Psych 9

Indie Vision

R2 DVD

It is interesting how primal fears can be so effective in a horror film even though they are used time and time again. We are all uncomfortable with illness, disease and death and nothing embodies these fears more than a hospital. If the hospital is old, partially abandoned or decrepit then the fear factor increases tenfold. Perhaps it is a reminder of our own mortality. Psych 9 plays on this fears and adds in a mental institution to increase the pressure hence creating a sustained feeling of unease and tension.

Rosslyn (Sara Foster) is a nurse she takes a job at an old hospital, working night shift. She likes the silence as she is having problems in her marriage and cannot conceive a child. Her taxi drive husband Cole (Gabriel Mann) is not coping well but the night job gives her a chance to try and save her marriage. She has a history of depression and hence the risks inherent in her decision are great.

She works alone in the hospital except for a single doctor who is working on another floor. The hospital is being closed down and her job is to work through a mountain of files. Luckily the boredom is broken by various strange visitors, which also help sustain the mood of the film.

The local region has somewhat of a reputation due to the Nighthawk, a serial killer who kills blonde women with a hammer. The police are on his trail but the body count continues to climb. Marling (Michael Biehn) is watching the hospital and trying to catch Nighthawk but to no avail.

Rossyln feels she is adjusting well to the nightshift but soon she is experiencing strange occurrences. Are these real or hallucinations ? She discusses her fears with psychologist Dr Clement (Cary Elwes), who is working upstairs in the old Psych ward in the hope of resolving her issues as she cannot afford to leave her new job.

Together Marling and Clement must work out the secret of the hospital before it is too late. As Rossyln spirals out of control she begins to wonder, as do we, what is real and what is in her mind. Are the events she sees connected to Nighthawk and his crime spree or she is simply suffering from the stress of her home life and work. The character development is solid, there are lots of interesting twists and some old time horror jumps and the fact that the film does not offer easy answers to what is occurring makes you think.

A very effective horror thriller.

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