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Overall Rating : 7/10
Directed By : Jeff Buhler
Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die)
Dale Waddington Horowitz (Vacancy)
Olivia Munn (Beyond the Break (TV) )
Molly Bryant (The TV Set)
Supplied By : Sony Pictures
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : July. 3, 2008
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| PLOT Jack cons himself into a mental hospital in order to break out his beloved sister. Once inside he discovers that a doctor is mercilessly using his patients as lab rats and is turning them into bloodthirsty killers. Trapped inside an inescapable labyrinth will they find a way out before the relentless cannibals hunt them down? | ||||
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| THE REVIEW In INSANITARIUM, after the death of their Mother, Jack's sister was sent to an insane asylum after having a breakdown. Thinking that she may be in danger there, Jack devises a plan....the plan? to pretend that he is mentally insane so that he would be placed in the same facility. To do do, he self inflicts wounds upon himself. A bloody mess, Jack stands outside the entrace of the building and acts erratic and violently - and a short time later he is brought into the hospital...just as he had hoped would happen. Once in, thinking he's crazy, they put him on heavy doses of medications to control him. He fights it off, and maintains the act to fit in with the rest of the patients all whill trying to locate, and when he does, his first conversation lands Lilly into the maximum security ward, located in the bowels of the sanitarium. While trying to find an escape route, Jack stumbles upon a back room, where it seems that the head Doctor, Dr. Gianetti is injecting some kind of experimental druf into a patient. It isn't long that Jack discovers that most of the patients are strange, and seem to be blood hungry. It turns out that the mad Doctor's own experimental drug called Orpheum is responsible for turning them all into bood-thirsty flesh- eating killers - and the crazy Doc couldn't be more happier, why? Because he himself is addicted to the stuff. Knowing that they might be in danger, Jack, Lilly and another trustworthy patient commence their escape plan, but it does not go off without a hitch, as something shorts out all power putting the Asylum on an automatic lockdown. This also turnd even worse when this escape makes it possible for some of the worst patients to escape from theie cells, this causes a ruckus in which the patients begin to eat on eachother's flesh, as well as have the survivors in their sights. With INSANITARIUM, what we have here is essentially an old school monster flick, we have a mad doctor, using and abusing a drug on his patients as well as himself. He truly believes that the drug "Orphem" will one day heal the world of mental cases, but the truth is, the medicine he created just might be the one to kill the world instead. The first thing I said when I started watching the film, was at least it's not another damn zombie film. Well. I all know what you're gonna say "Well, what about the flesh-eating here? Isn't that what a zombie flick has". the answer to that is, yes there is flesh eating...but the victims of the drug her are NOT undead. The victims here are more or less Human mind controlled cannibals, cannibals controlled by a harsh drug. The plot here is great in my opinion. First we start off with a guy. who hasn't spoken to his sister, take drastic measures in order to check up on her - but once inside, the dark side of the Sanitarium is reveled to all. The plot is paced in a way that doesn't give away too much too soon, and the great acting lends a hand so to speak, in keeping the film interesting during the build-ups to most of the film's plot points(so in simpler words, it keeps you from boring yourself to death while waiting for the next big thing to happen. The overall production and look of INSANITARIUM is theatrical feeling, from the big atmospheric big sanitarium set to the great acting, it's all quite good One of the film's most strongest points is the action-packed gore and chase scenes....it's really where the tension mounts, I found myself loving what I watching. I know that every time I write a hospital themed review I always seem bring up the films like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 : DREAM WARRIORS and even as recent as BOOGEYMAN 2. I consider A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 : DREAM WARRIORS to be the best "teens in a hospital" Horror film ever, while BOOGEYMAN 2 came along and shocked a lot of us, and it's a film that just has to have been inspired by ELM STREET 3, even if it's jusr a little bit. The point i'm to make here is that INSANITARIUM feels like a film that would've fit right in with those VHS big boxes that lined our video stores in the glorious 80s. Not once does this film rely on modern technology like cellphones, it was a trapped in an asylum - no way out-fight for survive......and I liked it As I said, the acting here was great, especially by the film's star's Jesse Metcalfe and Peter Stormare. First Metcalfe as the strong and determined Jack, a man who will stop at nothing to see he and Lilly come out alive. Stormare, plays the crazy Dr. Gianetti a very brilliantly sadistic way - there wasn't a second that I did not believe in his character. Overall. I had great fun with this film, action and Horror fans should be equally pleased, as there equal amounts of both here to keep you satisfied. |
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| GORE
METER 6/10 We have a lot of flesh eating, impalements, the decapitation of a cat, a severed arm, blood splatter, and some stabbings and tasing....that's are I can remember....but it's pretty gory for this type of film. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 4.5/10 The film had a really eerie score. It was drowned out most of the time by the film, but helped during chase scenes, where it was really needed. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM I know I probably said very little about the film here, but truly, there is a lot of good you could say about it - it's an excellent Horror film. Since the last two previous reviews were both mixed, I went into INSANITARIUM hopping to have fun, and that's what this film is. The great writing by Writer/Director Jeff Buhler creates a worthwhile story, that is actually worth our time because it's a new twist on things and not just the same tired and run down stuff we see all of the time when we watch Horror lately. The bottom line is that, INSANITARIUM is one of the best direct-to-DVDs to come out this year....And I also have to agree with those who've already asked.....why on earth didn't this film get a theatrical release? Is it because Jeff Buhler's name isn't Rob Zombie? This DVD will be released on July 15, 2008 |
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