Embryo (1976 film)
| Embryo | |
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| Directed by | Ralph Nelson |
| Produced by | Anita Doohan Arnold H. Orgolini |
| Written by | Anita Doohan Jack W. Thomas |
| Starring |
Rock Hudson Barbara Carrera Diane Ladd Roddy McDowall |
| Music by | Gil Melle |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Edited by | John A. Martinelli |
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Production
company |
Plura Service Company
Sandy Howard Productions |
| Distributed by | Cine Artists Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Embryo is a 1976 science fiction horror film directed by Ralph Nelson starring Rock Hudson alongside Barbara Carrera, with a cameo appearance by Roddy McDowall. It deals with the mental and physical consequences of growing a human embryo in an artificial uterus.
Dr. Paul Holliston (Hudson) is a geneticist who has been living alone in his rambling clinic, which he operates out of his home, after losing his wife in a car crash. This leads to his feeling constant pangs of guilt from his sister-in-law Martha Douglas (Diane Ladd), who has become his assistant.
One night, Holliston runs over a pregnant doberman dog. The dog is fatally injured, but Holliston manages to save one of her unborn puppies by gestating it in an artificial uterus. Because the device still requires nutrients to be supplied by the mother, he must drastically shorten the gestation period: to this end, he uses an experimental growth hormone made from human placental lactogen, which speeds up the embryo's growth.
The doberman grows to adult size in a few days, and Holliston passes it off as the mother to disguise his secret experiments. Thanks to the serum, it learns incredibly fast and soon becomes a well-trained dog. However, Holliston fails to notice that the animal's aggression is increasing commensurately: while he is out on an errand, it kills an annoying small dog and conceals the carcass.
Eager to use his discovery for the good of mankind, Holliston applies the same technique to an unborn human extracted from a suicide victim. However, the subject's cells age uncontrollably, so Holliston uses the highly addictive drug methotrexate to counter the effect. It works, and the embryo grows into a 24-year-old woman he names Victoria (Carrera).
Holliston educates Victoria, and she soon gathers photographic encyclopedic knowledge of science, literature and culture. He begins introducing her to his friends and coworkers as a University of Colorado graduate, and she wows them with a riveting game of chess against chess champion Riley (McDowall), infuriating him when she deliberately lets him win the final move at Holliston's subtle urging. Holliston completes Victoria's education by engaging in sex with her at her encouragement.
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