The Ugly (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Scott Reynolds

Writer:

Scott Reynolds (writer)

Release Date:

1 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The Ugly - It's not a pretty picture!

Plot:

A female psychologist wants to understand the minds of a confessed serial killer who spent the last five years in a mental hospital because of his state.

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Serial Killer | Mental Hospital | Psychologist | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

7 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Paolo Rotondo	...	Simon Cartwright
Paul Glover	...	Phillip
Christopher Graham	...	Robert (as Chris Graham)
Darien Takle	...	Marge
Rebecca Hobbs	...	Dr. Karen Schumaker
Roy Ward	...	Dr. Marlowe
Cath McWhirter	...	Helen Ann Millar
Carolyn Beaver	...	Helen's friend
Caelem Pope	...	Simon, aged 4
Jennifer Ward-Lealand	...	Evelyn Cartwright
Finn Johnsen	...	Future cop
Phillip Brown	...	Future cop
Tau Luke	...	Future cop
Tim Barlow	...	Police photographer
Sam Wallace	...	Simon, aged 13

MPAA:

Rated R for gruesome gory murders, language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min | Australia:91 min | France:91 min | UK:91 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Essential Films

Quotes:

[after Karen's first sighting of The Ugly]
Dr. Marlowe: Did you see them?
Dr. Karen Shoemaker: What?
Dr. Marlowe: Did you see something?
Dr. Karen Shoemaker: No, you said, "Did you see them?" What have you seen?
Dr. Marlowe: Oh, I've seen a lot of things.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Boogeymen: The Killer Compilation (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

KNIFE

Sickening

I'd never heard of this film before viewing the "Boogeymen" compilation, and was inspired to hunt it down afterwards, believing I might have missed out on a horror film of stunning importance. Indeed, Paolo Rotondo earned his award for his portrayal of Simon, a shy, good-looking and incredibly violent serial killer. Paolo makes his character sympathetic as we flash back to his childhood and see him beaten by his schoolmates and humiliated further by his weirdo mother. We don't blame him when he kills her. We understand, even if it's on a primal level, the bursts of anger that make him kill again and again. We even hope he will win the girl of his dreams, though when he does, we know it's only a matter of time before she too falls under the razor blade. Simon is a complex character, the sort who stops to rescue an injured dog with the fresh corpse of his most recent murder still in the backseat, or refrains from murdering a little girl because she is deaf, and therefore as damaged as he is.

The film that surrounds Simon is unpleasant, to say the least. It is disgusting and difficult to watch and not always easy to follow. The ambiguous ending left me just as confused as I was when the film began. It was as though the people who made this film couldn't decide whether they wanted a straightforward story of a serial killer, or a dark fantasy about demons and the supernatural powers of the twisted mind. Everything is hinted at, but nothing is verified, and at films end, you are left to make up your own mind. I couldn't help but feel disappointed, especially since it seemed that Mr. Rotondo put his all into a character for a film that just wasn't worth the effort. It left me feeling sick and depressed.