Insanitarium (2008)

Studio: Lions Gate

DVD Release Date: July 15, 2008

Directed By: Jeff Buhler

Cast: Jesse Metcalfe, Kiele Sanchez, Kevin Sussman and Peter Stormare

Deadly DVD Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Review By: Will Colby

Director Jeff Buhler, as many of you probably already know, is the guy who recently wrote the screenplay for Clive Barker’s return to filmic mayhem, Midnight Meat Train.  Insanitarium is his first directorial effort and even with some problems in the logic department, it’s a surprisingly professional looking film for a début.  But, Buhler’s lapses in story and reason sadly take what could have been an ass-kicking horror film and reduce it to mediocre at best.  It moves quickly enough, so if you don’t dwell on its inconsistencies and turn a blind eye to its rather glaring plot holes, it can be a fun time waster. Hell, anytime long pig is served up its cause for celebration as far as I am concerned. So, break out some beer or whatever medium you choose to dull your intellectual capacities, and you just might find this amusing.

INSANITARIUM is the story of ‘Jack’ (Jesse Metcalf) who simply wants to visit his mentally disturbed sister ‘Lily’ (Kiele Sanchez).  Lily has been placed under supervised psychiatric care in an asylum run by ‘Dr. Gianeti’ (Peter Stormare). For reasons beyond Jack’s comprehension, Gianeti does not allow visitors to the hospital. Fearing for his sister’s well being, Jack feels he has no alternative but to get admitted himself in order to find out what’s going on. By acting disoriented and just a little dangerous in public, he gets his wish. Jack soon discovers that all is not well inside, and that the patients may not be his only concern; the good Dr. is experimenting clandestinely with techniques that make the violent inmates even more unstable. Jack makes this revelation after angering a particularly disgruntled whack job shortly after arrival.

At this point the film loses its steam.  As Jack and his new friend and fellow inmate ‘Dave’ (Kevin Sussman) search for Lily, their activities become pretty damn farfetched.  Negotiating their way around the hospital using a stolen ID, they move with too much ease, seriously undermining the films mounting tension and reduce it to nothing more than a ludicrous game of cat and mouse. There are dangerous lunatics here and two of them wandering the hallway at night draw no attention? We won’t even get into the ultra-modern glass rooms that don’t look anything like the psych wards I have visited. However, after the aforementioned silly skulking, the film does get back on course somewhat, as Jack and Dave’s meddling results in all out chaos throughout the hospital. As the lunatics take over the asylum, the film shifts gears and becomes a pseudo zombie inside out siege film.

This film has some truck sized holes in its plot overall. It tries to make up for some of it with the zombie-like flesh-eating antics, but this backpedaling gore comes a little too late to save the movie from its lack of direction. What starts as a psychological piece reminiscent of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST via PARTY OF FIVE decides midstream it would rather be REANIMATOR OF THE DAY OF THE DEAD.

As I said, this isn’t the most logical of films and it suffers for it, if only it knew what it wanted to be when it grew up. Everybody loves a good siege film or a mad scientist parading his deviancy, but this one just isn’t sure enough of itself to qualify as either. This lack of focus derails the action and leaves you feeling you have just watched the first half of one film and the conclusion of another. Providing a little light in the garbage is Kevin Sussman as ‘Dave’. Sussman works his character’s quirks like a young Paul Giamatti. Doing so, he delivers the films one stand-out performance and becomes its one saving grace. 

The disc itself doesn’t offer much aside from the bonus digital copy if you purchased it. Otherwise you will have to make do with the obligatory deleted scenes that are nothing to rave about and a couple of short featurettes on the production. You also get a storyboard gallery and that’s about it. Rather typical direct to DVD deal here.