, where it was mocked for its dated aesthetics and "bad acting". The Island (2005) Lawsuit : The creators of The Clonus Horror sued DreamWorks for copyright infringement over the film The Island
: Produced by Group 1 Films, it is considered a "sunstruck" B-movie that explores 1970s anxieties regarding bioethics and dehumanization. Critical Legacy and Controversy MST3K Episode : The film is widely known for Season 8, Episode 11 of Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Clonus Horror
The film is set in a secluded, idyllic desert facility known as . Here, a community of physically perfect, endlessly happy young adults lives under the guidance of "guides" like Dr. Jameson (played by Dick Sargent). These residents are told that through rigorous physical training and discipline, they may one day be "chosen" to go to "America," which they believe to be a paradise. , where it was mocked for its dated
Sound familiar? It should.
My fascination with Peter Graves continues: I just watched Parts Here, a community of physically perfect, endlessly happy
It failed at the box office. It succeeded as a lawsuit. It triumphed as a cult object.
The Clonus Horror is a paradox. It is a bad movie. The acting is stiff, the pacing is leaden, and the special effects are laughable. But it is also a vital piece of speculative fiction. It stumbled upon a terrifying concept—the industrialized harvesting of human duplicates—and presented it with a straight face years before Never Let Me Go or The Island .