Hey folks, Harry here... here's another look at just how bad GOTHIKA is. Really does sound like a another Dark Castle classic... They have such a grand history of "aw(ful)esome" horror. Usually they're watchable only for minor production values and effects artistry, which is pretty sad. Here ya go, beware of spoilers...
A Review of Gothika.
First of all, this movie is awful. Secondly, this movie is awful. Good ghost stories have officially become something of the past. The director of Gothika, Mathieu Kassovitz, is French…and blind…and deaf. This film is so convoluted with unexplainable plot twists and undeveloped characters.
Charles S. Dutton (“Roc”, “Alien 3”) is the husband, and boss, of psychiatry/crazy person specialist Miranda Grey played by the infamously, oscar-winning mulatto Halle Berry. Enter the supporting characters; Penelope Cruz as a crazy inmate screaming about how she is always raped, and Downey Jr. plays the associate to Berry’s character. Plus, Downey’s character wears those really cool sketchers all the time. Wonder why. Moving on, then we’re introduced to the sheriff (Drew Cary’s cross dressing brother from the The Drew Carey Show) of this New Hampshire town in which the story takes place. And then the ghostly phenomenon crap load begins.
After THE RING and THE SIXTH SENSE everyone has decided that little girl ghosts are the scariest things on the planet, and that the idea that she wants some kind of revenge is enough to drive a film. Both of these theories are wrong. Plus, the old theory in film of not everyone is who they appear to be comes back to crappy life in Gothika.
On her way back from the institution of crazies, she narrowly misses hitting a blonde girl who is always wet (ghost from THE RING), and ends up, which we find out later, getting possessed by her, which then leads to her killing her husband because of the reasons below.
And with that said, let out the very unique character twists! (sarcasm) First, Roc, Halle Berry’s husband is apparently a raging rapist, molester, and overall pervert who makes porn films in the basement of their barn. Berry catches onto this by noticing a DV camera box on the door leading to the “set”. How she just now notices such a thing, leading to her husband’s second side is beyond me. Second, apparently the sheriff is involved. The only thing that threw me was that Downey Jr. didn’t end up being the “bad guy” in the end. Although he loves heroin in real life, so it evened out.
Everything else, plot wise with the blonde good looking ghost (but not as young in THE RING mind you), should explain itself, cause she was one of the girls ROC, and Drew Carey’s cross dressing brother, raped and killed her to make it look like a suicide and is now seeking revenge through Berry’s body upon the killers. Why she then didn’t make Berry kill the sheriff as well is unexplained. Just a reason to further the plot.
Anyway, don’t see this movie, unless you enjoy films like Thirteen Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill (with the late Chris Kattan), Ghost Ship, etc. All Dark Castle films including the really awful one which this lovely review was written about. A production company built to pay homage to the old B horror films of the black and white era. A homage completely un-needed unless done right. Viewer beware, this film will leave you a battered shell of a man... even if you're a woman.
Finally, I had no idea a ghost could swim underwater. Just amazing.
Fondly,
Dick Valpak & Lee Westmeyer
