VOD of the Dead - HYPNOTICA (2022)
Mental health and horror have always been close to each other. Films like ROSEMARY’S BABY to HEREDITARY touch on the intersection between abstract horror and the reality of mental health disorders. Some are more overt than others, and in recent years we have seen more genre films blend the two together to reach both critical and box office success. If you’re paying attention to the macro environment around us this makes complete sense. The increased destigmatization, as well as additional media attention being paid to topics like mental and emotional well-being, has created an environment where it is easier to talk about mental health even if it is constantly being used as a scapegoat while simultaneously lacking investment to make societal improvements. Religion and mental health have an even more complicated relationship, as it can be both the source of mental health problems as well as providing some a sense of salvation. HYPNOTICA, releasing on digital streaming platforms this Friday, March 31, 2023, blends all those elements together so the output can be as powerful as it is painful. Does HYPNOTICA succeed in presenting a powerful narrative or does it squander an opportunity to tell a poignant and timely tale?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A young psychiatrist tries hypnotism to save a patient but will soon wish to God he hadn't.
HOW IS IT?
HYPNOTICA is a complicated film in more ways than one. Aside from having some confusing time jumps with no context, it carries a message that packs more harm than it probably realizes. While it does succeed in some ways, presenting the difficulty of maintaining healthy Doctor/Patient relationships and how hard it is to identify and understand previous traumas, it fails the viewer by using religion as a salve for therapy and conflicting exorcisms with real mental health conditions without any supporting evidence except “based on case studies”.
The plot of HYPNOTICA is somewhat hard to grasp for the majority of the runtime as there is lots of jumping around. Even at the very start, you are thrust into what feels like a story that already started, and the lack of context around who, why, where, and when makes it difficult to get grounded with where the film wants you to care. That said, it’s not an overly complicated plot so eventually, you’ll figure it out. The performances are really the most engaging part of the film, and with a small cast, this matters that much more since you have fewer characters to connect with. The standout is ADAM JOHNSON as Oliver Reese, whose portrayal of a man who has blocked out his childhood traumas only to try and confront them is both convincing and relevant. On the other hand, TIM TORRE plays the Doctor, Mason Kenney. While his performance is convincing enough, his character isn’t really developed enough to understand his motivations. This makes the final conclusion of the film more of a head-scratcher than it should be.
My main criticism of HYPNOTICA is its ending. Films that position themselves as slow burns have an obligation to pace the film accordingly so that you aren’t just leaving everything for the last 10 minutes. In this case, that’s essentially what HYPNOTICA does. Exposing a reveal that doesn’t feel earned, even if it is trying to do something different, and ultimately ending with the allusion that a rise in exorcisms also coincides with a rise in mental health disorders. While it’s not explicit in this regard, it’s not subtle in its messaging either. This is beyond problematic. For one, this is not causation OR correlation, this is a juxtaposition at best. To lean on the notion that exorcisms could explain mental health events is not only abysmally stupid, but it negates the very real effect and perception of these things and how we as a society perceive them. It’s the kind of message you would expect to get from an ultra-conservative religious channel and is furthered by an ending quote from an actual exorcist of the catholic church. While I’m not going to debate the authenticity of exorcisms, I can say that having real mental health disorders due to childhood traumas cannot be solved with the power of Christ compelling you. If anything, HYPNOTICA paints a portrait of therapy as both ineffective for patients and physicians as unhelpful. As someone who is in therapy for my own diagnoses’ this strikes a chord with me, even if this wasn’t the intent of the filmmaker.
LAST RITES
HYPNOTICA is a well-acted but deeply flawed film that wants to have its cake and eat it too with respect to the forced correlations between mental health, religion, and therapy. While I’m not one to discourage another point of view, HYPNOTICA would be far more enjoyable if it had a more solidified point to make, even if it’s one that I or others may not agree with.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
HYPNOTICA will be available on North American digital platforms on March 31, 2023.
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