Anesthesia (2006)

Director:

Adam Kargman

Writer:

Adam Kargman (writer)

Genre:

Short | Horror

Tagline:

Try to remember it's only a movie.

Plot:

A woman's failed anesthetic during heart surgery leaves her fully conscious and able to feel all pain--but paralyzed and unable to warn anyone. |

Plot Keywords:

Anesthesiologist | Anesthesia | God | Religion | Heart

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Jack Eastland	...	Surgeon
Dorie Gray	...	Patient
Mandy Olsen	...	Anesthesiologist
Alisa Rock	...	Nurse
Roy Vongtama	...	Surgeon (Dan)
Adrian Zaw	...	Nurse

Runtime:

USA:6 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

University of Southern California (USC)

Trivia:

Lead actress Dorie Gray plays a heart surgery patient who experiences anesthesia awareness. After the film was completed, Gray's mother underwent heart surgery and really experienced anesthesia awareness.

Brilliant -- scared the s**t out of me!

I saw this brilliant, creepy horror film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The plot concerns a woman who is wheeled into a surgery room for heart surgery. She is given anesthesia, but soon discovers that she is one of those unlucky few to experience anesthesia awareness (which I looked up afterward -- it's real!!!). She is paralyzed by the anesthesia, but remains awake and able to feel everything. She has no way of communicating with the doctors and nurses, who think she is unconscious and begin prepping for the surgery. Tension in the film mounts quickly as the surgeons get closer and closer to operating, and the patient (whose thoughts we hear in a voice-over) struggles to move a finger or give some sign that she is awake. We see things from the patient's point of view, and the film has some great imagery with some shock cuts of the patient trapped in a coffin. I won't spoil what happens, but I will say that I saw this in a packed theatre and the film was so scary that people were gasping and covering their eyes, and 2 or 3 people even ran out of the theatre! The lead actress was terrific. There is also some very funny (and dark) humor, with a great, well-timed line right before the surgeons are about to cut into the patient -- which generated lots of nervous laughter in the audience. If you're a horror fun, this a must-see, and hopefully will be in other festivals!