Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Halle Berry | ... | Miranda Grey | |
Robert Downey Jr. | ... | Pete Graham | |
Charles S. Dutton | ... | Dr. Douglas Grey | |
John Carroll Lynch | ... | Sheriff Ryan | |
Bernard Hill | ... | Phil Parsons | |
Penélope Cruz | ... | Chloe Sava | |
Dorian Harewood | ... | Teddy Howard | |
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Bronwen Mantel | ... | Irene |
Kathleen Mackey | ... | Rachel Parsons | |
Matthew G. Taylor | ... | Turlington | |
Michel Perron | ... | Joe | |
Andrea Sheldon | ... | Tracey Seavers | |
Anana Rydvald | ... | Glass Cell Nurse | |
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Laura Mitchell | ... | Inmate |
Amy Sloan | ... | Inmate |
Dr. Miranda Grey is a psychiatrist who works in a penitentiary, in the mental institution sector. She is married with Dr. Douglas Grey, the chief of department where Dr. Pete Graham also works. Chloe Sava, a patient of Dr. Miranda formerly abused by her stepfather, claims that she is frequently raped by the devil in her cell. After leaving the asylum in a stormy night, Dr. Miranda has a car accident, and when she wakes up, she is an inmate of the institution, being accused of an horrible crime and having no memory of the incident. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The third horror outing from Dark Castle productions (following on from HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS) and the first NOT to be a remake, GOTHIKA is a surprisingly serious mental-institute thriller which eschews the rubbery gore and bloodshed of the previous two movies in favour of psychological shocks and a "I'm losing my mind!" scenario. Sadly, the film as a result is rather uneventful, with too much time spent on aimless wanderings through ill-lit corridors and too little plot to carry it through. The final half hour of the film has some neat twists and is pretty eventful, but viewers must endure an hour of tedium before the payoff.
Oscar-winner Halle Berry reveals a poor choice in movies (something proved by her turn in the following year's CATWOMAN) and, whilst adequate in this turn, she's hardly outstanding. Penelope Cruz does ugly and is pretty poor, it has to be said. Hats off to Robert Downey Jr who is decent and likable as the chief doctor, whilst ALIEN 3's Charles S. Dutton is excellent in the minor role he inhabits. The only other actor of note is King Theoden, Bernard Hill, but he's wasted in what amounts to little more than a cameo.
The most annoying thing about GOTHIKA is the lighting: every shot is dark, punctuated by the flash of broken fluorescent lighting, and the resultant gloom makes the viewing experience a bit of a chore. The horror-movie 'jump' sequences are rather predictable and the film as a whole has a feel of going nowhere. Too many scenes of Berry running through the mental institute seem to use similar, better moments from TERMINATOR 2 as their inspiration, and the mystery and ghostly goings on are kept too subtle, the mystery too inexplicable to care about. Sadly, these negative factors result in a less-than-impressive film; thankfully the guys at Dark Castle went back to the remakes with this year's HOUSE OF WAX.