This film begins much like any of your countless teenage slasher films; a young girl named Melinda helplessly watches her mother get brutally murdered by a killer disguised in a gas mask and armed with a sword. Flash forward a year later--this same killer begins picking off this same Melinda's friends one by one on a quest to capture her (why he didn't just get her a year earlier after murdering her mother while Melinda was in the same room is beyond me). In order to escape the killer, Melinda and her few remaining friends pack up their cars and take off for the isolated countryside. Predictably, the killer follows, dispatches Melinda's remaining friends, and reveals his identity to her. Now, this is where the film completely shift gears and tone. You see, the killer is her Siamese twin brother who was separated from her when they were babies. He has decided that this procedure robbed him of his "true" life, so, with the help of a crazy-as-a-loon doctor, he plans on being conjoined with Melinda once again. From this point forward, the film takes place in a giant hospital which looks much like your typical suburban hospital. However, the patients are all mentally disturbed and the doctor and nurses are performing what seems to be religious-themed brainwashing ceremonies on them.
The Good: The film is ambitious with its screenplay and I do not think that I have witnessed a horror movie that has switched plot elements so severely and abruptly. Somewhere in this amateurish mess of a film lies an actually pretty interesting and unique premise. The film is extremely low budget (said to have been filmed for under $2000), and while his fact is painfully obvious, it does make some of the hospital scenes/procedures that much more effective. The acting is a mixed bag, but the main girl is serviceable and carries the film pretty well.
The Bad: Pretty much EVERYTHING else. The decision to switch from slasher movie to psychological drama midway really fails here because it makes the first half of the film irrelevant. Why did the brother have to stalk and kill Melinda's friends if his sole goal was to get her to the hospital? There are other glaring plot holes, but that is the least of this film's problems. The directing is awful. The director finds the needs to switch from color to black and white indiscriminately and without any real purpose except to make himself seem "innovative." There are several shots, particularly in the beginning, that are so dark that the viewer can't even make out what is going on. The dialog is clunky and characters do things (again, particularly in the beginning) that are so ridiculous that it is hard to take the film serious. There is not character development at all and we don't even learn the main character's name until a third into the movie. In fact, it seems like the MAJOR issue with this film is the first 40 minutes when it attempted to be a slasher film. Nothing works here. However, when the film switches gears to the hospital, it becomes incredibly dull and contrived that it becomes a test of patience to sit through.
Overall: I know there is an interesting movie to be found SOMEWHERE in this mess of a film. Unfortunately, this film was in extremely incompetent hands and ends up being an absurd, boring chore. There are really no redeeming qualities present to recommend this film to anyone--even die-hard horror fans.
My Grade: F
The Good: The film is ambitious with its screenplay and I do not think that I have witnessed a horror movie that has switched plot elements so severely and abruptly. Somewhere in this amateurish mess of a film lies an actually pretty interesting and unique premise. The film is extremely low budget (said to have been filmed for under $2000), and while his fact is painfully obvious, it does make some of the hospital scenes/procedures that much more effective. The acting is a mixed bag, but the main girl is serviceable and carries the film pretty well.
The Bad: Pretty much EVERYTHING else. The decision to switch from slasher movie to psychological drama midway really fails here because it makes the first half of the film irrelevant. Why did the brother have to stalk and kill Melinda's friends if his sole goal was to get her to the hospital? There are other glaring plot holes, but that is the least of this film's problems. The directing is awful. The director finds the needs to switch from color to black and white indiscriminately and without any real purpose except to make himself seem "innovative." There are several shots, particularly in the beginning, that are so dark that the viewer can't even make out what is going on. The dialog is clunky and characters do things (again, particularly in the beginning) that are so ridiculous that it is hard to take the film serious. There is not character development at all and we don't even learn the main character's name until a third into the movie. In fact, it seems like the MAJOR issue with this film is the first 40 minutes when it attempted to be a slasher film. Nothing works here. However, when the film switches gears to the hospital, it becomes incredibly dull and contrived that it becomes a test of patience to sit through.
Overall: I know there is an interesting movie to be found SOMEWHERE in this mess of a film. Unfortunately, this film was in extremely incompetent hands and ends up being an absurd, boring chore. There are really no redeeming qualities present to recommend this film to anyone--even die-hard horror fans.
My Grade: F