Death Warmed Up, Brain Surgery and Mutants

You have to respect a mad-scientist that desires to cure death. Of course, the results are so predictable. Today we look at a gory horror film from New Zealand featuring the perky and alluring Margaret Umbers. There will be exploding heads, bloody brain surgery and cranial saws, and hordes of lovely nurses who all are butchered. 1984's "Death Warmed Up," directed by David Blyth will provide much cheesecake soaked in blood.

Dr. Howell (Gary Day) and Prof. Tucker (David Weatherley) win a prestigious scientific award. For what? Depends who you ask. Tucker believes it will cure disease...not Howell. The more ambitious Howell believes it will cure death by turning men into monstrous mutants who come back to life to slice up pretty nurses. Yes! They feud and Howell gives Tucker's son Michael (Michael Hurst) an injection. This causes him to shotgun his dad and nympho-mom (Tina Grenville) to death. This lands him in an insane asylum for seven years. He gets out and immediately starts dating the prettiest gal in New Zealand, Margaret (Umbers). Poor judgment, as she is pretty enough to date someone with earning potential...I guess Michael offers ambitious pre-marital sex.

Now Howell has an institute on an island where he does brain surgery. His patients turn into indestructible murder-mutants. Michael brings Sandy and two other friends, Lucas (William Upjohn) and the precocious Jeannie (Norelle Scott). The four will try to hunt down Howell. This won't go well. The mutants rebel and take over the hospital, the neighboring town, and the entire island. They rip apart everyone they meet including dozens of sultry nurses in white. Not to be distracted, Howell continues his experiments. As Sandy has pre-marital sex with Michael and screams a lot, and Jeannie and Lucas die horribly, Michael breaks away from the fun and games to hunt down Howell.

Will the sultry and nubile Sandy wise-up and dump the insaniac Michael and start dating a rugby hunk? Will the murderous mutants created by Howell be sufficient interference to keep him from Michael's wrath? Are murderous, brain altered, indestructible mutants a fair representation of the population that make up modern day New Zealand? This is a fine one unless you have an unhealthy attachment to sultry nurses in white. For some great gore and exploding brains, see "Death Warmed Up."