“Sanitarium”
is a feature motion picture that consists of three tales based on particular
patients of a mental institution. Each tale begins with Dr. Stenson, the
primary physician at the Sanitarium, commenting on the recent arrival of a new
patient. As Dr. Stenson speaks, the individual’s story begins.
Starring:
Malcolm McDowell, Lou Diamond Phillips, John Glover, Robert Englund, David
Mazouz, Lacey Chabert, and Chris Mulkey
Directed
by: Bryan Ramirez, Kerry Valderrama, and Bryan Ortiz
Written
by: Crystal Bratton, Scott Marcano, Kerry Valderrama, and Bryan Ortiz
The first tale is about Gustav (John
Glover), who is a unique artist. He designs some small dolls for an art exhibit
that are more to him than just his work. The dolls are his friends, and
apparently talk to him. When the dolls feel threatened by Gustav’s friend Sam
(Robert Englund), they give Gustav some extremely bad ideas.
This tale gets the movie off to a good
start because it’s the best of the three tales. One of the biggest reasons why
it’s the best tale is because of John Glover’s performance. Audiences might
remember him as Lex’s father on Smallville. He masters Gustav’s unusual
behavior, and never gives away what is to come. The twist is well hidden, and
who doesn’t like some creepy little dolls.
The second tale centers on Steven
(David Mazouz), a young shy boy. His mother has passed away, and his high
strong father is left to raise him. His father orders him around, but if he
disobeys there is a belt whipping waiting for him. Things start to get weird
for Steven when he starts to see a figure that is apparently following him
around.
There are a few problems with this
tale. One is that the pace is too slow. They take too much time showing
different aspects of Steven’s life. Once the end comes, the audience gets the
point, so there isn’t a need to prolong it as much as they do. Another problem
is Steven and his friends are clearly in middle school, but they portray the
kids as being older, including showing “High School” in the name of their
school. On the bright side, the figure that follows him around is a pretty cool
looking creature once it is revealed.
The final tale stars Lou Diamond
Phillips as James Silo. James is a professor, who is an expert on the Mayans
and their prediction of the end of the world. He even builds a bucker for his
family and him to survive in when the time comes. That time does come, but not
necessarily in the manner James thought it would.
Another tale that is just too slow.
They constantly show the same scenes over, and over giving the audience a
little more information each time. Again the point is taken, but they do it one
too many times. Like the other tales there is a twist in the story, but this
one seems to be the easiest to figure out… or is it. There is a small bonus
scene after the first part of the credits that will leave the audience
wondering what really happened.
A sanitarium makes a good backdrop for
this kind of movie. Malcolm McDowell serves as the perfect lead doctor for a sanitarium,
and narrator for the story. However, it would have been nice to see the tales
have a little more bang to match that sanitarium feeling. Yes, each main
character proves to be crazy, but the tales don’t match that crazy feeling
because they take too long to develop. Each story has a twist, some better than
others. The first tale stands out above the others from top to bottom. It also
has an excellent performance from John Glover. I give “Sanitarium” 2 pools of
blood.
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