What do I mean by that? I mean that the story, budget, genre all demand camp, but the writing and score want a serious tone, as though we're actually going to be in suspense.
I've noticed this problem in many latter-day Full Moon productions and I wish they would give it up. They need to go back and study what made movies like HEAD OF THE FAMILY and HIDEOUS, or even OBLIVION, so special.
Conflicted tone and an underdeveloped script spell doom for this wanna-B-movie.
Shary Nassimi was perfectly cast as Dr. Sinclair! Very convincing as a mild-mannered practitioner but also able to provide a sinister edge. Unfortunate music choices undermine the subtlety of his performance.
Other performances of note include Keep Chambers' and Carrie Overgaard's. I especially enjoyed Chambers' performance as Shauna. For whatever reason, I never liked Sof Puchley's character. I'm not sure if that is due to the writing or to her performance in the role. I think it's more the former.
Bobby Rice was sufficient as Richard. The two detectives were serviceable, though I blame bad writing and an uncertain tone for their poor performances. They were playing dopey detectives in a movie that for some reason was playing it straight.
That last point speaks to the larger issue of the movie's development. It wants to rush things along, but the writing isn't tight enough to support the pace, so I never felt suspense or concern.
If this movie were a bit more campy, if the music was less over-the-top, if the writing were tighter, I would rate this movie much higher. And it really is a shame, because this could have been a wonderful flick.
Keep Chambers and Carrie Overgaard have a few nude scenes to keep things interesting.
