Gothika

Not great, yet enjoyable. Halle Berry is the star of <em>'Gothika'</em>, but is also joined competently by Robert Downey Jr. and Penélope Cruz; though we don't see much of the latter, unfortunately. The execution of the premise comes out alright, though could've been better of course. There's also a tonne of screaming, most of it unnecessary. As for scares, I can't say it produces in that regard to be honest. It's mainly just the cast that stick out, but I still like the vibe of the film even if it never had me feeling tense or anything close. Thankfully they kept it relatively short at just 98 minutes, even just 10-15 additional minutes would've crippled my feelings towards it. As such, it's passable.

Time to wash away your sins. Whilst hardly being a very good horror film, it's not exactly the stinker some would have you believe. The problems with it are that it becomes overblown, after initially pulsing away as a very moody and atmospherically tight spooker, set to a superbly eerie asylum backdrop, it gets away from itself in the final third. The makers never quite grasp the concept of keeping the mystery aspects of the plot still cloaked in scary tints. Tech credits are dandy, though an impressive cast list are not asked to stretch themselves. It's not ever overtly frightening and lacks suspense in some key areas, but there's still enough of a creepy vibe here to not waste the time of first time viewers. Repeat viewing prospects, though? Unlikely. 6/10

Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend. Halle Berry carries this great Pyschological Thriller of a doctor turned mental patient. This definitely has the production value to support its needs. They do a great job of calling into question whether or not she's crazy at any given time while still presenting the "other worldly" aspects consistently. I even think it holds up (currently) 18 years later as there are technological restrictions in place. Well worth the watch if you like slasher killer detective movies.