Freakdog (2008)

After a prank goes awry and lands a hospital janitor in a coma, a group of doctors begin dying at the hands of the comatose patient who is extracting revenge through out-of-body experiences.

Director:

Paddy Breathnach

Writer:

Spence Wright (screenplay)

Stars:

Arielle Kebbel, Sarah Carter, Stephen Dillane

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arielle Kebbel	...	Catherine
Sarah Carter	...	Kim
Stephen Dillane	...	Dr. Harris
Andrew Lee Potts	...	Kenneth
Alex Wyndham	...	Jake
Katie McGrath	...	Harriet
Christina Chong	...	Yoshimi
Martin Compston	...	Sean
Michael Jibson	...	Steve
MyAnna Buring	...	Shelby
Colin Stinton	...	Detective Cartert
Nick Hardin	...	Walt
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Dr. Stegman (as Michael J Reynolds)
Sarah Wilson	...	Vanessa (as Sarah Boyd Wilson)
Art Parkinson	...	Young Kenneth

Storyline

A young doctor in a US hospital administers a powerful and untested cocktail of drugs to a coma victim. But instead of curing him, it triggers a powerful "out-of-body" experience and enables the patient - a depraved and dangerous loner - to inhabit other people's bodies and, through them, take revenge on the bullying medical students who were accidentally responsible for his condition. The doctor, who was herself a part of this group, is also targeted and as her colleagues are singled out and relentlessly picked off, she realises that she can trust no-one - friend or stranger - as this comatose killer moves in and out of bodies at will, getting ever closer as his murderous supernatural powers increase.

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Plot Keywords:

slasher | hospital | doctor | coma | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Out of body. Out of control.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen Dillane, Katie McGrath, Colin Stinton and Arielle Kebbel are the only cast members who use Their natural accents in the film.

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Goofs

Several characters (most frequently Jake) mention their lofty aspirations to attend "John Hopkins" for advanced medical training. The distinguished medical facility in Maryland is "Johns Hopkins".

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Connections

References Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)

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Soundtracks

Comeback Girl
Written and Performed by Republic of Loose

User Reviews

A refreshing new approach towards the good ol' fashioned, combining some known flavors to create a new dish.

In the past years, writers of Horror screenplay have really had to adjust to the new standards set by progress. The good ol' Teen Slashers are still good, but not groundbreaking, and the audience have become bored with them (and rightfully so, how many films with the same story and settings can we take? Even the characters are the same but with different names!) So some attempted to be groundbreaking by being graphic and sadistic (like Hostel), some being ironically smart (like Cabin in the Woods) and some by being plain sick (like Human Centipede).

However, in Red Mist, writer Spence Wright has managed to combine some familiar elements in a never before seen way (at least by me). Wright took the good ol' fashioned "prank gone wrong" scenario (like in Tamara or Sorority Row) and combine it with a touch of the supernatural, as the victim of the prank is locked in a coma but has out-of-body experiences during which he takes possession of people and make them murder the ones who were involved in the prank. This was, in my opinion, a refreshingly original idea.

As for the characters, the "rules" remained pretty much intact. There's the selfish bastard who passionately and roughly convinces the rest not to tell anyone what happened so they don't destroy their (and mostly his) future. The're the good guy who has a thing with the main protagonist, he just gets carried away and allows himself to be convinced by the selfish bastard. There's the "princess" who doesn't want her daddy to find out, the cold "goth bitch" who couldn't care less, and the straight A geek girl who panics. And of course there's the protagonist, representing sort of a mixed up combination of all of the above. Classic, nothing new here. Acting was pretty good.

In my opinion, the film was really aching for a twist, a clever surprise to "seal the deal" and really make Red Mist one of the best. Unfortunately, there were no surprises. The final scene was a little vague and not so easy to understand, the entire ending felt a little anticlimactic. That's another challenge Horror screenwriters will have to learn to deal with - learning how to make climactic endings again. Having our minds blown away might be a lot to ask for, but it's part of the makings of a truly good Horror film.

All in all, Red Mist (btw I can't understand why they've chosen that name, should have stuck with Freakdog) was pretty original in its own way, and fun to watch. I would gladly recommend it to Horror fans who'd like to see something "newish".

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Freakdog

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Generator Entertainment, Geronimo Films, Framestore CFC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1