Clinical (film)

Last updated
Clinical
Clinical poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byAlistair Legrand
Written by
  • Luke Harvis
  • Alistair Legrand
Produced byRoss M. Dinerstein
Starring
CinematographyJohn Frost
Edited byBlair Miller
Yvonne Valdez
Music byIan Hultquist
Production
company
Campfire
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • January 13, 2017 (2017-01-13)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Clinical is a 2017 American horror thriller film directed by Alistair Legrand and written by Luke Harvis and Alistair Legrand. The film stars Vinessa Shaw, Kevin Rahm, India Eisley, Aaron Stanford, Nestor Serrano, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and Wilmer Calderon. The film was released on Netflix on January 13, 2017.

Contents

Plot

Dr. Jane Mathis (Vinessa Shaw) is a psychiatrist and an expert at confrontational therapy. Two years prior, she had a patient, Nora Green, who attacked her and attempted suicide in her office. As a result, Dr. Mathis developed PTSD and sleep paralysis, which led her to seek help from Dr. Terry Drummond. She has also begun to date a police officer named Miles Richardson. Against Dr. Terry's advice, she continues her practice as a psychiatrist, albeit not prescribing medication. She reluctantly agrees to see a new patient, Alex, whose face was disfigured from a car accident. One night, he is seen sleepwalking inside her house, prompting Jane to call the police. Alex persuades her to continue their sessions, appealing to her expertise and understanding.

In flashbacks, it is revealed that Nora began seeing Jane because she was being abused by her father. After confronting him, Nora attacked Jane, who received severe stab wounds to her arms. In present-day, Jane visits the institution where Nora was hospitalized and is informed that Nora was discharged due to lack of money after her father's death. She sees footage of Nora's sessions at the institution, which reveals Nora's violent rage anytime she speaks about her father. Jane installs security cameras around her home, and reveals to Alex her previous failure with Nora, chalking it up to relying too heavily on medication. Alex recalls more of his accident; after helping pull a couple from their totaled car, he noticed his daughter wandered into the path of an oncoming truck. Both were struck, but only his daughter was killed.

Strange things continue to occur in Jane's house, such as dirty footprints and bloody photographs. Miles notices that someone has tampered with the security system, as whole hours of footage are missing. Jane refuses to press charges against Nora for fear that she will be sent back to the institution and drugged. She later steals prescriptions from Dr. Terry, having run out of her own medication. Alex shows up at her house even though Jane had canceled all her patients and she explains that there needs to be boundaries between doctor and patient. In another bout of sleep paralysis, Jane relives the horror of Nora's attack two years ago. When she awakes disoriented, Nora appears and attacks Jane. In self defense, Jane stabs Nora in the head, killing her.

Jane is institutionalised, enduring confusion and heavy sedation. The resident psychiatrist shows her security footage from her home, which reveal that during a drug-induced hysteria, she attacked and killed Miles. She is to be held in the institution until her trial. Days pass and one night, Jane sees Nora hanging from the tree outside. Her friend Clara visits but when she leaves, she is tasered by Alex. The psychiatrist condescendingly explains to Jane that Nora had said she killed her father but her father was alive and was paying her hospital bills. He says Nora killed herself by hanging after she left the hospital and accuses Jane of driving Nora to insanity. Jane realizes Nora's father is Alex and breaks out of the institution. In the same way as Clara, she is tasered.

She wakes up in her home and sees Clara dead. Alex enters and explains that he wanted to punish her for trying to help Nora, his daughter. Nora had attacked him in self defense, which led to his disfigured face, and he staged the car accident to explain his injuries and make it onto the donor list for a skin graft. He also stopped paying Nora's bills to get her out, and made her break into Jane's house and psychologically torment her. The night of the murder, Alex had broken in and drugged Jane, which led her to accidentally kill Miles.

Jane finds Dr. Terry in a pool of blood. While attempting to escape through the window, she is pulled back by Alex. She grabs at his face and pulls off the grafted skin as she falls. She returns to the house and sees Alex sitting on the couch, faceless and presumably dead.

Cast

Release

The film was released on Netflix on January 13, 2017. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

Halifax f.p. is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or victims. The series is set in Melbourne.

<i>Dreamscape</i> (1984 film) 1984 film by Joseph Ruben

Dreamscape is a 1984 American dark science-fiction adventure film directed by Joseph Ruben and written by David Loughery, with Chuck Russell and Ruben co-writing. It stars Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, Max von Sydow and Christopher Plummer.

<i>Veronika Decides to Die</i> Novel by Paulo Coelho

Veronika Decides to Die is a novel by Paulo Coelho. It tells the story of Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. This book is partly based on Coelho's experience in various mental institutions, and deals with the subject of madness. The gist of the message is that "collective madness is called sanity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Mathis</span> American actress and trade union leader (born 1970)

Samantha Mathis is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in Pump Up the Volume (1990), and later co-starred or appeared in such films as FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Super Mario Bros. (1993), The Thing Called Love (1993), Little Women (1994), The American President (1995), Jack and Sarah (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), American Psycho (2000), The Punisher (2004), and Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2012). She has recently had recurring roles on The Strain as New York City Councilwoman Justine Feraldo, and on Billions as Taylor Mason Capital COO Sara Hammon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinessa Shaw</span> American actress (born 1976)

Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actor, and had her breakout role in Disney's 1993 Halloween comedy-fantasy film Hocus Pocus. Shaw also appeared in Ladybugs (1992) and L.A. Without a Map (1998).

<i>They</i> (2002 film) 2002 American supernatural horror film, directed by Robert Harmon

They is a 2002 American supernatural horror film, directed by Robert Harmon and starring Laura Regan, Ethan Embry, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jay Brazeau, and Marc Blucas. The plot is centered on a group of four adults experiencing night terrors and attempting to deal with the fallout from their prior childhood experiences. The film was produced by Ted Field and Tom Engleman; Wes Craven served as one of its executive producers and was its presenter.

<i>Beneath</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

Beneath is a straight-to-DVD thriller-horror film co-produced in a first time partnership between Paramount Classics and MTV Films. The film is directed by the newcomer Dagen Merrill, who co-wrote the script with Kevin Burke, and the list of producers include Sean Covel and Chris Wyatt, as well as Troy Craig Poon. In Paramount Classics's first horror movie, which marks the company's expansion from acquisitions into the production arena, the cast includes Nora Zehetner and Matthew Settle. Shooting started 2005 in Vancouver, the film was released on DVD August 7, 2007. It was the first direct-to-video title produced by MTV Films.

<i>The Dead Pit</i> 1989 film by Brett Leonard

The Dead Pit is a 1989 American horror film co-written and directed by Brett Leonard, in his directorial debut. Cheryl Lawson stars as a mental patient who must defeat an undead serial killer who previously worked at the asylum, played by Danny Gochnauer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Eisley</span> American actress (born 1993)

India Joy Eisley is an American actress. On television, she is known for her roles as Ashley Juergens in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Audrina in the Lifetime film My Sweet Audrina (2016), and Fauna Hodel in the TNT series I Am the Night (2019). Her films include Underworld: Awakening (2012), Kite (2014), and Social Suicide (2015).

<i>Habang May Buhay</i> Filipino TV series or program

Habang May Buhay is a 2010 Philippine medical drama television series created by Enrico Santos and directed by Wenn V. Deramas. The series features an ensemble cast consisting of Queen of Pinoy Soap Opera Judy Ann Santos, Primera Kontrabida Gladys Reyes, Derek Ramsay, Joem Bascon, Will Devaughn, Rio Locsin, Tetchie Agbayani, John Arcilla, and Gina Alajar. The series premiered on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida nighttime block from February 1 to May 14, 2010. This also marks Santos and Reyes' reunion project in 13 years since they were together in Mara Clara.

"Tricks and Treats" is the second episode of the second season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 24, 2012, on the cable network FX. It is written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

<i>The Couch</i> (film) 1962 film

The Couch is a 1962 American psychological horror film directed by Owen Crump from a screenplay by Robert Bloch and a story by Blake Edwards and Owen Crump. The film stars Grant Williams, Shirley Knight, and Onslow Stevens. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 21, 1962.

Imaginary Friend is a 2012 Lifetime television movie starring Lacey Chabert, Ethan Embry, Amanda Schull, and Ted McGinley.

<i>Silent Madness</i> 1984 3D slasher film

Silent Madness is a 1984 American 3D slasher film directed by Simon Nuchtern and starring Belinda Montgomery, Viveca Lindfors, David Greenan, Sydney Lassick, and Solly Marx. One of the later films in the 1980s 3-D revival, Silent Madness was filmed with the ArriVision 3-D camera system.

Eleven (<i>Stranger Things</i>) Fictional character in Stranger Things

Eleven is a fictional character and the main character of the Netflix science fiction horror drama series Stranger Things, written and produced by the Duffer Brothers. She is primarily portrayed by British actress Millie Bobby Brown. Eleven has psychokinetic and telepathic abilities, and is considered the breakout character of Stranger Things. After being adopted by chief of police Jim Hopper, her legal name becomes Jane Hopper.

<i>Delirium</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Delirium is a 2018 American psychological horror film directed by Dennis Iliadis and written by Adam Alleca. It stars Topher Grace, Patricia Clarkson, Callan Mulvey and Genesis Rodriguez. The film was produced by Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions and Leonardo DiCaprio through Appian Way Productions. The film was released by Universal Pictures on May 22, 2018, via video on demand and DVD on June 5, 2018.

<i>12 Feet Deep</i> 2017 American film

12 Feet Deep is a 2017 American psychological horror-thriller film written and directed by Matt Eskandari. It stars Alexandra Park and Nora-Jane Noone as sisters who find themselves trapped inside a public swimming pool when the manager of the aquatic center, without knowing the sisters are still inside, activates the pool cover and leaves for the holidays. Released by Mar Vista Entertainment on June 20, 2017, it received generally positive reviews.

<i>The Woman in the Window</i> (2021 film) Film by Joe Wright

The Woman in the Window is a 2021 American psychological thriller film directed by Joe Wright from a screenplay by Tracy Letts, based on the bestselling 2018 novel of the same name by author A. J. Finn. The film follows an agoraphobic woman who begins to spy on her new neighbors and is witness to a crime in their apartment. Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, and Jennifer Jason Leigh also star.

<i>Eli</i> (2019 film) 2019 American film by Ciarán Foy

Eli is a 2019 American horror film directed by Ciarán Foy from a screenplay by David Chirchirillo, Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing, based on a story by Chirchirillo. It stars Kelly Reilly, Sadie Sink, Lili Taylor, Max Martini, and Charlie Shotwell. The film follows a boy with a rare autoimmune disease who is taken by his parents to a private medical facility to be cured.

Shubulade Smith is a British academic and consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). She is a senior lecturer at King's College, London and Clinical Director at the NCCMH and forensic services at SLaM, and is currently serving as the first black President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

References

  1. Miska, Brad (2017-01-09). "'Clinical', Netflix's Surprise Horror Movie That Looks Vicious (NSFW Trailer)". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  2. Michael Kennedy (1927-07-01). "Clinical Trailer: Netflix's Next Original Horror Movie". Screenrant.com. Retrieved 2017-02-17.