The Gamma People

Poster tagline: WATCH OUT!!! GAMMA RAY CREATURES OUT OF CONTROL!!! Weird film, weird (almost) sci-fi. The theme, a man (two in this case) in a mysterious unknown country with totalitarian elements, reminded me a little bit of Juráček's Case for a Rookie Hangman, only without the strong absurd elements. The plot, set in a small, remote country called Gudavia, clearly brushes against totalitarian systems (one of the main characters, a boy genius, wears a uniform like a small NSDAP member, complete with the requisite slick blonde Nazi patois), and the ruler uses gamma rays to turn people into either gifted geniuses or, conversely, brainwashed obedient puppets willing to follow any order (responding to the sound of a whistle) and terrorize the local population, while the small, gifted children create art not unlike socialist realism, etc. It's not brilliant, but it's not a stupid film either. There's nothing unintentionally ridiculous about it, and it meanders through quite unpredictable plot twists, which is nice. The British approach is also refreshing, the main character protecting the female protagonist is not a sexually attractive man, but a bland and slightly overweight middle-aged geezer (in Hollywood it would have to be an Adonis). (2013.02.25)

The British film The Gamma People isn't primarily a horror film - there's very little horror here, and it fits more into the classic 1950s B-movie classification. Yet it's definitely a film that has its charms and has aged pleasantly. It's not a movie for the masses, it's more of a little morsel, but as such it tastes pretty good. Simple and concise. (2018.05.24)