Unrest (2006)

A young pathology med student suspects that the spirit of a dead cadaver in the hospital morgue where she works is killing off all those who handle or desecrate the body.

Director:

Jason Todd Ipson

Writers:

Chris Billett (screenplay), Jason Todd Ipson (screenplay)

Stars:

Corri English, Scot Davis, Joshua Alba

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Corri English	...	Alison Blanchard
Marisa Petroro	...	Alita Covas
Ben Livingston	...	Ivan Verbukh
Abner Genece	...	Malcolm Little
Derrick O'Connor	...	Dr. Blackwell
Scot Davis	...	Brian Cross
Joshua Alba	...	Carlos Aclar
Jay Jablonski	...	Rick O'Connor
Reb Fleming	...	Dr. Saltz
Anna Johnson	...	Jennifer
J.C. Cunningham	...	Medical Records
Terence Goodman	...	Officer
Rhett Willman	...	Security
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dana Anquoe	...	Medical Student

Storyline

In a medical school, the freshmen students Alison Blanchard, Brian Cross, Carlos Aclar and Rick O'Connor receive the cadaver of a young woman for dissection in their anatomy class of Professor Walter Blackwell. The atheist Alison has a weird sensation that the spirit of the corpse is trying to communicate with her and tries to unravel who the woman was. Meanwhile, all the persons that handle the corpse mysteriously die.

---

Plot Keywords:

looking at oneself in a mirror | medical | cadaver | medical student | medical school | 

---

Taglines:

The cost of medical school may be your life.

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/gore, nudity and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 2007 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

The Possession

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asgaard Entertainment, YMIR Productions LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 85 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Joshua Alba, who portrays med student Carlos in the film, is the real life brother of actress Jessica Alba.

---

Goofs

Notably in the opening dissection scene, when Alison hurls and then faints. Upon reviving her, Dr. Blackwell addresses Alison as *Dr. Blanchard*. Additionally, in several other scenes, various other characters address her (and other students) with the same professional title of *Doctor*. But being *only* medical students, (and not having even graduated nor passed any medical boards) she/they are NOT yet MD's. It is improper to call a medical student a *Doctor*. The proper title for a medical student is *Student Doctor*.

---

Quotes

Alison Blanchard: There's something wrong with my cadaver... and I can't get it out of my mind.

User Reviews

Nice Idea, But Needs Improvement.

One of the "8 Films To Die For" that was part of the After Dark Horror Film Festival in November 2006, "Unrest" boasts a unique idea for a story. The film centers around a group of medical students, mainly Allison (Corri English). She groups up with a few guys in her new anatomy class to begin dissection on a cadaver. She is a little grossed out by the entire thing, and begins feeling an uncomfortable presence when around the corpse, which appears to be a woman who was either murdered or killed herself. Of course, nobody thinks anything of Allison's strange feelings around the corpse, and dismiss it as her being a little paranoid, since it is her first time working with a cadaver. But they soon believe her when strange things start happening around the school. And those who came in contact with the cadaver begin to die one by one. But why? The identity of the body may hold the secret, and it's up to Allison to find out.

I went in seeing this film with fairly low expectations, so I wasn't too horribly disappointed with it. I actually thought the movie had a great story, and it was at least a step in the right direction, and different from most of today's horror films. Working with human cadavers has got to be a little eerie anyway, and adding on a supernatural layer to it all is really clever. The only problem here is the story becomes a little wishy-washy as the movie progresses. It started off pretty well and was good for the first thirty minutes or so, but it soon began going downhill, which was a real disappointment considering the potential that it had. The opening shot is really spooky - that woman's strange facial expressions and her staring eyes gave me chills. But the entire history behind her character is where this movie really falls flat. It's disorganized and becomes too muddled. Most of her story is told through character dialog that lasts about five seconds, and some things are more unclear than they should be. I wish they had elaborated on her background more, because it could have been a really creepy story.

Like most of these low-budget indie horror flicks, the cast isn't huge in names, which isn't a bad thing. I didn't recognize the cast members, but I thought the acting was pretty decent. Corri English was the leading lady and she was pretty good - convincing enough in her role. As far as horror clichés go, there weren't too many which was surprising. There are a few silly moments though, especially the entire formaldehyde-tank swimming sequences, which were a little overdone if you ask me. Can you even swim in that stuff anyway? It seems like it would be toxic to your body. I won't pick it to pieces though, you just have to take it for what it is.

Overall, "Unrest" is a decent horror movie that sets out what it aims to do - entertain. The film went downhill a little as it progressed and the story needed some work, but it was a watchable movie with a few nice thrills and an interesting (albeit different) storyline. If you enjoy supernatural-themed horror movies, this wouldn't be a bad rental - you could do much worse. 6/10.