Disquiet

Sometimes, you get worse in hospitals, because that is where all the sick people are. That is especially true of hospital movies that have ominous titles, like Inoperable or Fractured. Hold onto your proof of insurance, because a fresh accident victim is about to check into director-screenwriter Michael Winnick’s Disquiet, which opens releases tomorrow on VOD.

Sam was broadsided by a drunk driver, but he wakes up in intensive care feeling relatively okay, except for the coma patient who keeps trying to strangle him. The crazy old man just keeps coming, but this doesn’t feel like a zombie apocalypse. Yet, that is the best guess Monica can come up with. She is the first normal acting fellow patient Sam comes across. She went in for elective cosmetic surgery and woke up with three weird harpy-like psychopaths trying to kill her.

For some reason, the hospital is completely shut off from the world. There are several crazies roaming the halls, but they get sane-sounding, but contradictory advice from the eerily calm, but wheelchair-bound Virgil and the intense Dr. Lily. He recommends going up to the roof to try to find a cell signal, whereas she argues they should try to exit through the lower parking levels.

The big fantastical thing going is indeed not unlike that of the aforementioned Inoperable and Fractured. In this case, Disquiet is better than the latter, but not as good as the former. The time-looping of Inoperable were surprisingly intense, but the bickering contrast between Virgil and Dr. Lily definitely elevates Disquiet above Brad Anderson’s disappointing Netflix film.

Both Garry Chalk and Rachelle Goulding are very strong as the mysterious duo, who seem to understand what is going on. Jonathan Rhys Meyers so average-looking as Sam, it is hard to recognize him, but he makes a pretty credible everyman as a result. They will keep viewers hooked, even after they figure out the not-so-secret secret. Winnick’s script is a lot like a lot of previous films, but the execution is slicker and pacier than average.

Frankly, it is hard to really explain why Disquiet works to the extent that it does—but somehow it does. You know where it is going, but it overachieves to the point that some of it sort of sticks with you. Better than anticipated, but still mostly recommended for ravenous horror fans, Disquiet releases tomorrow (2/10) on VOD.