Progeny is billed as being "from the special effects wizard behind Re-Animator"; but the word from can be used in creative ways. In fact, Stuart Gordon, who directed that 1985 cult classic, is one of the executive producers of Progeny. And just as Gordon is further from the material now than he was then, so Progeny is muted, brooding and ultimately dull compared to the vital, wild-eyed zeal of Re-Animator.

In a way, there are two films here, each vying for attention. In one, a pedestrian thriller, Vosloo--a kind of poor man's Michael Keaton--broods and broods while McWhirter frays and Crouse grouses. This film, bearing the thumb-prints of director Yuzna (Return of the Living Dead 3, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4) is so by-the-numbers that in one late scene sodium pentothol is used to "get the truth" out of poor Sherry Burton. In the other film, excerpted in dream-sequence-style hypnosis sessions, low-budget but high-quality special effects are showcased, creating a terrifying atmosphere without a trace of plot. It's kind of like being abducted from the film: Viewers float in a dreamlike haze, admiring the visuals while everything else is suspended.

Nonetheless, there is something to this movie. The "twist" ending prevents the story from being nothing more than a National Enquirer headline, and on occasion interesting camera angles and effects intrude into Yuzma's workaday part of the film. McWhirter's emotional rollercoaster is believable; Vosloo performs well throughout, though with an odd heaviness even when angry or excited; and breezy Brimley, as the obstetrician, is not as much of a sore thumb as viewers might think.

Overall, Progeny doesn't really fit together, and neither the gore-lover nor the craver of suspense is likely to be satisfied with it. While viewers might have expected the once-visceral Stuart Gordon to have mellowed over the years, perhaps indulging in John Waters-like self-parody, he seems hardly present in Progeny, and there is certainly no parody a la Re-Animator--at least, none that was intentional.