Amy Roberts(Christine Taylor)is having recurring nightmares where a surgeon and staff are about to make an incision while she's still awake, and the faces and event are so real. Boyfriend Nick(Shane Brolly)finally pops the big question but she's late for work, and this unresolved answer(..if she'll marry him)will have to wait until after school(..she's a school teacher). Amy is incredibly afraid of hospitals and this fear derives from a tragic incident when she was a child regarding the death of her pops. A child plagued with terrifying nightmares, Melissa Norman(Chloe Moretz), in her class might have the answer to halt the dreams tormenting Amy..Melissa's artistic renderings of those nightmarish faces troubles Amy, demonic and grotesque. After school, Amy and Nick are driving home when a truck smashes into their SUV causing a massive collision..left with a broken leg, Nick is taken away by rude, inhospitable paramedics and Amy left concerned about which hospital he would be going. Lucas Dylan(Jerry O'Connell), the other driver, whose sister is also hurt and taken to a hospital of unknown origin, will accompany Amy as they search for the whereabouts of their loved ones. Meanwhile, Amy begins seeing demonic faces of her own, many carrying an exact likeness to those horrifying drawings painted by Melissa. We also follow Nick, who is trapped in a hospital with a weird, intimidating staff, and nervous, frightened patients who are reluctant to answer his probing questions about the mysterious behavior of those in charge of their well being.
I'm in the minority regarding this movie, because I thought it was an unsettling, rather creepy little demonic thriller, with terrific make-up effects from Robert Hall and his Almost Human team. I thought the demons were genuinely frightening, and provide a real sense of dread as Amy confronts opposing forces who want her soul. The Rosemary's Hospital is quite a spooky setting and it's back story heightens the terror, while also providing answers to what Amy is up against..a battle, or test, facing a past decision regarding her father's death that has lingered over the years, and overcoming this by confronting it will be the only way of escaping those who desire for her to "join them." The theme is really traditional "good vs evil" subject matter with Amy's soul hanging in the balance. Renowned camera operator Raymond Stella learned a lot from working with Dean Cundy, as cinematographer really creating a disquieting atmosphere within the hospital(..the way the lights flicker on and off; how disconcerting, empty, and dark the halls are). Within the film, Amy does have help(..ambiguously presented by certain characters who somehow know her name, like the taxi driver)in discovering the history of Rosemary's hospital in pursuit of saving Nick, while the evil forces always try to thwart her mission. Nick also finds himself pitted against the forces of darkness, trying to uncover the mystery behind the hospital he's stuck in, while also attempting to understand the aggressive and off-putting nature of the staff. Why do they take so much blood, and where are they when he needs them? Director Michael Hurst creates a state of unease for Amy and from the moment she leaves the wreck, the film remains surreal and strange, a world in purgatory as she attempts to find Nick, a spiritual struggle to the very end. Flashy role for Ellie Cornell(Halloween IV)as a disgruntled, acid-tongued white trash mother of Melissa who doesn't appreciate Amy's attempts at "headshrinking" her daughter. Kane Hodder has a terrific cameo as a bum who attempts to attack Amy, and gets into a violent scuffle with Lucas. O'Connel, as Lucas, is able to create an air of mystery despite conveying a very comforting and supportive friend to Amy, who certainly needs one. The climax in the hospital is a doozy, particularly when Amy must face the spirits of burn victims and killer nurses after her as she searches for Nick. The computer effects aren't as effective as the make-up prosthetic work, but I felt they aren't a really heavy burden on the movie overall. Cool factoid..the boiler scene where Amy squares off with a demon harassing her was in fact the very room where NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was shot. The film does seem reminiscent to JACOB'S LADDER in it's spiritual theme and discomforting nightmarish scenario(..though, this film doesn't quite reach it in overall quality).
I'm in the minority regarding this movie, because I thought it was an unsettling, rather creepy little demonic thriller, with terrific make-up effects from Robert Hall and his Almost Human team. I thought the demons were genuinely frightening, and provide a real sense of dread as Amy confronts opposing forces who want her soul. The Rosemary's Hospital is quite a spooky setting and it's back story heightens the terror, while also providing answers to what Amy is up against..a battle, or test, facing a past decision regarding her father's death that has lingered over the years, and overcoming this by confronting it will be the only way of escaping those who desire for her to "join them." The theme is really traditional "good vs evil" subject matter with Amy's soul hanging in the balance. Renowned camera operator Raymond Stella learned a lot from working with Dean Cundy, as cinematographer really creating a disquieting atmosphere within the hospital(..the way the lights flicker on and off; how disconcerting, empty, and dark the halls are). Within the film, Amy does have help(..ambiguously presented by certain characters who somehow know her name, like the taxi driver)in discovering the history of Rosemary's hospital in pursuit of saving Nick, while the evil forces always try to thwart her mission. Nick also finds himself pitted against the forces of darkness, trying to uncover the mystery behind the hospital he's stuck in, while also attempting to understand the aggressive and off-putting nature of the staff. Why do they take so much blood, and where are they when he needs them? Director Michael Hurst creates a state of unease for Amy and from the moment she leaves the wreck, the film remains surreal and strange, a world in purgatory as she attempts to find Nick, a spiritual struggle to the very end. Flashy role for Ellie Cornell(Halloween IV)as a disgruntled, acid-tongued white trash mother of Melissa who doesn't appreciate Amy's attempts at "headshrinking" her daughter. Kane Hodder has a terrific cameo as a bum who attempts to attack Amy, and gets into a violent scuffle with Lucas. O'Connel, as Lucas, is able to create an air of mystery despite conveying a very comforting and supportive friend to Amy, who certainly needs one. The climax in the hospital is a doozy, particularly when Amy must face the spirits of burn victims and killer nurses after her as she searches for Nick. The computer effects aren't as effective as the make-up prosthetic work, but I felt they aren't a really heavy burden on the movie overall. Cool factoid..the boiler scene where Amy squares off with a demon harassing her was in fact the very room where NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was shot. The film does seem reminiscent to JACOB'S LADDER in it's spiritual theme and discomforting nightmarish scenario(..though, this film doesn't quite reach it in overall quality).