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The Sickhouse
The Sickhouse
Actors: Gina Philips, Stuart Brennan
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
UR     2008     1hr 30min

While excavating the site of a 17th century plague hospital, archaeologist Anna (Gina Philips) accidentally unleashes the malevolent spirit of a plague doctor responsible for a series of gruesome murders 350 years earlie...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Gina Philips, Stuart Brennan
Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Studio: New Line Home Video
Format: DVD - Color,Full Screen,Widescreen - Closed-captioned,Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 03/18/2008
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 30min
Screens: Color,Full Screen,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Member Movie Reviews

Deidra C. (Deidra670) from GARRETT, KY
Reviewed on 10/18/2010...
THE SICKHOUSE is very different type of horror film. For one, there is no slasher, no mad killer with a hatchet. This time the horror is more subtle, more chilling because it's based in reality.

Anna is an archaeologist who is certain she's on the verge of a major discovery. The dig she is involved with has references to a "black priest cult" that supposedly existed in the 1600s, during the great plague. Unfortunately, she sees all her dreams and ambitions slipping through her fingers when the dig site is condemned because of plague spores discovered in the soil. Of course, Anna sneaks back inside the dig the night before demolition is scheduled to happen. As luck would have it, 4 scruffy teens also enter the dig, in an attempt to escape the police. All the pieces are in place and then, the fun begins to unfold.

THE SICKHOUSE is an atmospheric glimpse into a part of history that has been swept under the rug. I can't imagine anything more horrifying than to suffer through the boils and sweats, knowing you have the plague, be taken from your home and shut up in a plague house to die. That was the reality for thousands upon thousands of people and in THE SICKHOUSE and they're not resting in peace.

I enjoyed the unique quality to the story and the look of the film is gritty and real. Gina Phillips (Jeepers Creepers) plays the lead and she is very believable in taking the story where it needs to go.

THE SICKHOUSE was good. Take a look if you're in the mood for something different.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

Very Dark and Very Creepy...
LeviDevi "Bubman" | Frankfort, KY USA | 03/20/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I watched this last night, and I will have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Although horror is my favorite genre, much of the "new breed" of horror films are just plain...HORRIBLE. This is not the case here.

Set in London, the story follows a young archaeologist (Gina Phillips) who has discovered the "dig of a lifetime," only to be told the site has been quarantined because of a possible outbreak of the plague, and the site will be destroyed "in the morning." As most horror stories would have it, she throws caution to the wind and decides to go back for one more look. She causes way more than she bargained for. She finds herself trapped inside, along with four intruders, and they must find their way out before it's too late.

Very stylishly done, by first-time director Curtis Radclyffe, I found his use of lighting and sound very effective. There really is no "monster" here...so to speak. However, I was bothered by the "whispering child." I never could figure out what she was saying, and I think that message played a major part in the film. The gore, by the way, is handled very nicely; most of it is in black and white.

To make a really good horror movie, you don't need a maniac in a mask, or someone chasing nubile young women--scantilly clad, of course--with a chainsaw. Lighting, sound, and setting the right mood will do it all for you.

Gina Phillips was adequate as Anna (the archaeologist), and the supporting cast also turned out strong performances. Kuddos to first-time director Curtis Radclyffe. I'm anxious to see what he will do next. The film, amazingly enough, lasts 129 minutes. I watched the unrated version, but I don't know what it couldn't be released as an R.

Rent this one for a stormy, dark night. I don't think you'll be disappointed."
I feel sick
G. Smith | Longmont, Co United States | 09/16/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I watch a lot of horror movies, ghost stories especially. I'm very rarely frightened by any of them, and visually disturbed only a little more often, but this movie managed to do a little of the former and a lot of the latter. Having just watched it, I'm left with a feeling of filth and taint, like when I first saw the video for Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy", oh so many years ago. I'm even somewhat nauseous. That's how visually disturbing this movie was at times, I was almost compelled to start thinking about maybe vomiting.

The visuals are exactly what I've been looking for in a horror movie, and they are really where the feeling of filth comes from. The colors are drab, the lighting is unnaturally bleak and the camera work is reminiscent of a nightmare. The shaky-cam technique doesn't always work out to the film's advantage, but for the most part, it's used quite well. The ghosts are pretty good, but I think their presence could have used some more obviating instead of them just showing up every once in a while. The atmosphere is icky, but it's not creepy. The entire movie is pretty well devoid of horrifying moments. You'll probably be grossed out, not scared.

The acting is pretty good. You may think that acting in a horror movie doesn't require any talent, but try looking scared while you run from what you know is just a guy in a suit, a puppet or empty space to be edited with CG later. Then try doing it all day and you'll have an idea of what it takes to film an entire flick. The characters were all believable, and even though they weren't as well fleshed out or deep as some may like, they weren't simple plot bots. That role seemed well filled by the ghosts, whose motives were pretty much unknown until the last few minutes, and even then it's sketchy at best.

Not all is well with the movie, however. The editing sucked. There are times where the film moved way too slowly, and the aforementioned shaky cam view sometimes made it unnecessarily difficult to follow what was going on. The movie's worst offense was the map. Every once in a while, it comes out of the movie to show you where the next scene will be on a map of the complex. It's cheesy, ugly, stupid and gives off a horrible "Uwe Boll" stench. The director would do well to learn from this mistake.

All in all, it was a good horror movie. If the director can capitalize on his ability to perturb and mix it with real horror, he may bring us a true horror classic. Until then, you can watch this and pretend you're scared."
Movie sucks eggs
Keli Edwards | 08/30/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)

"I rented this with my friend thinking it would be a good scary flick. OMG it sucked so bad. The young kids were just stupid and there was not much talent required. I wouldn't be suprised if they just improvised the lines the for the whole movie. Unless you want to see some overgrown bigbird looking dude murder people, don't waste your time/money...GO see Mirrors!!"