Clinical is a 2017 American horror thriller film directed by Alistair Legrand (The Diabolical) from a screenplay co-written with Luke Harvis.
The movie stars Vinessa Shaw, Kevin Rahm, India Eisley, Aaron Stanford, Nestor Serrano, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Wilmer Calderon, William Atherton, Dion Basco and Adrian Flowers.
Plot:
Doctor Jane Mathis (Vinessa Shaw) is an expert therapist in helping patients cope with trauma. But her own dark memories keep coming back to haunt her…
Reviews [contain spoilers]:
“All in all, a steady pace, chills, intrigue, and a mind-blowing twist within a twist, make this movie well worth watching.” Wesley Thomas, Addicted to Horror Movies
“Clinical is the kind of potboiler psychological thriller that might make do in a pinch. Although if not for a suitably gruesome takeaway shot (kudos to the creators for having the courage to do it and the FX team for pulling it off), you could otherwise expect most memories of the movie to dissipate into the ether immediately upon conclusion of the credits, possibly sooner.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt
” …an acceptable slow-burner for about an hour and change until Legrand and co-writer Luke Harvis drop the Shyamalan twist and everything promptly falls apart. From then on, nothing makes any logical sense no matter how many times the characters explain it…” Mark Tinta, Good Efficient Butchery
” …Legrand and Harvis make use of some deftly disciplined-cum-deceptive plotting devices to hold our entire attention and the film’s final twist had me kicking myself for hours as I was convinced things were going to play out in an entirely different manner.” Howard Gorman, Scream magazine
“While it’s levied by some solid performances, the rest of the film is a standard playlist that certainly adheres well to the formula, but isn’t going to be all that memorable. Kudos to Shaw and Rahm for doing what they do with the material, but Clinical is sterile, a thriller that could have been smarter.” David Duprey, That Moment In
“Shaw does a superb job going through the process of an increasing decline into a trouble psychosis, dealing with a past trauma that continues to haunt her. Rahm is completely transformed and unrecognizable as the disfigured patient, giving us a character that is both troubled and dark.” Raul Vantassle, The Movie Sleuth
“As Legrand transitions into the final act, the surprises are genuine and numerous, with a jarring change of pace and some comically surreal moments peppering the film’s last third. Unfortunately, it’s also here that the film falls back on the expected, a game of cat and mouse that feels caught between something of the mind and a run-of-the-mill slasher.” Richard Gray, The Reel Bits
Release:
Clinical was released on Netflix on January 13, 2017.
Trailer:
