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A positive vibe surrounded this horror thriller as it toured the film festival's during the back end of 2001 into 2002 and it's plain to see from it's stylish cinematography, passionate acting performances and fabulous location just why it became a sleeping success. The film follows a group of asbestos removers as they win a contract to enter and strip out area's of a long abandoned psychiatric hospital in ready ness for future development work. The mix of working class friends and family commence the project but slowly start to fall apart as mistrust, paranoia and the pressure of a tight work schedule begins to unhinge the group.
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When one of the team discovers a storage area that still contains medical notes and recorded patient interviews, he becomes intrigued with the case of a young girl whose schizophrenic condition is chronicled over 9 interview sessions outlining a terrible past trauma.
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For all those reading this thinking that you might be furnished with a quick thrill from some gratuitous gore or the displaying of naked flesh or even the inclusion of the odd ‘sudden-fright’ moment, should defiantly look elsewhere for their entertainment. This is a real slow burner that builds the tension through the development of the story and concentrates more on character interaction rather than how realistic they can make a fake head look.
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The casting is a good mix of intense acting styles but with out a doubt the films biggest character is the Danvers State Hospital which oozes a sense of evil decay that captured the imagination of the film makers to the point that the film was written around the location.
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Depending on your cinematic taste, I believe that you will either love the slow downward spiral of the stories madness and it's effects on the men or you will think that it's just too lengthy to justify the 90 minute build up. You can't deny that there is a certain beauty to this film but perhaps a few more scenes that induce real fear or play with your more basic of instincts would have been appreciated.
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