Madhouse (2004)

Director:

William Butler

Writers:

William Butler (story)
Aaron Strongoni (story)

Release Date:

30 July 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Let the insanity begin.

Plot:

A young psychiatric intern unearths secrets about the mental health facility in which he works.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Medication | Mentally Impaired | Shower Scene | Electric Shock

Cast

Joshua Leonard	...	Clark Stevens
Jordan Ladd	...	Sara
Natasha Lyonne	...	Alice
Lance Henriksen	...	Dr. Franks
Dendrie Taylor	...	Nurse Hendricks
Leslie Jordan	...	Dr. Morton
Patrika Darbo	...	Betty
Christian Leffler	...	Drake
Newell Alexander	...	Dr. Douglas
Dan Callahan	...	Dr. Hendricks
Mark Holton	...	Mr.Hansen
Aaron Strongoni	...	Carl
Todd Stites	...	Trannie
Rosemary Alexander	...	Grace
Muffy Bolding	...	Polly Bond

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence/gore and some sexuality.

Runtime:

Germany:91 min (Fantasy Fim Fest) | UK:87 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Norway:15 | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Ireland:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

The building seen at the very end of the film is "Stites Mental Facility", obviously named after Todd Stites, the post-production supervisor and the actor who played the "Trannie".

Goofs:

Continuity: In love scene, Clark takes off Sara's shirt. Next shot, shirt is still on. Next shot, it's off again.

Movie Connections:

References "Wheel of Fortune" (1975)

Ambitous yet lacking organization

This movie is admittedly better than the usual fare horror fans are offered, however it was still missing something. The majority of the characters were interesting, though at times they seemed too perfectly tailored for their roles.

The movie is suspenseful for the most part and keeps you guessing. At times, things seemed kind of corny (worms and men with eyeliner don't scare ME, for instance) and certain plot points are never explored to their full potential.

All in all, it's a movie worth seeing (especially if you're into the genre). Reminded me a little of a juvenile version of Session 9... but if given the choice between the two, I'd choose Session 9 again!