Director: Andrew Shortell
Writer: Lawrence Robinson (Screenplay)
Starring: Sara Foster, Cary Elwes, Michael Biehn, Gabriel Mann, Colleen Camp, Winter Ave Zoli, Susie Amy
Plot: Working alone at night in a recently closed hospital, an unstable woman witnesses events that may be connected to a string of murders.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Twist Filled Horror
Story: Psych 9 starts as we meet Roslyn (Foster) who takes a night job at a hospital set for closure, her job is to transfer the files to computer before the demolition takes place. Spending her nights alone inside the hospital Roslyn gets visited by Detective Marling (Biehn) just checking up on her because of a recent string of murders of women in the neighbourhood.
Believing she is hearing noises from within the hospital Roslyn seeks help from Doctor Irvin Clement (Elwes) from the psych department who is working nights too. Spending more time in the hospital Roslyn start to see things around the hospital and is left wondering if it is in fact her losing her mind or real when fingers start pointing at people closest to her to who the serial killer really is.
Psych 9 is a mystery horror film that is filled with twists, but I do feel it could be one too many twists though. The mystery idea is about looking at a serial killer killing woman around the hospital which does make us think we have a few suspects to who it will be. The problem with this is that we all know the obvious choice won’t be the killer and we also rule one other out leaving just two remaining suspects. The final third of the movie does come off slightly messy because we learn the truth but also makes us wonder just what the hell has been happening and the final twist doesn’t make the full sense to where the story should have gone.
Actor Review
Sara Foster: Roslyn is a lady with a troubled past who takes a night job at an abandoned hospital. Inside the hospital she starts seeing things she can’t explain and with a killer on the loose she starts suspecting her husband. Sara is very strong in this leading role where we see both sides of her character shine through.
Cary Elwes: Dr Irvin Clement is also working nights at the hospital in the psych ward, he is the man that Roslyn turns to when she starts questioning her sanity offering his skills to help her unlock the truth. Cary is good in this role where we get to see him in a wise role of a doctor.
Michael Biehn: Det Marling is trying to find the serial killer that is roaming the streets around the hospital. He turns up to question the people inside the hospital with his own idea of who the killer is. Michael is solid in this supporting role without getting the full screen time required for this role.
Gabriel Mann: Cole is the husband of Roslyn who also works nights as a taxi driver, the two are not as close as they once were as the fingers start pointing towards him being the serial killer. Gabriel is solid in this supporting role where he has to deal with his wife who is struggling with her own mental problem.
Support Cast: Psych 9 has a very small supporting cast with the only characters we really meet are staff members from the hospital who appear every now and then.
Director Review: Andrew Shortell – Andrew does create the mystery well but when it comes to horror it just seems thrown in around the mystery not helping either side of the story come through strong enough.
Horror: Psych 9 has a couple of jump scares but the horror side doesn’t seem to fit around the mystery created.
Mystery: Psych 9 throws us into a mystery that really does try to keep us guessing from start to finish with 4 main suspects too.
Thriller: Psych 9 does keep us on edge throughout the film just wondering what is going on.
Settings: Psych 9 is set inside the hospital for the most part which adds to the horror side of the story but doesn’t help with the mystery.
Special Effects: Psych 9 has good effects when it comes to the use of them which all works for the film.
Suggestion: Psych 9 is one for late night television but not one to go out of your way to see. (Late Night TV)
Best Part: Mystery created.
Worst Part: The final twist doesn’t work for me.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $5 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
Tagline: Fear is all in the mind…?
Trivia: The movie was shot in 2006, but released only in 2010.
Overall: A horror with one too many twists involved.
Rating
