Glenn Takajian

(On Cable TV, July 2022) Ugh. Almost terrible. Actually, wait: Almost terrible and overly familiar, as if sticking to a formula was even worse when you can’t even execute it competently. Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor starts, continues and concludes like what feels like hundreds of horror movies: There’s a laboratory, there’s the accidental escape of a monstrous alien creature, there are the innocent civilians trying to survive and (obviously) plenty of death sequences until the monster is defeated (OR IS IT?!?!??)  Metamorphosis follows the usual plot progression in excruciating detail, with most viewers well ahead of the script for a few minutes (if not maybe all the minutes). Shoddily written and directed by Glenn Takajian, it’s a strictly mercenary low-budget effort. If it earns slightly more than the absolute bottom grade, it’s because of a handful of stop-motion special effects shots toward the end, and an overall atmosphere that’s more campy than awful—it’s not completely glum either, so it does have that over some other darker-than-black horror films out there. I mean: I recall at least three people surviving, which is three more than many worse movies. Those who enjoy so-bad-they’re-good movies may get a kick out of it, but even then, they will have to admit the considerable lulls in the action as characters walk down the same corridor thirty times while explaining and reiterating the basics of the plot. I would rather watch something half-good than something just-above-terrible.