Movies
Insanitarium (V)
“Solid performances from the cast, quick direction and a good machete to the face make this one worth checking out.”
Jack (Jesse Metcalf) is just your typical big brother, doing what all big brothers would do when their mentally unstable sister attempts suicide and is involuntarily committed to the state mental hospital—getting themselves committed too! Too bad Lilly (Kiele Sanchez) ended up in an asylum run by Dr. Gianetti (Peter Stormare). A mad scientist of the highest order who is using his patients to perfect a drug called Orpheum which strips the brain apart and brings the most violent tendencies to the surface so they can be treated more easily. Sounds logical right? Wrong! What it really does is turn it’s victims into bloodlusting maniacs with crazy ice-blue eyes and a taste for human flesh.
You can usually count on one thing to ring certain when you see a film that stars Peter Stormare. You can bet dollars to donuts that Stormare is gonna be bat-shit crazy and chewing up scenery like a woodchipper on crack. INSANITARIUM is no exception to that rule. As Dr. Gianetti we get to see every vein in the man’s forehead pulse out of control, even in moments when his character appears to be calm. Forget about the times when he’s nailing his assistant against shelves of glass beakers after tying her up, cutting her leg with a scalpel and injecting himself with an unknown substance just for kicks! Ever hear the old adage “the lunatics are running the asylum”? That turn of phrase could be tattooed straight onto Stormare’s chest.
The rest of the cast does a pretty good job of keeping up with all the inspired lunacy on display in a film about a bunch of lunatics. Metcalf is supposedly the only sane one and he sorta pulls that off. Sanchez is sufficiently troubled but often comes off like less like a suicidal inmate and more like a really pissed off version of Ali Larter’s character from FINAL DESTINATION 2. Arman Shimerman (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLATER) also makes an appearance as a sort of Hannibal Lecter serial killer who frequently taunts both the guards and the patients with his penchant for the weird. But, the real prize of the film in terms of performance is awarded to Kevin Sussman (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER) as a not-quite-crazy nut case that helps Jack in his quest to rescue his sister before all hell breaks loose. What a shame it’s a fools errand because all hell breaking loose is exactly why we all checked into this psych ward of the damned. So, give our guts and grue its due!
On that note, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that if you’re looking for blood then consider that INSANITARIUM is the directorial debut of MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN scribe Jeff Buhler. And thank God that Jeff provides us exactly what we expect and demand from an asylum film. It’s a rollercoast ride of obliterated bodies, chomped on flesh and buckets of blood basting the white walls in sheets of stick spray. Frankly, knowing what I already know about Buhler’s other production I could have easily tainted this release with overblown expectations. But, for all its anarchic flair and a huge body count to supplant it, INSANITARIUM is just a shockingly good little film. Solid performances from the cast, quick direction and a good machete to the face make this one worth checking out.
In the wake of Backrooms and Obsession, everyone is prowling YouTube for horror shorts to adapt and horror filmmakers to scoop up, so don’t be surprised to see a whole bunch of upcoming articles about YouTube success stories crossing over into theaters. One horror short that’s already been picked up for expansion is Dolly director Rod Blackhurst’s Alone Time.
The 12-minute short was uploaded in 2014 and has amassed nearly 2 million views at the time of this article being written, and Deadline reports that it’s getting a feature adaptation.
Witchcraft Motion Picture Company & Fever Dream will turn the viral short into a feature film.
Alone Time follows Ann Saunders, a young NY professional whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel following a devastating personal loss. “Seeking refuge from a collapsing relationship, a deteriorating family situation, and mounting emotional trauma, Ann reluctantly joins her closest friend on a remote camping trip deep in the Adirondack wilderness.”
The synopsis continues, “When her friend mysteriously disappears, Ann becomes convinced that an unseen figure is stalking her through the forest. What begins as a survival nightmare slowly transforms into something far more disturbing as fractured memories, conflicting realities, and hidden truths force Ann to confront the possibility that the greatest threat may not be lurking in the woods at all, but buried deep within her own psych.”
“Alone Time has quietly followed me for over a decade,” director Rod Blackhurst said in a statement. “What began as a short film about isolation and the weight of life now feels more relevant than ever. The original short found its audience organically online long before that was considered a legitimate path for filmmakers. Bringing it to life as a feature allows us to explore those themes on a much larger and more psychologically unsettling canvas.”
Blackhurst is directing the feature length expansion.
You can watch the original Alone Time short film below.