Gothika (2003) User Reviews

Don't believe the hype, this is worth a look

[mstomaso · 7/10 · 12 February 2005]

Stars operating at the level of Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz are bound to disappoint critics along the way, especially when the critics are just waiting for some sign of weakness upon which to feed. While there is nothing wrong with any of the acting in this film - these are not the kinds of roles Oscar winners and nominees are expected to indulge in.

What's more, Berry and Cruz signed onto a film made by a production team which has typecast itself with some fairly disappointing ghost stories / horror films involving big-names in the recent past.

Finally, this is one of those cases where the trailer was so good that the film could not possibly follow it.

So what?

If you approach this film without expectations, and with an open mind, you will be entertained. It's a tight, disturbing psychological/supernatural thriller which, though a little predictable at times, nevertheless offers some frightening imagery and a few good solid scares. That said, this is not a film for people who have trouble paying attention or for people who need straightforward answers. If you don't really pay attention to what is going on in this film, you could easily dismiss it as a more adult version of Sixth Sense or just another dumb ghost story. This film deserves more credit than that.

Personally, I don't think it's a ghost story at all- but that is a question best left open.

I have seen a number of films by this team - House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts and Ghost Ship. Of these, I found 13 Ghosts and the House on Haunted Hill to be entertaining, but not very intelligent. Ghost Ship was tremendously disappointing - even Gabriel Byrne could not save that film. Gothika is easily the best of the lot, and also the darkest. The film is shot in dark blue, black and gray tones, and the use of lighting is nothing short of artistic. Despite the cliché title, the occasional plot clichés, and all the negative publicity generated by critics, I found this film to be surprisingly entertaining, intelligent, and disturbing.

Most of the 'plot holes' cited by some reviewers here on IMDb are more likely gaps in the attention spans of the viewers themselves or intentional ambiguities designed by the production team. This, unlike any of this team's previous work, does not provide unambiguous explanations.

Cruz and Berry are, respectively, patient and psychiatrist in a high security prison for the criminally insane. The Gothic environment of this facility is not meant to be realistic, but surreal, and the effect works. From the first time you see the place, you question its own reality. The film constantly manipulates mood through cinematographic techniques like this.

Shortly after the film opens, Berry finds herself experiencing what some of her allegedly delusional patients talk to her about. Robert Downey's portrayal of her friend and, now, therapist, is uneven, but satisfactory.

To describe the rest of the plot would require spoilers, so I won't bother. Suffice to say that even the occasional predictability of this film did not detract from my enjoyment of it.

The film uses just enough ambiguity to permit the audience to wonder whether what they are seeing is really happening or whether it is a product of our protagonist's subconscious mind. And then, in the end, the film makes you question whether it matters.

Feel the scare, don't look for logic

[dromasca · 7/10 · 12 April 2004]

'Gothika' may be looked at as an exercise in style. The plot is about a psychologist in a women's prison who wakes up one day to find herself on the other side of the bars, accused of having murdered her husband. She needs to prove her innocence, but the film is not what you expect. There will be not too much logic in what follows, and the borders between reality and halucination seem to be crossed by the director and script writer, not only by the characters.

What saves the film is the excellent acting of Halle Berry, Penelope, Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., and all the rest of the cast, the haunting setting, and the way the atmosphere is being build. The institution looks like some gothic building from outside, with blue lighted corridors inside creating an appropriate setting for the mood of the characters. Rain seems to poor almost permanently, kind of reflecting the fluid state of mind of the characters.

This film will not be easy to forget for me. Despite its ridiculous script and the conventional way the plot is being solved, the quality of the cinema is above average. Halle Berry is fantastic, and may have bought back her acting in a James Bond movie. Uneven but still memorable. 7/10 on my personal scale.

Pschologically creepy, but a little flawed

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 8 January 2007]

Halle Berry plays brilliant criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey; an expert in what is rational, logical and sane. After she encounters a mysterious young girl, she finds herself confined to the institute in which she once worked; along side the patients she once treated. She has to rationalise what is real in her own mind, before she loses it forever.

The setting and atmosphere that is created in Gothika is excellent, and the movie is definitely creepy enough to jangle your nerves. Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz and Robert Downey Jnr all fit into their roles nicely; the problem is plain and simple. The storyline and script are too weak to achieve what this movie sets out to do, and because of some lame dialogue and a flawed plot the movie only manages to be decent; when it really should have been great.

6/10 It's still worth watching.

Misses the mark, but not by much.

[mostlygreek · 29 October 2004]

I have read many reviews that seemed to think Gothika was a waste of time. Let me just say, it is not a waste of time. in fact, the film was very enjoyable. it was shot well and the special effects were sophisticated and well handled. The cast was full of surprises such as Bernard Hill(great actor but a strange role). The story was interesting and there was genuine tension throughout.

Berry's character is a doctor in a mental institute. she wakes up to find herself an inmate in the very place she works. Her colleague and friend played by robert downy jnr tells her that she has committed a horrific crime and nobody knows why. so the plot begins to wind its way towards a shadowy truth. However, without giving anything away, the key scenes where important truths are revealed to the audience are simply too clumsy. information is just handed over visually on a plate and leaves little to the imagination. some of the tension built up in

the first half of the film is lost. and the truth isn't quite as gripping and terrifying as we would have hoped(although thats not to

say it is pleasant).

Robert Zemeckis was one of the producers and i think it shows..there is some great camera work and some really interesting ideas but gothika doesn't have some of the subtle touches that What Lies Beneath had, but its easy to see some of the parallels between the two films.

Even though halle berry wears the same look of shocked disbelief throughout the film, she plays it with conviction. and a supporting role from penelope cruz certainly doesn't take anything away from berry.

all in all, gothika provides a good story, an average screen play and enough innovative ideas to keep its audience. but i would have been disappointed if i had paid to watch it at the cinema.

Catwoman your way out of the straitjacket, Halle

[Coventry · 6/10 · 5 March 2009]

I'm a big fan of horror movies, but deliberately tend to avoid the ones starring A-list actors and actresses. One of the most essential yet unwritten rules of the genre states: the bigger the names involved in the production, the weaker the shocks and the tamer the blood & gore effects. If this statement were an exact science then "Gothika" would be one movie to avoid at all costs, with its all-star ensemble cast including Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, Bernard Hill and John Caroll Lynch. But this really isn't a bad movie at all, in fact, and the acclaimed names seemingly didn't form any restriction for director Mathieu Kassovitz (creator of "The Crimson Rivers" and the brilliant crime thriller "La Haine"). The good news is that "Gothika" is a surprisingly grim and darkly atmospheric ghost story, with a handful of genuinely eerie set pieces and uncomfortable moments. Perhaps it's the influence of the French director, but it honestly feels like the movie aimed for chills & shock rather than to come across as politically correct. The bad news, however, is that the script is weak and incredibly predictable. The first twenty minutes still manage to be somewhat mysterious, but as soon as the ghost-story aspects begin to unfold, the denouement already becomes obvious to slightly experienced horror fanatics. Miranda Grey is a professional psychiatrist working in the same all-girls asylum as her husband; Dr. Douglas Grey. She strongly believes there's a rational explanation for everyone and doesn't really listens to what her patients, Chloë in particular, have to say. Whilst driving home one rainy night, Miranda becomes involved in a nasty car accident because there's a girl in the middle of the road. Next thing she knows, Miranda wakes up as a patient in her own asylum and she's accused of murdering her husband. Shortly after, she has ghostly visions again of the girl she saw on the road, and it seems as if she's trying to tell Miranda something very important, so she better learns to really listen. Even in spite of the sadly transparent and derivative plot, "Gothika" manages to remain compelling and even somewhat engaging. Halle Berry is a marvelous actress (as well as one of the most ravishing women on the planet) and a joy to behold as the 'dame in distress'. She receives excellent support from the always-cool Robert Downey Jr. and I never saw Penelope Cruz deliver a better performance. If I were her, I would accept more crazy-lady roles. This certainly isn't the kind of stuff nightmares are made of, but it's a worthwhile little thriller nonetheless.

Excellent Initial Two-Thirds of the Story, But Horrible Conclusion

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 10 December 2004]

Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a psychiatrist who works in a penitentiary, in the mental institution sector. She is married with Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton), the chief of department where Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.) also works. Chloe Sava (Penélope Cruz), a patient of Dr. Miranda formerly abused by her stepfather, claims that she is frequently raped by the devil in her cell. After leaving the asylum in a stormy night, Dr. Miranda has a car accident, and when she wakes up, she is an inmate of the institution, being accused of an horrible crime and having no memory of the incident.

This ghost-story has an excellent atmosphere and photography, and the initial two-thirds of the story is really intriguing. I really expected an excellent movie, in the level of "The Sixth Sense", "The Others" or "El Espinazo del Diablo". Unfortunately, the writer got lost with his plot and presented a horrible, almost ridiculous, conclusion of the story. I am a great fan of horror movies and I liked "Gothika", even with such a silly end, but it could have been better and better. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Na Companhia do Medo" ("In the Company of the Fear")

You will probably require therapy after watching this!!

[kaisercam · 3/10 · 18 February 2004]

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Gothika is another example of the hollywood concept film. Prison psychiatrist Halle Berry finds herself on the wrong side of the bars when her badly cast, older, fatter husband is murdered and all clues point to her and she ends up imprisoned with the mental cases she used to treat. That's the concept that some sucker of a film executive got sold. This pathetic attempt at a thriller, with a not so subtle nod at "What Lies Underneath" is neither scary nor tense and Halle Berry acts like she should be handing her oscar back. If you like a plot to make sense then (By plot I mean a story that leads to a logical conclusion that you can understand and appreciate) do not waste your time on this, as it is only a vehicle for Halle and Robert Downey JR's 50th comeback. Penelope Cruz also assaults your sense of sanity with her unintelligible accent. This movie is cliched right down to the dark foreboding old style country prison with the standard issue thunder and lighting storm. I don't know if this film was too long and they cut it down for pace reasons but if so they cut out any logic with it.

*****Major Spoilers Ahead*****

Ok if like me you were daft enough to watch this, I want to explain what I was moaning about above, I realise this is a movie about ghosts but come on, even ghost stories should make some sense. First off how many of us believe Halle Berry would be married to the guy who played her husband and that she would be allowed to work under him in a prison environment and that her being an intelligent, observant psychiatrist had no idea he was a sexual deviant who spends a lot of time down "at the farm". Why does the girls ghost decide all of a sudden to return that particular night after being dead for 4/5 years, was she waiting for the right atmosphere as it was bad weather? How many people accept that someone who worked (literally the night before) in a prison would be committed to that very same prison and be overseen by her friend and colleagues? Not to mention being incarcerated with her former patients, tad dangerous maybe? Even if it was just a temporary measure to place her there until she was formerly brought to trial she would be kept elsewhere for her own safety and a psychiatrist who doesn't know her would treat her as it would be a conflict of interest when it came to testifying at the trial. Next up, who bought the rational (non-paranormal) excuse for the shower scene, Halle manages to gouge out words in her arm in like 10 seconds and afterwards Robert Downey Jr and a prison employee explain the incident away as "she must have smuggled a scalpel in". How did she manage this? (she was in a bathrobe, and was watched the whole time) Where did the phantom scalpel come from? Where do they think the scalpel went in the shower room?. Better still the first time she escapes her cell (the ghost unlocked it)nobody seems to be interested on how she accomplished this magical feat as Robert Downey Jr remains sceptical. Let's move on the ghost herself, now apparently she committed suicide due to the abuse she was suffering. How did the perverts accomplish this? Did they ring at Bernard Hill's door and ask if she could come out? Did they intercept her (somewhere) take her to the farm and then let her go home taking the chance she wouldn't reveal anything? Wouldn't Bernard Hill notice the emotional after-effects? Ok, how about the second escape with the scene where Halle hides next to the friendly guard who lets her go and gives her his car keys. What is this guard on? Hasn't he heard about the overwhelming evidence against her? Nearly there folks, moving on now to the final scenes. Why did the girl in the sex dungeon just stay there? it was unlocked, why hide there and eventually starve to death?

While Halle is chatting away with the sheriff Robert Downey Jr must have read the script as he finally decides to investigate the tattoo on his PC, now this scene cuts to the police station and after that Rob runs up to the window just after Halle despatches the Sheriff. How did Robert figure it out? Was the tattoo website he went to, hosted by the sheriff? And speaking of the sheriff how did he keep getting in the prison to rape the inmates, even law officers don't have free run of prisons let alone the keys to prisoners cells. Fine forget that, lets go back to the Sheriff's office, when Halle finally works it out the sheriff follows the murderers handbook to the letter and totally disregards any attempt to cover up the fact he's out to kill her by smashing up the place and firing wildly with a handgun/shotgun in the now deserted office (where is everyone?, does the office close at the weekend?).

And now the final abomination HOW THE HELL DOES HALLE'S CHARACTER GET FREED AT THE END. It is a fact that she killed her husband, the courts recognise insanity they don't recognise murder by possession. It doesn't matter how many people her husband killed you still get jailed. The defense was to claim when she got home that night she found out he was a sicko and he attacked her (despite the forensic evidence to the contrary)and she killed him in self-defense. Of course any decent prosecutor would ask "well why didn't you say that in the first place instead of denying it". No court is going to quibble with a woman killing a murderer/rapist in self defence. So with all that in mind I HATE THIS FILM.

It's pretty good, but they could've gone more in depth

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 4 May 2004]

Over all, I thought it was a decent movie. Very rarely can a ghost story go far, but I was impressed with the acting. Most of the movie is very predictable, but I don't judge on that. What I thought they were missing though was more of the story. The beginning is well paced, although I wanted a little more. I got past it though. The middle of the movie was great, there was a lot of excitement and action. Then comes the end. It was very predictable and a little quick. I felt like they could've explained more.

SPOILER

I was a bit confused on how Halle Barry was proved innocent, because the other killer was killed by her. The only proof was the tattoo's, but that could've been a coincidence.

Over all, it was a great story. But like I said, I thought they could've done more.

7/10

Okay, But Lacked Something

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 27 September 2006]

Boy, this started off promising but turned out to be a tough movie to sit through. I talked to several others who saw this film and liked it, but I thought it lacked something even though it had a decent amount of suspense and it entertained, for the most part.

Halle Berry plays a psychiatrist who is accused of murder. Through communicating through ghosts (give me a break!), however, she winds up helping to solve the case and find the real murderer. There were a couple of good twists at the end.

With an interesting cast that also included Robert Downey Jr., Penelope Cruz and Charles Dutton, I still think the film lacked something that made the viewer want to care more.

Scary, reasonably good movie

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 19 October 2004]

I'm not too fond of these supernatural thrillers, but I must say Gothika did the job and scared the hell out of me. Mathieu 'Amelie' Kassovitz did a better job than most of the other directors trying to make that 'new Ring'.

Miranda (Berry) works in a clinic as a psychiatrist, only to wake up one day as... a patient. It turns out she killed her husband (and boss... hmm) quite gruesomely. Miranda tries to find out what happened while she is haunted by some spirit.

A couple of plot holes and a silly ending don't make it a particularly good movie, but I had my frights and fun. Better than most comparable movies.

6/10.

Subtle as a neon pink handkerchief in a biker bar

[dfranzen70 · 3/10 · 12 August 2004]

Gothika is a new-fashioned ghost story in which a conscientious, well-liked criminal psychologist (Halle Berry) wakes up in a cell in the very insane asylum in which she works - and she's accused of a heinous crime. Whodunit?

The movie begins creepily enough, with some requisite background on Miranda (Berry) on how she interacts with her husband/boss (Charles S. Dutton) of the institute, her coworker Pete (Robert Downey, Jr.), and her prize patient Chloe (Penelope Cruz, gettin' all ugly and stuff), followed by her waking up in the aforementioned glass you-will-not-escape cell.

Why is she there? Why does she have no memory of getting there? Why is Pete so irritated with her? You'll care about these questions, too, but rest easy: Your caring will soon dissipate.

Chilling stories, especially ghost stories, are best told with no small amount of subtlety. Hit the audience over the head with effects, and you might as well be showing them a slasher film. And that's what this one is, at times, replete with blood and guts and action, action, action. If you stop to think about what Miranda's doing, you'll realize how little of it makes any real sense.

Gothika is overwrought; its twists are broadcast so blatantly that you'll feel like the electroshock therapy some of the patients at the institute receive. Bad guys? We got bad guys. You can usually scope out the bad guy at the beginning of a cheesy movie, because he's the one who looks perfectly ok. Even if you don't guess the bad guy's identity early on, I'm betting you won't be terribly surprised when you do find out who it is.

On paper, this must have seemed like a great career choice for Berry, but like Catwoman, this is not a shining moment for her. And don't fool yourself - this is a Halle Berry event all the way. Those other guys in the movie? Interchangeable. I'll admit that Downey, Jr. turns in a - shall we say - more mature performance than he did during his heyday, but perhaps that's a result of all those drugs and drying-out periods.

Gothika's poorly written but competently acted and directed - considering the script. It's as if Miranda merely moves from setpiece to setpiece without really solving or accomplishing anything until VOILA!!! she figgers it all out. As you will, too.

You need to see it more than once to appreciate it . . .

[mary-sokolowski · 8/10 · 18 March 2008]

I'm not sure why so many critics hated this movie. I suspect that it has a great deal with how the movie was marketed. It is not a horror film, plain and simple. It isn't quite a ghost story, either. It is most definitely a psychological thriller. But, most important, I actually think the film delivers a series of important message about what truth means, what sanity means and what the costs are of seeing and understanding the world only with logic and not with your heart and intuition.

When I first saw the film, I was confused--I did not fully comprehend the whole ghost component (perhaps b/c of the misleading marketing). Nevertheless, I was intrigued and have since seen it several times. It gets better. I am using it to teach film (specifically ghost films) in a college level class because it uses and sometimes breaks with cinematic conventions in a way that is rather intelligent. The cinematographic technique is handled well and I appreciated the artful use of tracking shots, match cutting, close-ups. I didn't feel that any one type of shot was overused or misused.

Lighting is another example. Some may find the use of light heavy handed in this film. But I think it is used effectively to underscore the film's themes (academic-knowledge vs. intuitive knowledge; science vs. spirituality/ the supernatural; sanity vs. madness and where the truth fits into that). I also found the lighting downright pretty to look at.

I have read some critiques that mention that the film is preposterous and unbelievable, hinting that these problems stem from the film completely ignoring the conventions of realism. OF COURSE, the film is not realistic. No correctional facility would ever be as dimly lit; no psychiatrist would ever be allowed to be incarcerated with her former patients. I didn't think the plot was preposterous. It's outrageousness--that someone so accomplished as Doug or as boring as the sheriff could actually be sadistic and violent is part of the message . . . all is not as it seems.

The film relies heavily on convention. But I actually found that the intentional use of these conventions very satisfying. Water imagery, lightning storms, eerie music, light/dark, Devil/God, "vision,"--they were all used purposely and to good effect. A good example is the flickering lights--everyone knows that ghosts have electromagnetic effects in ghost movies, but it's how they are used and set up as part of the "science vs. supernatural" theme that makes it interesting. So I wouldn't call this film clichéd. I would say "stylized" and very self-conscious.

The other think I liked upon further viewing is the juxtaposition of normalcy with the cinematic atmosphere of creepiness. There are "realistic" touches in several scenes--for example, Miranda and the guard's chit-chat about swimming and her comment "Say hi to your wife" and the sheriff's "Say hi to Doug for me" as Amanda pulls away from the roadblock for a truly life-changing detour. But these are clearly placed ON PURPOSE into the heavy-handed ominous setting for effect. The effect on me was very de-centering and I found in retrospect that technique itself foreshadowed Miranda's transition from the "sane" to the "insane."

Other details struck me as well: the way you are right in Miranda's head in her relationship with the nurse. In the beginning, they are just typical colleagues, complaining about the lighting problems. But when that nurse came in to give Miranda her "breakfast" of meds, she was so freakin' annoying I could really feel how an asylum might actually enhance insanity. Then the nurse goes on to tell Miranda to take a shower and "Wash away her sins." Never caught that sadistic little exchange on the first viewing. Again--clichéd? I would argue intentionally stylized.

I'll mention one more detail because I think it says a lot. When the guards are searching for Miranda and circling the pool, they are carrying on in Miranda's old, "sane" world—joking, chatting. And one of them comments, "Do professors always nail their pretty students?" This provides a glimpse into Miranda's past life (the assumption being that Doug may have seduced her while she was his student), at the same time that it contrasts the "sane" world of the joking guards and the "insanity" that Miranda is beginning to understand.

Finally, I think the movie is a strong statement to beware of what we think of when we think of mental illness. This is tied to a feminist message—the film uses the stereotype of women as representative of intuition, the soul, heart and spirit and men as the representation of logic, law, God and academic knowledge. During the course of the film, the "male" world is exposed as potentially sadistic and violent; Miranda integrates her "female" heart and intuition to prevail. The movie stays away from making this purely stereotypical since Miranda is in the world of "logic" at the outset. Robert Downey is a liminal character that prevents the movie from saying that all men are sadistic butchers. Plus, Miranda makes a clear choice at the end of the film. She knows and accepts that she can see ghosts (i.e. use her "feminine" powers), but she clearly chooses to return to her "masculine" work rather than chase those ghosts. If she had fully integrated those two sides and ran off with Robert Downey (Mr. Liminality)? Now THAT would have been boring.

Misses a golden opportunity, but still manages to be solid, spooky fun.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 31 March 2012]

In Mathieu Kassovitz's Gothika, Penélope Cruz and Halle Berry share a shower, but DON'T soap up each other's jubblies; that glaring goof aside, the film is a worthwhile supernatural thriller—smartly written, with slick direction, solid acting, and some effective shocks—one that should pass the time fairly painlessly for fans of mainstream horror.

Halle Berry plays penitentiary psychiatrist Miranda Grey who winds up as an inmate herself after she inexplicably chops up her hubby with an axe. With no memory of the murder, Miranda begins to suspect that there is a supernatural reason for her brutal act.

Although the story evolves in a predictable Hollywood manner, the well developed atmosphere, stylish visuals, and some great supporting performances (the aforementioned Cruz, Robert Downey Jr. and Bernard Hill) all go to make this an enjoyable, if not exceptional, creepy murder mystery.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Message with the ghost

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 13 July 2014]

Gothika is an all star mystery chiller with a dash of horror. Halle Berry plays Dr Miranda Grey a psychiatrist working in a female asylum with her husband. As a psychiatrist she believes in a rational expression which is sometimes at odds with her patients experience such as Penelope Cruz who claims she has been at the asylum.

Driving home one night during torrential rain Miranda gets involved in an accident and the sees a girl standing in the middle of the road. She then wakes up in the same asylum but not as a doctor but as an inmate and she is accused of killing her husband brutally.

Confused, delirious and in a state of shock she continues to have visions of the girl. Her former colleagues such as Robert Downey Jr try to do what they can knowing her husband was also an esteemed colleague of theirs, Dr Grey realises that the visions might be trying to her something and everything in the hospital is not what it seems.

The film tries to tread a line between keeping serious and falling off the rails and maybe does not always succeed. I doubt a psychiatrist is likely to end up as a patient in her own hospital but Berry tries to be believable but the script can be preposterous and dialogue is not always good.

Yet the film is engaging enough with enough thrills and chills to keep it going although you kind of guess what the dark secrets could be.

Thrilling and suspenseful

[Gordon-11 · 19 September 2008]

This film is about a female psychiatrist getting locked up in a mental institution for suspected murder. After that, she has a series on vision that lead to grave consequences.

I think "Gothika" is a great thriller. The first half is scary by using great sound effects, beautiful shots and suspenseful plot. This is quite unlike many horror movies that relies on blood or shock to scare. The second half turns into a crime mystery, and I think the suspense is still well sustained. I did not see the plot twists coming, and hence I was surprised by the ending. Halle Barry's acting is great, she is convincing as a psychiatrist and even more convincing as a "crazy" person. Her facial expressions in the scene where she got possessed is great.

I enjoyed watching "Gothika" very much.

Riveting Psychological Thriller!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 3 May 2004]

"Gothika" proves that Halle Berry is more than just another pretty face. Her talent is equal to her drop dead good looks. Berry plays psychiatrist Dr. Miranda Grey who is content in her work at an asylum and happily married to her boss Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton). A colleague Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.) also has eyes for the comely doctor.

One night Miranda's world is turned upside down. As she is driving home from work in a rainstorm, she is suddenly confronted by a young girl (Kathleen Mackey) standing in the middle of the road. Miranda's car goes off the road but she manages to return to the young girl. The next thing we see is Miranda waking up in the asylum as a patient and not knowing why she is there. She is told that she is suspected of murdering her husband but can remember nothing.

Dazed and confused and unsure of who to trust, she begins to try and fill in the missing blanks of her memory. Has she really gone mad or did she actually commit the crime? She begins to have flashback visions, especially after she learns the identity of the girl on the road that night. Is there an element of the supernatural at work here or is Mranda actually going mad? Director Mathieu Kassovitz keeps us guessing right up to the surprise ending.

Berry gives a memorable performance as the confused doctor. She alternates between rational and irrational behavior in convincing fashion. Penelope Cruz plays a patient that Miranda had been treating and whom she meets "on the inside". Downey does the best he can with his part as the doctor who might know more about Miranda's situation than he lets on. John Carroll Lynch plays Sheriff Ryan who had been close personal friends with the Greys, and who turns on Miranda when she is charged with the murder of her husband. Others in the cast include Dorian Harewood as Miranda's lawyer and Bernard Hill as the chief psychiatrist.

There are elements of the supernatural mixed into the plot to be sure, but it is the lovely and talented Halle Berry that makes this film memorable.

Great cast.

[Dodge-Zombie · 6/10 · 20 June 2022]

Now there's some problems with this movie. Pretty big problems in fact. Mostly around certain characters conclusions. That being said it's an entertaining movie.

Yeah I think in some situations it does take itself too seriously and I'm actually surprised it's never had a sequel. At least I don't think it has. It's also quite predictable in parts.

Ignore some bad CGI, enjoy it for what it is. The story is good. It just could of been done better.

Better as a 30-minute Tales from the Crypt than feature length film

[a_chinn · 4/10 · 1 July 2017]

Weak psychological thriller would have been better as a 30-minute "Tales from the Crypt" or "Twilight Zone" episode. Halle Berry plays a psychiatrist who wakes up to find herself a patient in the asylum she works. She has no idea how she how she got there or why and then spends the rest of the movie trying to figure that out why she's there, trying to convince others she's not crazy, and trying to get out. It's not a terribly clever set-up, but the Berry is a a solid lead for the film and is supported by an able cast that includes Penélope Cruz, and Robert Downey Jr. before his career blew up with "Iron Man." The weak script is also bolstered by slick directions, photography, and production design. Overall, this is a dull mystery without a lot of thrills, suspense, or interesting of characters, but it's well crafted from a technical standpoint and does feature a handsome cast, which is enough to make it watchable.

Worth Watching! - A Mystery Ghost Story

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 11 September 2017]

I don't get the hate for this film... I find it a very good mystery ghost story. Halle Berry really shows what a fine actress she is here - she brings out the emotions of her character Miranda Grey very well.

Miranda is a psychiatrist working in a asylum, works closely with one prisoner named Chloe. Chloe seems "out there" and Miranda think she's in denial of what has happened to her, what she has done. Miranda is married to the Dr. Douglas Grey - a man many call "The Boss". Dr. Grey's best friend is Sheriff Ryan, while Miranda's closest friend seems to be Pete Graham (who is also a psychiatrist at the asylum).

One dark and stormy night, Miranda is driving home - there is sinkhole in the road and the police tell Miranda she should go home by the way of the little white bridge. Miranda heads over that bridge and the next thing she knows, she's in a cell at the very asylum she works at.

I won't give away what happens to first time viewers... but if you like a good ghost story then give this film view.

7/10

Inconsistent

[adanaceau · 4/10 · 15 May 2004]

Halle Berry has wonderful screen presence but her character (like the plot) is replete with inconsistencies. How she could be a brilliant psychiatrist and yet be utterly clueless as to the character of those around her does not make sense. But Miranda's character is not the only inconsistency. The ghost girl begins by securing her revenge. Why does the ghost utter the line "I love you" when exacting her revenge? Once the revenge has been exacted, why does she continue to torment Miranda? In fact, given the ghost's abilities and presence, why torment Miranda at all? The suspense is lost in the confusion. Movies that create an alternative reality are the most difficult to write and produce. This one fails.

It's a creepy movie, with lots of killings and a twisted ending

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 31 March 2004]

It's a horror film from production company called "Dark Castle" , and full of thrills , chills , shocks , twists and turns . In this one plays Halle Berry who is a beautiful but a bit nut head doctor . In addition, it stars the Spanish Penelope Cruz and Bernard Hill, the famous captain of the well known "Titanic¨ picture . Dr. Miranda Grey : Berry Is An Expert At Knowing What Is Rational, What Is Logical, What Is Sane... Until The Day She Woke Up On The Other Side. Because someone is dead doesn't mean they're gone .

It's a good spooky film which begins with Berry as a physician happily married, who is later locked in a jail framed to kill his husband . Robert Downey Jr. Is the doctor who is keen on her . Who 's the killer ? , Will be Robert? , Will be Penelope? Will be Berry herself , who in a attack of jealousy murdered her husband? . The title of the film, Gothika is an unofficial term used to describe a form of purgatorial state of mind, a peculiar situation similar to craziness .The film has many shocks and the ending has an outstanding surprise.

The film was lavishly produced by Dark Castle , production specialized on terror genre and in charge of Joel Silver , Robert Zemeckis and Gilbert Adler ; both of them have produced successful terror movies dealing with eerie tales about horror , grisly killings and lots of blood and gore such as ¨House of haunted hill¨, ¨Return to house of haunted hill¨ , ¨13 ghosts¨ , ¨Ghost ship¨, ¨House of wax¨ , Whiteout¨ , ¨Splice¨ , ¨The reaping¨ , ¨Orphan¨ , among others . Although it was not the first Dark Castle Entertainment terror movie to receceive awful reviews and wasn't the last. It was the first, however, and still is, the highest grossing film to be released from the production company with a one hundred forty-one million dollar gross . The motion picture was professionally directed by Matthew Kassovitz , though it resulted to be critically panned by critics . Rating : 6/10 , acceptable and passable. The film will appeal to Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz fans.

Absolutely terrible...

[ebhp1 · 2/10 · 13 February 2004]

If you're reading this review to determine whether you should spend nearly two hours of your life watching this film, please take my word and skip it. Don't be tricked by the fact that the film's director created Amelie (with story-by credit as well). That is a brilliant film. This isn't.

If you've seen the film and think it's good, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but you're obviously blind. Here's why this is a terrible film.

SPOILERS AHEAD

1) Bad casting - Halle Berry married to Charles Dutton? Their kissing scene nearly made me puke. 2) Brilliant psychiatrist has a bizarre encounter on her way home one night and wakes up three days later accused of killing her husband. She's now possessed by a demon who it turns out is really just a girl who was raped/killed 4 years earlier (who happens to be the daughter of the top doctor working at the facility). 3) Through the ghost of this girl (who is able to cross between this world and the beyond and open jail cell doors, throw Halle around a jail, etc.), Halle discovers the truth about what really happened to her - she was possessed by the demon/girl who wanted to kill her husband for the crimes he committed against her. 4) The sheriff of the town is in cahoots with Halle's now dead husband and together they kidnapped 15 year old girls and raped them in a barn in the middle of nowhere. No reason why they did this, they just did it. 5) The sheriff of the town snuck into a solitary cell with Penelope Cruz to rape her - this after the head of the facility (Halle's husband) was killed. He reveals his tattoo to Halle but no one checks the cell and somehow he gets out. 6) The film ends with Penelope Cruz out of the insane asylum (not sure why she was ever really in there or what proof was given of her sanity once the riddle was solved). 7) Halle can now see the souls of missing kids.

I'm sorry, but I've actually just lost track of whatever it is I just wrote - it doesn't make any sense! I can't believe this movie got made. I simply can't.

Halle put in a terrible performance where screaming seemed to substitute for acting, the plot line suffered all of the ridiculousness outlined above plus about ten other glaring faults, and the filming used every cliche to try and "scare" us that I could see every moment coming around the bend.

Why am I taking the time to write a review about this? Because I hope the producer/writer/director will one day read this and feel the shame that they should for creating such crap!

Great Cast, Good Mystery

[koltonbrett · 8/10 · 16 January 2022]

I love a good mystery. Gothika is both a psychological thriller and a supernatural horror. I loved playing detective and piecing together the clues to solve this mystery. It wasn't a very difficult mystery or plot to figure out, but it's still a suspenseful and entertaining movie. Making up for the story's predictability, is the casting of Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr. Both are fantastic and likable performers. The jump scares are not always effective but they keep you on your toes.

"Ghost Girl Interrupted"

[Kamurai25 · 7/10 · 21 January 2021]

Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

Halle Berry carries this great Pyschological Thriller of a doctor turned mental patient. This definitely has the production value to support its needs.

They do a great job of calling into question whether or not she's crazy at any given time while still presenting the "other worldly" aspects consistently.

I even think it holds up (currently) 18 years later as there are technological restrictions in place.

Well worth the watch if you like slasher killer detective movies.

Halle Gets Wigged Out

[robertconnor · 1/10 · 26 May 2005]

One rainy night, Halle Berry crashes her Saab and wakes up in a bad movie with Robert Downey Jr. and a bad wig. Lights flicker menacingly and steely grey corridors echo with the sound of Ms. Berry crying 'help, I've fallen down another plot hole'...

Whilst French actor-director Kassovitz has assembled an interesting support cast (Dutton, Carroll Lynch, Hill, Harewood), as with his previous thriller Les Rivières Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) he is completely hamstrung by a ludicrous and implausible story. Often an interesting actor, here Downey Jr. tries for ambiguous but ends up just plain creepy (contrast with Jeff Bridges in Jagged Edge) although Cruz fares better, playing against type for once to some effect.

And Ms. Berry? Let's just say that for all her wild bewilderment and wide-eyed fear, she is ultimately defeated by that ridiculous fake hair-do.

Yikes!