Gothika (2003)

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Directed by
Mathieu Kassovitz, Thom Oliphant

Written by
Sebastian Gutierrez

Cast
Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill [more]

Gothika Reviews

However, for all its glossy sheen and pedigreed cast, Gothika can’t quite recover from the fact that the scares it provides are of the grab-your-boyfriend’s-arm-and-then-laugh variety, as opposed to the quieter, psychological sort of horror it thinks it is providing; this isn’t The Sixth Sense, no matter how gloomy everybody acts. [read review]  --Chris Barsanti (FilmCritic.com) For the diehard horror buffs, "Gothika" may not be enough, but for the general moviegoers looking for a fun time, it should deliver on the goods. In either case, I'd definitely rent this on a dark and stormy night. It's a guaranteed couple of genuinely good scares, and for that it succeeds as a modern American-made horror. [read review] 7/10 --Scott Spicciati (Movie-Vault.com) Any criticism of this movie that says it doesn't make sense is missing the point. Any review that faults it for going over the top into lurid overkill is criticizing its most entertaining quality. Any critic who mocks the line "I'm not deluded, Pete -- I'm possessed!" should be honest enough to admit that, in the moment, he liked it. It takes nerve to make a movie like this in the face of the taste police, but Kassovitz and Berry have the right stuff. [read review]  --ROGER EBERT (Chicago Sun-Times) "Logic is overrated," Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) icily declares after a psychotic episode has landed her in the asylum over which she used to preside and a violent ghost has shattered her entire belief system. That's fine as a response to extreme psychological trauma, but not as an apology for deficiencies in this paranormal thriller's credibility. [read review] --Christine James (Boxoffice Magazine) The truth is, Gothika isn't all that much different from House On Hanted Hill to begin with -- a slick, glossy horror film with a very strong opening, a satisfactory middle, and a disappointing end. There's even a moment of eye-rolling inducing computer graphics; only this time around it involves fire instead of a black blob of tormented souls. [read review] --Mike Skinner (Diabolical-Dominion.com) Halle Berry may star in worse films than this idiotic horror thriller, but it would be a brave soul who bet on it. The pitch is promising: a glamorous criminal psychologist (the star) wakes from unconsciousness to find herself imprisoned in the asylum she's employed by, accused of butchering her husband (Charles Dutton). However, that's where the interest ends, as Gothika descends into a witless whodunit where the biggest crime has been committed against cinema. Do not waste your life watching this. [read review]  --Nev Pierce (BBC Films) All that to say that despite the film "looking" pretty wicked and offering a great performance by its supposedly psycho leading lady, it didn't really offer many thrills, other than a handful of "boo scares" and concluded with a weak, over-the-top and let's face it...unbelievable ending. [read review] 5/10 -- (JoBlo.com) Long story short, Gothika has some creepy moments, great atmosphere, some fun red herrings and is the first so-called "supernatural thriller" that really is more that than a straight horror film, though it's been such a cliche for horror folks to use when trying to "re-classify" their movies as something other than horror in order to try and manufacture crossover appeal. What that implies, of course, is that Gothika isn't really a horror movie. [read review] 5/10 -- (CHUD.com) Unfortunately, no number of "boo!" moments and interesting camera work can patch up a screenplay that is so fatally flawed. Gothika is handicapped by a B-movie conclusion to something that starts out with an A-level sense of suspense and mystery. There'snothing worse than watching an involving motion picture collapse into rubble before your eyes, and that's exactly what happens here. Like a train wreck, it's not a pretty sight. [read review]  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews) Basically, Gothika is very similar to its Dark Castle Entertainment cousins: if you enjoyed the scares in The House on Haunted Hill, Thirteen Ghosts and Ghost Ship, then Gothika will fit right in with your large popcorn and your giant-sized cola. [read review] --Staci Layne Wilson (Horror.com) "Gothika" is one of those horror movies that starts by weaving an intricate and elaborate mystery, then suddenly gives up and writes the whole thing off. It raises but never answers a very good question: Why would anyone go to all this trouble? [read review] --Jeffrey M. Anderson (San Francisco Examiner) A decent film, but nothing original or special. Starts off good, but as the film goes on the story gets less and less complicated and tries to me too many films at once. Check this film if you want, but don't expect anything too good. [read review] 6/10 --FrighT MasteR (UHM) This plane-crossing load of malarkey is not altogether awful until two-thirds in, the exact point when the music stops, you see the abysmal finale coming at you like a brick-loaded train, and you wish you'd rented The Ring instead. [read review]  --Stacie Hougland (Hollywood.com) Overall the movie is a good one, very up to date horror but done with the sort of class we don't see now a days. The director had a plan and stuck to it to make it the best it could be made and didn't really let us down. [read review]  -- (terrorwatch.net) Unlike previous Dark Castle movies where the fx seemed the primary vehicle for carrying the movie, here they serve simply as a way to exemplify the nightmarish story and creep us out to it's fullest extent. [read review]  --Tom Owen (Bloody-Disgusting.com) This is a case of a talented director and lead actress being stuck with a movie that would've worked quite fine and showed plenty of promise before the script kicked its ass into 'don't bother' territory. [read review]  -- (TheVideoGraveYard.com) I can think of no reason other than Berry for anyone wanting to see "Gothika," a B ghost movie of such solemn awfulness that a little gratuitous nudity from her would have been much appreciated. [read review]  --Jack Mathews (New York Daily News) Even though I had a fun time, witnessed some truly entertaining moments, and didn't feel let down at all, I still thought the film could have been better... a lot better. [read review]  --Mr Disgusting (Bloody-Disgusting.com) Yet, what's really frightening are the outrageous plot solutions, laughably cliché scenes and sudden shifts in tone--all of which don't amount to too many thrills. [read review] C+ -- (E! Online) What happened to Halle Berry's memory? Why is her wardrobe so bad? Is this a ghost movie or a women's-prison movie? Open the flower of your boredom and find out. [read review] --Stephanie Zacharek (Salon) Kassovitz must have been mad (or possessed) to assemble this lumbering, derivative collection of creepy moments, manipulated moods and cheesey shocks. [read review] 4/10 --Anton Bitel (Movie Gazette) Derivative mish-mash of other, better chillers, with performances by Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jnr that are better than the material deserves. [read review]  --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon) Generally does its job well, delivering thrills and creepiness with a great look and a high-energy Halle Berry performance. [read review] 73/100 --Brian Webster (Apollo Guide) "Girl, Interrupted" meets "The Ring" that, for a while there, sucks the viewer into the story's hellish vortex. [read review] --Michael Rechtshaffen (Hollywod Reporter)

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