MOVIE:
Hypnotic
WHERE TO WATCH:
OUR RATING:
2/5 Stars
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Feeling stuck both personally and professionally, Jenn turns to a mysterious hypnotherapist for help, only to find herself caught in a deadly mind game.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
I tend to steer clear from thrillers that have anything to do with paranormal activity or those that influence the power of the mind. So naturally, I was apprehensive about watching a film about hypnotherapy's dangerous power, but my curiosity won the battle, and here I am.
Thankfully, Hypnotic left me feeling drowsier than it did hypnotised and lacks the power to stay in your mind even weeks after you've watched it.
This is not the Ben Affleck/Robert Rodriguez movie of the same name that is currently in production to avoid confusion. Hypnotic stars horror veteran Kate Siegel (Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass) as Jennifer, a troubled software engineer who broke up with her fiancé Brian (Jaime M. Callica) after the stillbirth of their child. Taking advice from her friend Gina (Lucie Guest), she starts going to renowned hypnotherapist Dr Collin Meade (Jason O'Mara). However, after a few sessions with Dr Meade, bad things start happening to the people around her, prompting her to question the credibility of her therapist.
There is a lot to work with here, but sadly Hypnotic just wastes the potential of its thought-provoking premise. There's not much to Siegel's character beyond her appearance, which is crucial to Dr Meade's attraction to Jenn. And unfortunately, this directs her performance to mainly react to what's being done to her. I will admit, she tries so hard with Jenn but with so little to work with, it almost feels as though Siegel signed on to Hypnotic to take a break from the more refined work she's known for.
Richard D'Ovidio, who wrote the script for the incredibly diverting (for a B movie) Halle Berry thriller, The Call, delivered a very underwhelming storyline in Hypnotic. Although only 88 minutes long, D'Ovidio plays his cards way too early. O'Mara's evil shrink is written with many obvious red flags – spending personal time with his clients being the first. Nevertheless, O'Mara does a convincing job of the mysterious psycho with the ability to control people with a mere phone call. Still, the suspense element is pretty much non-existent thanks to the lack of failing to keep his antics under wraps for longer than the first 20 minutes of the film.
Having sat through the entire 88 minutes of Hypnotic, I will admit a small part of me questioned whether one really could have such power over another person. The kind of power that would change their psychological mind with just six words. If you're not interested in knowing, then stop reading now.
According to happiful.com, a patient cannot be controlled by their hypnotherapist, a patient cannot be put into a trance with just one word, and a hypnotherapist cannot implant their own memories into a patient. Now, I'm all for a good piece of escapism. I believe there is nothing else the world is craving more of in film and TV right now. Still, part of the thrill in a thriller should always be to convince the viewer that this could totally happen to them, and sadly, Hypnotic just doesn't do that.
Hypnotic's short runtime helps in making the film watchable. That and the fact that this movie wants nothing more than to be a mediocre thriller. Still, with this in mind, I suggest scrolling for another of Siegel's Netflix thrillers before settling on this one.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE: