with a suspenseful set-piece, which was drastically shortened from the sequence broadcasted on television in 1991. In its original format we were given a huge amount of development into the lives of the opening victims, whereas in this shorter version, the characters are slaughtered almost as soon as they are introduced. It all kicks off in The Jener Clinic - a remote fertility surgery in the Yorkshire countryside. A van pulls into the car park and out jump four panic stricken workers. They drag something screaming from the back of the vehicle before silencing it with tranquillisers and carrying it into the complex. Although we don't get to see the struggling aggressor, we can tell from its screams that it's certainly not human. As night sets in on the clinic, the alarm is raised when an unseen someone begins stalking through the surgery and slaughtering the staff Michael Myers-style with a carving knife. The unseen maniac escapes the location, leaving behind him a mess of butchered corpses and flames. The following morning we are introduced to Peter Carson (John Lynch). Peter is apprehended by Police whilst on his way to the clinic in order to meet his ex-girlfriend, Tracy. He is forced to identify the nurse's mutilated corpse, but when he asks for answers he is given the run-around by the senior detectives. Visibly frustrated at the lack of information he is given, Peter begins to suspect that the Police are covering up the true motives behind the massacre. He soon launches his own private investigation, which uncovers something worse than he could ever have imagined. The days when British Hammer Horror features were at the forefront of the genre have long since passed and UK cinema has yet to produce a slasher movie to rival its American brethren. It comes as some surprise that the closest they have come is with this made for TV thriller from the early nineties. Chimera combines a gripping story with the standard clichés to create an entry that sticks in your mind long after the closing credits have rolled. Mixing shady government conspiracies and genetic engineering with approachable characters and a bogeyman that splits the viewer between moods of sympathy and hatred, Stephen Gallagher's script generates enough complexity and terror to allow it to stand as a memorable viewing experience. The opening massacre borrows heavily from Halloween and its sequel, and in a further nod to the cycle, the killer sports a red striped top ala Freddy Krueger. As Chimera was made for television, the gore is kept to a bare minimum, but Clark's sharp and rapid direction and a plot that successfully delays the explanation to the psycho's identity keeps the tension running fluidly. John Carpenter has stated that one of the reasons that the original Halloween towered so prominently over the quality of its sequels was the excellent dramatisation of 'the shape' by Nick Castle. It's easy to underestimate the importance of a chillingly portrayed bogeyman, but it's something that Clark was aware of and Douglas Mann does an excellent job of giving the killer a distinguishing characterisation. In the lead, John Lynch fails to take advantage of a multi-layered plot and delivers a half-hearted colourless performance, whilst the majority of the cast members never leave the comfort zone of b-grade television dramatics. Only Kenneth Graham emerges with credibility, portraying the ruthless Hennessey with a vicious guile that offers the viewer a genuine hate figure. The fact that Chimera is based on Gallagher's novel from 1982 - a time when the genre was at its most productive - explains why the plot is so knee deep in slasher references. But to classify Chimera as just another cycle entry would perhaps be an injustice, because it falls into a huge number of categories. Part Sci-fi, part detective mystery and a huge part stalk and slash, Clark's opus is an altogether interesting feature that never outstays its welcome.It's somewhat surprising that as of yet there's no official DVD of the original four part series, but the feature length Monkey Boy VHS still deserves to be seen.

info-4857 I recently uncovered the full miniseries of Chimera and it brought back a whole host of memories for me. I remember watching it whilst on holiday in Wales in a caravan, in the middle of a field so it really did a number on me as a kid.When struggling film critic, Peter Carson's girlfriend is killed at her new job at a research facility in Northern England he finds the countryside in an uproar and a manhunt underway as the entire research staff was brutally murdered that night.The police are brought in to track down an unnamed killed and Peter finds out that the research facilities experimentations into genetic engineering created the monstrous hybrid responsible for the deaths and now it's on the loose in the Yorkshire Dales. Two young children from a local farm make themselves a new friend...Mr. Scarecrow.This was really brave television, following in the footsteps of the early eighties 'Day of the Triffids' and 'Threads'. It tackled issues of genetic engineering and human rights when relating to 'Hybrids' and was pretty ahead of it's time really.The acting is top notch and supersedes what is on British TV these days. It is quite amusing to see a whole string of minor parts played by now massive British celebrities; Lisa Tarbuck and Paul 'O' Grady not to mention fantastic established actors such as Kenneth Cranham and 'Rita, Sue and Bob too's' George Costigan.The series is spread over six parts and is just the right length. Having not seen the Monkey Boy edit, I cringe at what that butchered version has to offer.'Chad' the Chimera himself is genuinely freaky looking, especially when he shows his teeth. The shot of him reading the 'Rupert the Bear' children's book only to turn and snarl at the camera sends chills up my spine to this day. They spent money on the creature and it looks horrific, especially in it's black and red striped 'Freddy' sweater and dungarees (trust me it's unsettling.)British TV of this calibre and genre could be gone forever down to constant big budget American TV imports which is ashame because there is no place spookier than the British countryside.If you loved, 'Day of the Triffids' and if you're a British horror fan in general, you'll love this.Don't watch it alone.

bobj-8 Two things let down this prophetic drama; poorly-shot special effects and a long, unnecessary setting-up sequence about a nurse getting a job that takes up most of the first episode (apparently it was originally scripted to start right in at the clinic but the producers insisted on adding the extra material. obviously a long bus ride is their idea of a good time.) But once the real story starts we're into a very dark and uncompromising meditation on cruelty and humanity that was considered science fictional back in 1991 but which has moved within reach today. The identity and status of a creature with an animal physique and a human mentality is a matter for urgent and ongoing debate, and the drama dared to imagine that such a creature might not be denied a voice in its own fate.

Theo Robertson **** SPOILERS ****CHIMERA came out round about the same time as the BBC drama FIRST BORN which also dealt with the concept of genetically engineered apes , though to be honest they`re not really compatible since FIRST BORN was more of an emotional drama while CHIMERA is a straight up and down horror/SF thriller The plot goes something like this : A nurse turns up at a fertility clinic to start a new job but things aren`t what they seem . As the nurse is getting suspicions about the clinic , the staff , patients and eventually the nurse herself are murdered by Chad , a hybrid human . The nurse`s boyfriend tries to solve the mystery as to what happened to her Reading the above plot you might think this is a fairly entertaining thriller and it might have been but the story runs for four episodes and the above synopsis only covers the first one and a half episodes . As a matter of fact when the series was re-edited into a two hour teleplay the first hour is cut out plus another hour of running time and the story still makes sense which shows you how much padding there was in the first place After the opening episode we`re treated to sub plots like the secret service spooks wanting to keep everything under the raps and a couple of children befriending Chad who they call " Mister Scarecrow " . Strange how Chad seems to murder adults left right and centre but never harms children ? Oh as always in these type of stories we`re treated to an amiguous ending of lots of little Chads lying in incubators I guess ITV should be congratulated on trying to break the BBC`s monopoly on telefantasy but CHIMERA is very forgettable due to its over long running time and its cliches