PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Netflix has been doing really well with original TV shows, so I thought I’d give one of their movies a try. Clinical was the first Netflix produced horror film I’ve seen. Did it live up to shows like Stranger Things and Orange Is the New Black?
(Synopsis provided by IMDb.com): A psychiatrist, Jane (Vinessa Shaw), tries to put her life back together after a violent attack. She ends up seeking to repair the life of a new patient, Alex (Kevin Rahm), but he has his own terrifying history.
Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of this film. To start off, it was a slow burner… a very slow burner. It had a really good beginning but then just added a bunch of filler that made me wonder if anything interesting was actually going to happen. I did enjoy Vinessa’s portrayal of the post-traumatic suffering therapist as well as India Eisley’s (Underworld: Awakening) performance. India played the unstable patient, Nora, who attacked Jane. Nora was a much more interesting antagonist than Alex.
I won’t spoil anything, but the very end of Clinical was a little bit ridiculous. The tone of the film just completely shifted. It started off as a psychological horror, then tried to make itself a slasher at the end. There was a certain point in the film that made me think, “If the film ended here, it would’ve been perfect.” Unfortunately, the filmmakers continued on with the story, bringing a twist that was very predictable and not at all necessary to the plot.
I will give Clinical points for the creep factor and atmosphere. Despite his character flaws, Kevin Rahm actually gave a great performance. He was able to change personalities beautifully. One thing that really annoyed me was the boyfriend. The film talked him up, acting like he was very important to the main character but barely showed him in the film. Their relationship just wasn’t believable, and I didn’t care about what happened to him. It’s not just him; the audience was supposed to care about all the other minor characters in Jane’s life, but none of them got enough screen time for you to give a damn.
Final thoughts:
Clinical is certainly not the worst horror film I’ve seen. However, I’m disappointed that it went down such a clichéd road. I’m just frustrated with the whole thing. Netflix has plenty to watch and you’re not really missing anything if you avoid Clinical.
