"We got word that something big was supposed to happen this week. We know that there is a skeleton crew here but everyone else is off site. I'm beginning to understand why." A small town that is home to a psych hospital is having a problem. The citizens are disappearing and dying gruesome deaths. A reporter is sent to investigate the mystery. To say this movie is bazaar is an understatement. To talk about this at all is going to lead to me giving something away. The only thing that I can say is that the acting and effects are not that impressive, and neither is the movie really, but it kept me watching. I have seen worse, but in the recent string of psych hospital movies this one is toward the bottom. If you are big into horror then you may like this, I though "The Ward" was better. Overall, I'm not sure if the acting and effects had an impact on how I felt, but I wasn't impressed by this. I give it a C-.
20 Reviews
Broken Heart
krlyme2 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
As a massive horror movie fan. To see all of the people from my favorite horror movies in one movie...I was s excited. I cannot tell you how upset I was. I am writing a boo on my mothers advice about the horror movies I have seen. Like Leonard Maltin but not as cool. I am already in the thousands and ashamed to put this mess with so many of..uggh. Friday the 13th? Phantasam? American Nightmare? Fikken.after a stalker she returns to acting and not art with this. Woman from Texas Chainsaw..gag Oh BTW.. I guess I am going to have to write more because IMDb says I did not write enough, so..going through a divorce after 10 years..have 2 children and I guess you can see I love Horror. Is that enough IMDb?
Psychic experiment. My review.
jeffreyc-3256727 September 2019
Well here we go pop pickers, right off the bat I thought this is going to be well weird. Scary effects and some syfy made for good 📼 viewing. Don't know why so many people are slating this film. Certainly entertained me for the two pounds i spent on it. So jacey gives it 5 stars biffin good horror cheers.
Fail!!!
Mikeyes10 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I am an avid horror fan. So when I saw that Adrien King was returning to horror along-side Reggie Bannister and Katie Featherston I was pretty excited. I rushed right out and bought Psychic Experiment. I am now regretting that decision and already put this turd on ebay. This movie is the equivalent of giving a camera to a baby and saying "Now, go out there and make a movie that looks like something like David Cronenberg and Stuart Gordon" The director has no idea what he is doing and should just quit. All of the actors are beyond terrible. Especially the lead actor. The only saving grace is Katie Feathrton but guess what! SHe is only in the movie for five minutes. This had to be made before the paranormal activity series because there is no way she would do this today. I follow her twitter and she has not even said a word about this films release if that gives you any idea. And, rightly so. I wouldn't want to be associated with this thing either. It's just bad. Do not buy it or rent it. It is a total waste of time.
People involved in this film writing positive reviews again...
JoeB13111 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Because anyone who saw this jumbled, Hellraiser-lite mess of a film would have been as horrified as I was.
Okay, the plot, as near as I can tell without a scorecard, is that some evil scientist woman is using a small town with a bunch of psychics in order to create reality-altering effects that usually involve people dying in gross but cheap special effects.
It's a convoluted mess of a movie because the writer was throwing so many character on us in the first twenty minutes before we get to the first cool scene with a flaming babe killing one of the unimportant characters.
The main character I think is supposed to be a doctor whose abusive mother left him so horribly scared that he's the focal point of this effect. Or maybe the convicted child molester is. What follows are a lot of scenes involving blood and boobs.
And I think some of the actors were relatives of the producers, but I'm not entirely sure.
I think this thing had something of a budget, so it wasn't like a student film project gone horribly wrong. But I'm not imagining any investors watching the finished product and not scratching their heads.
Okay, the plot, as near as I can tell without a scorecard, is that some evil scientist woman is using a small town with a bunch of psychics in order to create reality-altering effects that usually involve people dying in gross but cheap special effects.
It's a convoluted mess of a movie because the writer was throwing so many character on us in the first twenty minutes before we get to the first cool scene with a flaming babe killing one of the unimportant characters.
The main character I think is supposed to be a doctor whose abusive mother left him so horribly scared that he's the focal point of this effect. Or maybe the convicted child molester is. What follows are a lot of scenes involving blood and boobs.
And I think some of the actors were relatives of the producers, but I'm not entirely sure.
I think this thing had something of a budget, so it wasn't like a student film project gone horribly wrong. But I'm not imagining any investors watching the finished product and not scratching their heads.
this a joke right?
marclamothe17 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Is the reviewer above drunk? How anyone can compare this thing to Inception is beyond me. It is obvious that there are a few ringers coming online to give 10 stars and praise the "genius" of this movie. I'm not actually sure this thing qualifies as a movie to be honest. I never come on here and review films but after seeing this, I came on out of curiosity to see what others would be saying and found these ridiculous reviews saying how great the acting was and how Mel House is the future of the genre. Neither is true. And whoever is writing these reviews and giving ten stars needs to get a life. I'm sure it's the director doing it himself. What a joke. Bad movie.
Unbelievably bad and a complete waste of 90 minutes
ConmanMacLeod12 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
If you are the type of film-goer that enjoy films that make no sense, you may find some redeeming qualities in Psychic Experiment.
If you love watching horrible B grade actors try their very best to muddle through an incoherent plot full of inane dialog this movie may be for you! Or if you just love being confused while watching terrible CG effects, you guessed it! PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT! Looking at the reviews on here and the fact that it has a 6.3 should immediately tell you that all of the actors involved with the movie are writing up there own reviews and giving this thing 10 stars. There is no way anyone with half a brain would give Psychic Experiment 10 stars. Even though it is only 90 or so minutes it felt like 3 hours.
There are so many characters(all played poorly)that you really loose track of who your supposed to root for. I'm not sure what is going on over at Lionsgate but they are scrapping the bottom of the barrel these days.
Plain and simple DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!! The direction sucks. The acting sucks. The effects suck.
And the special features? The director rambles on about his "career" like he is someone we are supposed to have heard of, like and be following as horror fans. (he did a movie called Closet Space. Remember that gem? It's okay, no one does) and no one will remember this one either. Forgettable in every way.
Just remember any positive reviews you see I guarantee are from either the actors, the family of the filmmakers or the director himself. Which wouldn't surprise me at all given what I've seen on the special features.
You got my money with this one, Lionsgate. It will not happen again.
If you love watching horrible B grade actors try their very best to muddle through an incoherent plot full of inane dialog this movie may be for you! Or if you just love being confused while watching terrible CG effects, you guessed it! PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT! Looking at the reviews on here and the fact that it has a 6.3 should immediately tell you that all of the actors involved with the movie are writing up there own reviews and giving this thing 10 stars. There is no way anyone with half a brain would give Psychic Experiment 10 stars. Even though it is only 90 or so minutes it felt like 3 hours.
There are so many characters(all played poorly)that you really loose track of who your supposed to root for. I'm not sure what is going on over at Lionsgate but they are scrapping the bottom of the barrel these days.
Plain and simple DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!! The direction sucks. The acting sucks. The effects suck.
And the special features? The director rambles on about his "career" like he is someone we are supposed to have heard of, like and be following as horror fans. (he did a movie called Closet Space. Remember that gem? It's okay, no one does) and no one will remember this one either. Forgettable in every way.
Just remember any positive reviews you see I guarantee are from either the actors, the family of the filmmakers or the director himself. Which wouldn't surprise me at all given what I've seen on the special features.
You got my money with this one, Lionsgate. It will not happen again.
Give this one a miss. Life is too short.
snayke28 December 2011
I have never written anything like a review, nor did I ever intend to do so. But having skimmed the review from cchase I was so disgusted I forced myself into this. I am a watcher and collector of horror flicks (and books) and have been for years. I have watched some truly bad films in my ongoing attempt to find hidden gems. This movie is not one of those. This movie is not even the carbon that after eons becomes a gem. This movie is less than what I used to shovel out of the barn when I was young. The plot is impossible to decipher, the dialogue is a mishmash of inanities, the acting is agonizing to witness. I was going to say the effects were like those of 70s movies, but effects done in the 70s at least had some integrity...they at least tried to make things believable! If the makers of this movie were actually trying, well, that is a horrifying thought. Give it up and find another career, or go back to school and learn something, please, people. Don't subject audiences to such a disgrace of film making. I am convinced that cchase is the director of this flick, because only a director of such ineptitude could ramble on and on (and on) about his accomplishment when he should be hiding his head in shame. If only there were an "empty star vote", meaning less than zero, that is the vote I would have chosen. People, even if you get a chance to watch this one for free and you are desperate for entertainment, I beg you please, give it a miss. I wish I had. Life is just too short.
Terrible
Lindyrhino2 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I'm wondering when people are going to get it through their heads that just because you like movies, does not mean you should be making them. It is obvious with PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT that the filmmakers are influenced by the greats in the genre. However, they haven't got a clue on how to pull off a film that is watchable, much less one that makes sense. There are so many characters crammed into this film that you have no clue who you are supposed to be rooting for. This is director Mel House's THIRD feature and he shows the ineptitude of someone who has never even picked up a camera. The directing is bad, the writing is laughable, the acting is excruciating to watch, the special effects are ridiculous and the special features on this thing? Whoa, Nelly!! It is hilarious to watch everyone involved talk about the brilliance of House and the film like it is The freaking Exorcist or something! It truly is hard to stomach after a while as you listen to this delusional bunch ramble on and on. The lead actor, especially. First off, He has no business in front of a camera but when he launches into the "intelligence" of the script, you can not help but laugh out loud at how clueless he really is. Same goes for House. It is obvious he has no idea how bad he is at this. He goes on and on, even saying that the lead character, who clearly has mother issues and was molested as a child is based on HIM! Whhaaaat? TMI, my friend. Maybe instead of wasting the time of the viewer and your cast and crew and putting all of your demons on film for everyone to witness, you should get some therapy. It's creepy. We get it, you're messed up and you want to rip the flesh off of your mother's bones, apparently (like the lead character) but no one cares to hear about it, much less watch a WHOLE movie about it.
What the hell was this about?
loomis78-815-98903418 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
From what I can tell, a small community has turned into a disaster area of disappearances, cancer and anything else you can think of. A company in town called The Facility appears to be behind it as a nasty experiment is being conducted on the town's people. A burning person appears out of nowhere, digital blobs ooze up from the ground and snatches people under, creatures appear and a whole bunch of other unexplainable stuff happen in this headache inducing horror film. Writer/Producer/Editor/Music/Director Mel House had no idea what this movie was about or any point to it at all, and neither will you. With an entire cast of great B actors thrown together here, any kind of reasonable plot could have been a blast. For a while you actually try to figure out this crazy story but by the half way point the frustration level hits new highs and you just give up. It never gets any better. There is some pointless gore and some lousy digital effects but who cares? The only experiment this movie does well is wasting 93 minutes of your life.
A great horror movie with a true mystery afoot.
lomere-732-4655947 May 2010
Mel House's story of a small town, and "The Facility" operating there is truly compelling. The story line keeps you guessing - you never know which side most of the characters are on, or which choices they will make, until the very end.
Denton Blane Everett brought depth to his character, Cole Gray, which many horror movies don't bother to develop. The entire cast brought their "A" game for this movie - both seasoned and relatively unknown actors worked together seamlessly.
Great FX for the budget - I can honestly say the graphics in this movie are better than some Syfy original movies, with a much smaller budget. There is a lot of bloody gore, and disturbing visual and psychological images, so be warned!
Denton Blane Everett brought depth to his character, Cole Gray, which many horror movies don't bother to develop. The entire cast brought their "A" game for this movie - both seasoned and relatively unknown actors worked together seamlessly.
Great FX for the budget - I can honestly say the graphics in this movie are better than some Syfy original movies, with a much smaller budget. There is a lot of bloody gore, and disturbing visual and psychological images, so be warned!
Joyful Insanity
revbighig26 July 2014
Two reviewers really like this movie, everyone else gives it a 1! I'm trying to be honest here, so I've got to give it a 6 (or 6+ -- I dunno). I started out watching this while running in and out of the kitchen, doing this and that, but about 1/3 of the way in it caught my attention and I actually sat down. Maybe it was seeing Reggie Bannister, or those really creepy hose-mouth people, or walls melting. Whatever it was, my jaw dropped at the sheer joyful insanity of this thing. Special effects ranging from really cool to horrible, a plot incorporating everything but kids in a cabin (thank god). I surrendered and went along for the ride, something the monotone world of 1 star regulars never seem to do. I've seen big budget sci-fi/horror films with name actors that don't give me the same kick as this kind of flick. And there are more and more as the current trend in blockbuster sf/horror plays out weekly. V1.0 was started by Sputnik and Atomic Energy; V.02 is today's fear of disease and global changes. "Psychic Experiment" had none of this -- or all, I'm not sure. My mind was blown!
An experiment in pure garbage.
BA_Harrison19 October 2014
Written, produced, directed and edited by Mel House, Psychic Experiment is an utter travesty of a sci-fi/horror—a convoluted, shoddily assembled mish-mash of seemingly random, poorly executed ideas boasting risible CGI effects that easily qualifies as one of the worst films I have ever seen. Well done Mel!
The plot concerns a top secret establishment called The Facility that carries out secret experiments which enable people to alter reality with their minds, but I defy anyone to make sense out of the many incomprehensible events that occur: mysterious sinkholes appear in the town for no reason, locals suffer from a higher rate of cancer than usual, a flaming woman is born out of a CGI sac and kills a man by filling him with wire that makes him explode, another man comes home to discover his son and wife have melted, a child molester (played by Reggie Bannister of Phantasm fame) causes toy dolls to come alive and kill people, people are randomly sucked into walls by black goop, a fat woman guts her son's girlfriend, and Adrienne King (Friday the 13th) leaves the Earth's atmosphere.
There is quite a bit of reasonably executed gore during all of this indecipherable garbage, and even a spot of nudity (one of the killer toy dolls pulls open a woman's top and smears her breasts with blood); while I usually award a point or two for gratuitous splatter and nekkidness, or simply for sheer weirdness, Psychic Experiment was such a perplexing and ultimately tedious viewing experience that on this occasion I'll stick with a rating 1/10. Any more than that would just be wrong.
The plot concerns a top secret establishment called The Facility that carries out secret experiments which enable people to alter reality with their minds, but I defy anyone to make sense out of the many incomprehensible events that occur: mysterious sinkholes appear in the town for no reason, locals suffer from a higher rate of cancer than usual, a flaming woman is born out of a CGI sac and kills a man by filling him with wire that makes him explode, another man comes home to discover his son and wife have melted, a child molester (played by Reggie Bannister of Phantasm fame) causes toy dolls to come alive and kill people, people are randomly sucked into walls by black goop, a fat woman guts her son's girlfriend, and Adrienne King (Friday the 13th) leaves the Earth's atmosphere.
There is quite a bit of reasonably executed gore during all of this indecipherable garbage, and even a spot of nudity (one of the killer toy dolls pulls open a woman's top and smears her breasts with blood); while I usually award a point or two for gratuitous splatter and nekkidness, or simply for sheer weirdness, Psychic Experiment was such a perplexing and ultimately tedious viewing experience that on this occasion I'll stick with a rating 1/10. Any more than that would just be wrong.
Messy and lacking in focus
Sarmon16 July 2012
I'd like to make it clear that although I didn't think much of this movie, this review isn't going give it a major kicking just for the sake of it as there was undoubtedly some promise shown by director Mel House.
However, Mel House is also credited as Producer, Writer and Editor and I find that problematic.
There are one or two standout scenes in the movie, both of which feature Reggie Bannister. One particular scene, in a supermarket is genuinely creepy and amusing at the same time. This scene alone deserves commendation.
However, the rest of the movie did seem to lack focus and there were times where scenes appeared to be overly bloated. There were other instances where any pace and urgency disappeared and this is where the case of having one guy be writer/director/producer/editor starts to look problematic.
One can blame budgetary restrictions, but the cast appeared larger than needed; there were characters who appeared to be extraneous.
In summary, there was some flair shown in a couple of set-pieces, but this movie lacked something which is essential and that is a story which grabs you and will keep you interested for 90 minutes. Without this, a movie becomes a chore, and that's what happened for me.
However, Mel House is also credited as Producer, Writer and Editor and I find that problematic.
There are one or two standout scenes in the movie, both of which feature Reggie Bannister. One particular scene, in a supermarket is genuinely creepy and amusing at the same time. This scene alone deserves commendation.
However, the rest of the movie did seem to lack focus and there were times where scenes appeared to be overly bloated. There were other instances where any pace and urgency disappeared and this is where the case of having one guy be writer/director/producer/editor starts to look problematic.
One can blame budgetary restrictions, but the cast appeared larger than needed; there were characters who appeared to be extraneous.
In summary, there was some flair shown in a couple of set-pieces, but this movie lacked something which is essential and that is a story which grabs you and will keep you interested for 90 minutes. Without this, a movie becomes a chore, and that's what happened for me.
Don't Do It !
cedricgardner27 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Thank God i watched this movie for free on Fearnet On demand.I love horror movies all kinds,i grew up on them.But i honestly would rather watch my dog lick his balls for 90 minutes than to sit through this again.Nuff Said.Okay i guess i didn't write enough of a review i still have to write some more.Growing up i loved Halloween,Friday the 13th,Madman(who remembers that)Motel Hell,the newer movies-Scream,Final Destination,Hostel,even The Human Centipede was disturbing but actually a good movie,but this one here is straight garbage ! The acting was horrible.The Plot didn't make absolutely any sense.There was just too much going on to be able to follow the script ! The scene in the grocery store was interesting,but that was the only one.
stupid
lucyhill8619 November 2014
I paid 99p on sky to download and watch it I bloody wish I hadn't not worth even a penny the acting is pants. Time I wish I could get bk. DO NOT WATCH IT'S PANTS worst film I have ever watched and it's so ridiculous and gross not in a good way. the effects are so fake it's laughable I'm surprised these actors actually earned money for this film. I mean come on did they not even watch it back themselves because if I had watched it back I would have said there and then don't release it its stupid. Don't watch u will regret it I promise you that absolute pants it's that rubbish it's annoyed me. The director and producers should be out of a job forever.
DON'T FORGET YOUR PILLS
nogodnomasters2 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The movie is a sci-fi horror mystery. I had some flashbacks to "Twin Peaks." The town has sink holes, disappearances, a corporation that seems to be causing cancers, a mental facility, and Joseph Webber (Reggie Bannister) a recently paroled pedophile deliberately placed back in his old neighborhood where he is harassed. As the town is torn apart by strange events, a group of people attempt to figure out what is going on.
The movie starts out slow and climaxes early in aisle 11-2. What we need was more of the weirdness in aisle 11-2 to have saved this film. It suffers from the lack of good dialogue creating memorable characters. The mystery is revealed about half way through the film...or sooner if you read the title. The film had some real potential but was hampered by budget constraints and mediocre writing. There were a few rare dark comedy moments in a movie that should of had more.
Blood, gore, brief nudity
The movie starts out slow and climaxes early in aisle 11-2. What we need was more of the weirdness in aisle 11-2 to have saved this film. It suffers from the lack of good dialogue creating memorable characters. The mystery is revealed about half way through the film...or sooner if you read the title. The film had some real potential but was hampered by budget constraints and mediocre writing. There were a few rare dark comedy moments in a movie that should of had more.
Blood, gore, brief nudity
Going nowhere fast.
RatedVforVinny7 December 2019
A Multi-Story "HOUSE" That Towers Over The Screen...
cchase17 November 2010
First and foremost, no matter how ambitious they are or how wide-ranging, Mel House is fascinated by ideas. He's not afraid to show it, and not afraid to spend some quality time exploring those concepts. This is not a man for whom 'babes, boobs and blood' are the staples of genre filmmaking, (and when you have a beautiful, talented and intelligent spouse like his frequent repertory player, Melanie Donahoo, they'd sure as hell better not be.) For Mel, it's always been about putting meat on the bones of the story, before ripping it off the bodies of his cast.
And herein is where WALKING DISTANCE'S greatest strength lies, along with its "Achilles heel." This is a cornucopia, a visual and visceral smörgåsbord of ideas... A film that not only merits, but probably DEMANDS repeat viewings before you can actually take it all in. Which may have been part of the plan from jump, but for an average fanboy for whom the height of intellectual cinematic bliss is watching SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE for the umpteenth time, WALKING DISTANCE is the equivalent of asking someone whose favorite author is R.L. Stine, to briefly describe the joys of reading Marcel Proust.
Though the opening sequence is something right out of Dante Alligheri-meets-Salvador Dali on a crack bender, it settles into a tale of what seems like two completely separate individuals: research scientist Cole Grey (Denton Blane Everett) and convicted pedophile Joseph Webber (PHANTASM alum Reggie Bannister, knocking the hell out of typecasting in a vastly different role). Dr. Grey has recently been hired by a nameless corporation that runs and sponsors a self-contained, peaceful, storybook little community, whose inhabitants live and work at the hub of the enclave, known only as "The Facility." Everything is situated for maximum efficiency and convenience - always within "walking distance" of wherever anyone needs to go.
But this is not "Wisteria Lane", folks. More like "HYSTERIA Lane," and then some. There is corruption of all kinds simmering under the surface. Corruption of the land and of resources - much of it deliberate, and even a gross corruption of the very minds and bodies of the people themselves. And all of this yet for Dr. Grey to discover, as he is escorted onto the premises by his new boss, the Facility's leader, Louise Strack, played with panache by "FRIDAY THE 13TH" vet Adrienne King, who returns to acting in this meaty role, her first since taking down Pamela Voorhees (and then being taken out by her son in return.)
On the other hand, recently released sex offender Webber, unable to find residence anywhere else that he won't be beaten up, harassed and otherwise ostracized, has been given what basically amounts to free housing in the Facility's community. Usually the motivation for such an arrangement would indicate something along the lines of blackmail or some sort of cover-up, but the reasons behind assisting Webber is anything but humanitarian. In fact, it's about as diabolical and arcane as anything you could find in a Lovecraft or Ellison story.
And in-between the two men, interconnecting them in various ways are the cast of characters who will all play their parts in bringing Grey and Webber together, bringing the true motivation and machinations of the Facility to startling, horrific light, and to reveal the most frightening truth of all about the tranquil-appearing little compound - the corner store is not the only thing within "walking distance." So is are the very depths of Hell itself.
As Cole, Everett is everything a Cronenberg fan could wish the controversial Stephen Lack had been in SCANNERS. (And it's safe to say that just as in his previous film, CLOSET SPACE, a strong Cronenbergian vibe runs through every pore of DISTANCE.) And Bannister finds just the right note to make you angry at yourself for having pity on the pitiful, pathetic mess who is Joseph Webber, who comes to realize that not only has he lost control of his impulses to commit his horrible crimes, but also of his very mind, used and manipulated by others for unimaginable evil.
Behind them is a large, dependable cast that includes Melanie Donahoo and James LaMarr (CLOSET SPACE), Shannon Lark (BLOOD BATH 2 Film Festival Best Actor in a Short for LIP STICK), indie horror genre icon Debbie Rochon in one of the most standout roles as Cole Grey's mother, James Furey (KODIE, EXHIBIT 7-A), Katie Featherston (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY) and jaw-dropping performances by character vets Glenn Morshower ("24") and Kathy Lamkin (THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake), whom you will never think of in quite the same way again.
It's like a new, sprawling tale by Stephen King with its interwoven plot and character threads (just like those pesky signature House Tentacles!), and all the hints and outright revelations of corporate malfeasance, chemical dumping, mass murder, tele-and-psychokinetic manipulation, intimations here and there of the laws of physics being obliterated, if not outright mutated by pure evil (echoes of Carpenter's PRINCE OF DARKNESS, anyone?) But instead of King, Mel House is at the helm this time around, meaning you have no idea where things are going until they get there, and you may have to brace yourself for what you're going to find, since you never know what that might be.
So, in a nutshell, I still recommend WALKING DISTANCE, even if it might be a film that contains too many ideas to absorb in one viewing. The last film I saw that I could say that about was INCEPTION. Which is company I think that Mel should be damn proud he's keeping, especially in a world where intelligent design and rational thought are rapidly being discarded for creationism and a tainted kind of "magical realism." Come to think of it...very much like some of what happens in the movie. What's the frequency, Mel? Are you trying to tell us something?
And herein is where WALKING DISTANCE'S greatest strength lies, along with its "Achilles heel." This is a cornucopia, a visual and visceral smörgåsbord of ideas... A film that not only merits, but probably DEMANDS repeat viewings before you can actually take it all in. Which may have been part of the plan from jump, but for an average fanboy for whom the height of intellectual cinematic bliss is watching SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE for the umpteenth time, WALKING DISTANCE is the equivalent of asking someone whose favorite author is R.L. Stine, to briefly describe the joys of reading Marcel Proust.
Though the opening sequence is something right out of Dante Alligheri-meets-Salvador Dali on a crack bender, it settles into a tale of what seems like two completely separate individuals: research scientist Cole Grey (Denton Blane Everett) and convicted pedophile Joseph Webber (PHANTASM alum Reggie Bannister, knocking the hell out of typecasting in a vastly different role). Dr. Grey has recently been hired by a nameless corporation that runs and sponsors a self-contained, peaceful, storybook little community, whose inhabitants live and work at the hub of the enclave, known only as "The Facility." Everything is situated for maximum efficiency and convenience - always within "walking distance" of wherever anyone needs to go.
But this is not "Wisteria Lane", folks. More like "HYSTERIA Lane," and then some. There is corruption of all kinds simmering under the surface. Corruption of the land and of resources - much of it deliberate, and even a gross corruption of the very minds and bodies of the people themselves. And all of this yet for Dr. Grey to discover, as he is escorted onto the premises by his new boss, the Facility's leader, Louise Strack, played with panache by "FRIDAY THE 13TH" vet Adrienne King, who returns to acting in this meaty role, her first since taking down Pamela Voorhees (and then being taken out by her son in return.)
On the other hand, recently released sex offender Webber, unable to find residence anywhere else that he won't be beaten up, harassed and otherwise ostracized, has been given what basically amounts to free housing in the Facility's community. Usually the motivation for such an arrangement would indicate something along the lines of blackmail or some sort of cover-up, but the reasons behind assisting Webber is anything but humanitarian. In fact, it's about as diabolical and arcane as anything you could find in a Lovecraft or Ellison story.
And in-between the two men, interconnecting them in various ways are the cast of characters who will all play their parts in bringing Grey and Webber together, bringing the true motivation and machinations of the Facility to startling, horrific light, and to reveal the most frightening truth of all about the tranquil-appearing little compound - the corner store is not the only thing within "walking distance." So is are the very depths of Hell itself.
As Cole, Everett is everything a Cronenberg fan could wish the controversial Stephen Lack had been in SCANNERS. (And it's safe to say that just as in his previous film, CLOSET SPACE, a strong Cronenbergian vibe runs through every pore of DISTANCE.) And Bannister finds just the right note to make you angry at yourself for having pity on the pitiful, pathetic mess who is Joseph Webber, who comes to realize that not only has he lost control of his impulses to commit his horrible crimes, but also of his very mind, used and manipulated by others for unimaginable evil.
Behind them is a large, dependable cast that includes Melanie Donahoo and James LaMarr (CLOSET SPACE), Shannon Lark (BLOOD BATH 2 Film Festival Best Actor in a Short for LIP STICK), indie horror genre icon Debbie Rochon in one of the most standout roles as Cole Grey's mother, James Furey (KODIE, EXHIBIT 7-A), Katie Featherston (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY) and jaw-dropping performances by character vets Glenn Morshower ("24") and Kathy Lamkin (THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake), whom you will never think of in quite the same way again.
It's like a new, sprawling tale by Stephen King with its interwoven plot and character threads (just like those pesky signature House Tentacles!), and all the hints and outright revelations of corporate malfeasance, chemical dumping, mass murder, tele-and-psychokinetic manipulation, intimations here and there of the laws of physics being obliterated, if not outright mutated by pure evil (echoes of Carpenter's PRINCE OF DARKNESS, anyone?) But instead of King, Mel House is at the helm this time around, meaning you have no idea where things are going until they get there, and you may have to brace yourself for what you're going to find, since you never know what that might be.
So, in a nutshell, I still recommend WALKING DISTANCE, even if it might be a film that contains too many ideas to absorb in one viewing. The last film I saw that I could say that about was INCEPTION. Which is company I think that Mel should be damn proud he's keeping, especially in a world where intelligent design and rational thought are rapidly being discarded for creationism and a tainted kind of "magical realism." Come to think of it...very much like some of what happens in the movie. What's the frequency, Mel? Are you trying to tell us something?
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