Cyst

Cyst is as much an exercise in brilliant style as it is a barely hidden homage to all those giant monster movies that filled theaters in the United States and which relied more on more or less spectacular special effects for the time than on remarkable interpretations. One will think in particular of the film Planetary Danger (The Blob) (1958) as an important source of inspiration.

It is therefore not by chance that the short duration of this film, that it takes place in the early 1960s and that the direction adapts the same form as that of the films of the 1960s. By placing only, the action of the film in a doctor's office, Cyst succeeds in totally retaining our attention but above all in reminding us at the same time of the episodes of the series Twilight Zone and Beyond Reality (The Outer Limits). This film therefore highlights a doctor who has invented a machine that uses laser technology to remove abnormalities from the skin. He does everything possible to obtain a patent for his device. However, his nurse continues to believe that this device is dangerous and that he is not ready for any kind of test. The struggle between the two accidentally causes the device to malfunction, creating a giant cyst monster that breaks loose in the bloodstream and kills both patients and the medical team.

For his third film after Here Comes Rusty (2016) and Texas Cotton (2018), director and co-scéanarist Tyler Russell shows that not only has he perfectly assimilated the rules of monster movies, but that he has managed with a very small budget to make an efficient and humorous old-fashioned monster movie. By putting forward the drifts of science and in scene a mad scientist and ready for anything, Cyst imposes himself as one of the good surprises. You will be advised to stay until the end of the credits to discover an additional scene potentially announcing a sequel.

Cyst
Directed by Tyler Russell
Produced by Travis Ayers, Tyler Russell, Andy Silverman
Written by Tyler Russell , Andy Silverman
Starring Greg Sestero, Eva Habermann, Jason Douglas, Gene Jones, George Hardy, Darren Ewing, Francesca Santoro, Kyle Roberts, Brianna Anderson, Keturah Branch, Torren Davis, Terri Merritt Bennett
Music by Sam Lipman
Cinematography: Nick Gardner
Edited by Jeremy Morrison
Release date: October 24, 2020 (UK)
Running time: 69 minutes

Viewed on October 18, 2020 (screener press)

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