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Rating: Have you ever had a "carnal" brother? Yes, you heard right... not a twin, not a brother, but a Siamese twin. If you had one and if this brother of yours wasn't simply a twin, but part of you, flesh of your flesh, then you would know that the morbidness and attachment that distinguishes this "species" is truly unique.
Let's talk about Duane and Belial, or "beauty and the beast". Yes, because born Siamese, the two twins did not have the same luck. "The beauty" is the classic good guy, kind and gentle; the "beast," on the other hand, is a lump of flesh, with two arms, a rudimentary spine, and two big blue eyes, terrifying but deep. They are born that way, and the mother dies during childbirth amidst the despair of the father, who, besides not accepting the loss of his wife, rejects that monster of a child to whom he attributes the death of his spouse. He hires a team of self-proclaimed surgeons to sever that Freak from his son Duane's torso... a team... a bit of an overstatement this... in reality, the most qualified was a veterinarian! Well, little does it matter the most important thing is to get rid of that monster and let the daddy's boy live a serene life, like all children. Belial is severed from Duane's torso, one evening, on the table, in the kitchen, which for the occasion has been transformed into an operating room. Once detached, the beast is closed and thrown into a garbage bag, but the instinct for survival and the attachment between the two twins is so strong that they telepathically reconnect and Duane swears to his brother that he would never abandon him. This incredibly strong bond is what develops throughout the entire film.
Frank Henenlotter needed very little money to direct a 16mm film, and who cares about the money, in the end, it's the theme (and I'm talking about the separation) never previously addressed that rewards the viewers, and who cares if the special effects were often executed with clay.. oh well???... it may seem amusing today, but back then it was quite a treat.
It is in this "basket case" where Belial lives, hiding, carried by his brother through the streets of New York to carry out his revenge. But the morbid attachment of the two twins, which had strengthened over the years, is put to the test when Duane falls in love with the secretary of one of the doctors who performed the surgery on the twins.
This is when the jealousy of Belial, the resentment towards his brother is felt... and no, you don't really think I'm going to tell you the whole movie. The splatter is present, even if not at the highest levels, and the splashes of blood are not missing.... yes, just as tradition demands. In short, it's a film worth watching that thoroughly explores in an excellent way, for the years (1982) and for the budget (insignificant), a truly interesting psychological subject.
In the end credits one notices that the film is dedicated to H.G. Lewis, (the father of splatter), who inaugurated the genre in 1963 with "Blood Feast" (an obligatory citation).
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Leave me to die
You won't remember my voice
I walked away and grew old
You never talk
We never smile
I scream
You're nothing
I don't need you
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