Underworld (1985) — Triskaidekafiles

UNDERWORLD

WRITERS: Story by Clive Barker
Screenplay by Clive Barker and James Caplin

DIRECTOR: George Pavlou

STARRING: Denholm Elliott as Savary
Steven Berkoff as Motherskille
Larry Lamb as Bain
Art Malik as Fluke
Nicola Cowper as Nicole

QUICK CUT: A man reconnects with a lost love and meets her family.

THE MORGUE

Bain - A man with a shady past, who has made a clean break, and is just wanting to live the quiet life. But you know what they say about every time you get out. He may have done unsavory things, but he’s a good guy who always tries to do the best to protect those he cares about.

Motherskille - Bain’s former boss, or someone he had a lot of past dealings with, who has gone more or less legit. He’s still slimy and sleazy though, and looks out for his own best interests.

Nicole - A prostitute that Bain was involved with and still holds feelings for. She’s young, and played as a seeming innocent amongst all the corruption around her, both physical and spiritual.

Savary - A doctor with a bit of a side business in the drug trade. Smart, devious, and weasly.

Nygaard - The leader of a group of outcasts that is at the centre of many of the conflicts. He’s just trying to keep his people alive and give them a better life, but no one is making that very easy for him.

TRISK ANALYSIS: Welcome back, Triskelions! This week, we go back to one of Clive Barker's earliest movies, Underworld. No vampires or werewvoves here, though. This is also known as Transmutations, in a longer cut, and just so we're all on the same page, I've only seen at this point the shorter, original version, so that's what we're going through today. Also, I know I gotta slide back to the Hellraiser movies, but I am clearly stalling on that front.

The movie opens with a bunch of guys scurrying about like they're the Jets and the Sharks, and eventually come upon a literal house of ill repute.

Our damsel in a dress, Nicole, lays down just as these creatures of the night sneak into her room, and try and make off with her.

The madame of the house happens to come in at that precise moment, seeing one of the men wrapping Nicole up in her sheets. She calls for her protector, Ricardo, and he bounds into the room to save their employee. It does not go well for Ricky, but points for trying.

Ricardo gets quite the surprise when the man who attacks him starts growing fangs, and his eyes glow red.

They tussle around the room for a bit, and eventually, Ricky gets his arm broken for his troubles, and the people escape with their target.

From there, we cut to our hero, Roy Bain, as he's painting, and about to receive a visit from some questionable sorts. But he seems familiar with them, at least, as Fluke breaks into his apartment and he’s not terribly upset over the visit.

He tells Bain that they are here to take him to Motherskille, a former employer of Bain's. Roy doesn't seem interested though, indicating he's not part of their world anymore, having given up the life of whatevedr unsavory pursuits they're into.

But Roy's tune changes however, when Fluke drops Nicole's name, and we all head off to meet the man of the hour, Motherskille.

So, Bain is impressed with Motherskille moving up in the world, and the guy implies he's gone clean, like Roy, and is now a completely legitimate businessman. Uh huh.

Roy wants to know why him, and it's because he's close to Nicole, always been protective of her, and even though Motherskille's got men looking, he knows Roy is the best, and is more likely to get the job done.

It's never really said what Roy did before, and I always got the impression he was a detective, so he had connections, maybe a dirty cop, but the commentary track made it clear he was a former pimp. That is an interesting take, and I'd love to see it, but I do get wanting to uh, not bring that up.

So he heads to Pepperdine's place, talks to her and Ricardo, and they all seem evasive. Bain starts looking around, and meets up with one of the girls, another old friend named Bianca. He tries to get some answers from her, frustrated that no one knows anything, and they’re all clearly lying.

Bianca sets him on the trail of a doctor called Savary, and he found a vial of white powder Nicole had, which is clearly a drug of some sort.

The investigation heads to Savary's place, and the evasion continues, with a side of cold shoulder. The doc clearly knows more than he's letting on, but has little time to deal with Roy.

A noise elsewhere in the office draws Savary away, and he tells Bain not to touch anything. While the doctor is investigating the crash, Roy proceeds to touch any and everything he can.

Meanwhile, down in the sewers, Nicole is being looked over by a doctor and HOLY POTATOES the doctor's face is all lumpy. In fact, all these people down here are freaky looking. Look, a bunch of weird sewer dwelling outcasts with jolly pirate nicknames, I am just gonna call these guys the Morlocks, okay?

The doctor is testing more of the white drug on Nicole, and says it has no addictive effects on her, like them, and that the "dreams don't take root in her, like they do us".

I guess you could say he’s their…Leader.

Bianca overhears Pepperdine arguing with Fluke, about letting Bain get too close to...whatever all this is, and she sneaks off to tell her friend. Unfortunately, one of the Morlocks has given in to 'the dreams" and has gone feral.

She makes it to Roy's though, tells him he's in danger, and after seeing her to bed, Bain heads back to Savary's to break in and look around. Also, she says Roy used to be her, "big tough bodyguard" which is the only direct hint we get at his former life, making it sound like he was the old Ricardo.

Before he gets very far though, Red Dog breaks in and attacks Bianca, and she screams for help. Roy rushes back, and a fight ensues.

I’m here to talk to you about the Nightbreed Initiative.

Red Dog takes a bullet, and when no one is looking, he gets wings and disappears. Roy pursues him, and sees the Morlock die at an entrance to the sewer. One of his buddies pops up like a whack a mole, and they reclaim their dead friend.

After a visit with Motherskille to see what he knows, Roy finally makes his way back to Savary's, and watches some footage of some of his experiments on a drug addict.

The drug, called "white man", seems to have amazing cognitive effects, the users seem focused and exuberant, but the downside is it can cause horrible mutations from whatever their "dreams" are. This is one of Clive Barker's big ideas, that just doesn't work on the screen. I could see something like this, in a book, where you can really get into the meat and mechanics of it, spend an entire chapter waxing poetic, it could really be something. Also, the makeup effects probably couldn't really reproduce what Barker's imagination wanted these manifestations to be.

Eventually, Savary shows up and leads Bain to his lab, and attempts to put some white man in him. Yes, I am doing this on purpose.

Savary reveals the power of the drug, how useful it could be, but oh gosh the side effects. Yeah, that tends to be how drugs work. Anyways, he stopped making it when he saw how bad it got, but the people who were already hooked, he keeps making it for them, while trying to cure them/perfect the drug.

Oh yeah, and he knows Nicole has no ill effects from it, and is trying to isolate whatever that factor is, to his own ends.

But Savary is no match for Bain, who easily overpowers the doctor, threatens him with a gun, and leaves. But not before smashing up some of the lab equipment, while the doctor begs for him to stop.

No, please! I’d rather you shoot me! That stuff is expensive!!

So, Bain finally heads down into the sewers, unfortunately, Fluke sees him descend into the underground, and now Motherskille knows where the Morlocks are hiding.

Unfortunately, by the time he finds their lair, they've all run off to lure Savary out, and kidnap him. Or so it would seem, as they ambush him and MAN Bain is not good at his job, huh?

They leave Roy tied to the wall while they go to kidnap Savary, and once they leave, Fluke shows up to drop some exposition.

Shocker, Motherskille knew about the Morlocks, but not where they were hiding, and when they took Nicole, it gave him an excuse to bring Roy in. Motherskille helped manufacture the drug, and now that he's gone legit(ish), their existence is a liability if it all ever comes out.

Before he goes, Fluke succeeds where Savary failed, and shoves that white man deep inside of Bain.

Meanwhile, the Morlocks grab Savary, but Motherskille's men aren't far behind, and there's a low budget firefight that breaks out.

Roy manages to escape and join in the fun, and helps get our named Morlocks out, while the nameless ones act like the canon fodder they are.

We saw you from across the club and liked your vibe.

Nygaard took a hit though, and he tells Bain to take Nicole to safety. The rest of the Morlocks will lose Motherskille in the tunnels. But once he's gone, the rest of the Morlocks decide to stand their ground, because at this point, why not?

Everyone is too distracted to see Savary sneak away, and Motherskille demands to know where he is. Nygaard gestures for him to come closer, and Motherskille wisely sends one of his goons to hear, because the leader of the Morlocks stabs him repeatedly.

In retaliation, but also not really because this was the plan all along, Motherskille tells Fluke and friends to gas the Morlocks and be done with them.

Meanwhile, Bain has heard all the commotion and returns, just in time to meet the wrong end of Motherskille's gun.

The pair have a confrontation, but the former boss gets spooked, shoots Fluke, and Bain uses the opportunity to shove Motherskille into the toxic gas and watches him die.

And what of Savary? He finds Nicole waiting for Bain, and tries to get her to come with him, so he can perfect his drug.

But she's tired of being used by everyone, and she remembers everyone saying she could "make dreams real" and we...well, don't really find out what any of that means, but her eyes glow bright yellow, and she makes Savary spontaneously combust.

No longer am I the Nicole you knew; now and forever, I am the Phoenix!

So yeah, Bain? Best not to make her angry with you. I mean, she's a redhead, so already not a good idea, but y'know.

Everyone is dead except for one of the Morlocks with a case of white man, Bain, and Nicole. She decides to stay down in the sewers, because "this is her home now" and despite being told it's all over, she wants us to believe this is only the beginning. Yeah, sorry, no.

So she and the surviving Morlock head off into the sewers to...I dunno? Make more? Not like it matters, as Bain climbs out into the sunrise.

TRISK ASSESSMENT

Video: It’s a great looking transfer, and almost looks too good. This feels like a movie that should be a bit grittier.

Audio: Sounds great too.

Body Count: An average amount, but considering everyone dies by the end, I wish there was a bit more meat here.

1 - It's almost 40 minutes before our first body, when Bain shoots Red Dog.
2 - One of Motherskille's men gets gunned down
3 - A whole buncha deaths during a shootout between the factions
4 - One if the mutations gets killed by Savary to escape
5 - Another of Motherskille's men gets stabbed
6 - A bunch of the mutations are gassed
7 - Another goon is gunned down by Bain
8 - Fluke is shot by Motherskille
9 - Nicole makes Savary burst into flames

Best Corpse: I am but a simple creature, who is always here for a body bursting into flames from mind powers.

Blood Type - C+: There’s not a lot of actual blood, but the creatures naturally have their makeup, and it looks good, just…basic.

Sex Appeal: For a movie featuring prostitution and pimps, shockingly light on this front. You do get a leather daddy dancing at a club though.

Drink Up! Every time Bain loses his gun.

Movie Review: I gotta say, I like this movie. I don’t love it though, and it’s probably dead last for Clive Barker movies. There’s a lot of ideas here, and they all just needed…more. Nothing fully comes together in a satisfying way, and it feels very messy. It’s got too many bad guys, and too many plots, that are also the same plot, but no one wants the same thing. In a lot of ways, it reads like a rough draft of Barker’s later movie, Nightbreed. There’s a lot of shared DNA, and knowing how much trouble this movie had, I have to wonder if he wanted to take another go at it. And I don’t blame him. But it’s an interesting movie, it’s still very Barker at times, and it’s far from a bad movie. It just clearly had too many voices with no clear vision. Three out of five vials of white man.

Entertainment Value: There’s nothing so bad here that it becomes entertaining, but the performances are good, and when Motherskille gets to be on scene, he chews some nice scenery. The Morlocks could’ve been more interesting, but we never spend enough time with them, and the mutations are uninspired, for the most part. It’s a very okay movie that’s not really bad enough, or good enough, to do much else than be a curiosity of missed opportunity. I like it, and enjoy my time with it, but I’d rather watch Nightbreed. Two out of five giant fur coats.