Psychotic (2012) User Reviews

Psychology for dummies.

[djangozelf-12351 · 2/10 · 9 August 2015]

Well,this started of pretty good but by the time you get to the psychology bit it just fails horribly.

Reminded me some of asylum blackout,but than British,and with far less excitement and not much of a plot.

There are basically no explanations given for the actions shown on screen and the psychology portrait seems to come from the seventies.

The director also wrote the story and I was somewhat amazed he ever got funding for this because its obvious he wasn't very original and just stole a bunch of stuff from better flicks.

I give this a 2 because it had potential for the first 20 minutes or so but after that it felt really flat and any depth in the characters was removed.

I was somewhat surprised by the few reviews this got but I guess this was on the shelfs for a long time or people actually got smart,red about it and decided it was not for them.

This could have worked if it was just a "psycho chasing girls" flick and without the seventies psychology this movie relies on.

If you like your movies to make sense than don't watch this film.

I truly hope somebody will make a better film using the same title because that was just about the only good thing of this flick.

Women good, Men Evil

[RMS1949 · 2/10 · 11 July 2015]

So another movie where the men are all maniacs, rapists and cowards. The women are the only good people in this film. Even the female inmates in the asylum have integrity where as the men portrayed are just pure moronic evil. LOL

Okay so it's a thriller/horror movie and stuff happens. I get that. But really I've seen movies made for Lifetime that had more thrills and better action than this.

I knew early on the IQ behind this film. When a guard finds a female doctor tied up after inmates start escaping, he carries her off to another room but guess what, he goes off and leaves her tied up.. hahaha

Seriously, the photography was good and I think Jenna Verdicchio is a talented actress, shame the writing and directing was so ridiculously bad.

Good start but unravels after that

[grantss · 4/10 · 25 March 2021]

While having all the trappings of a B-grade production this film initially showed some promise. The set-up was good and the performances were better than the hammy ones you tend to expect from this sort of film.

However, with all this potential to go somewhere substantial, writer-director Johnny Johnson throws this all away and reverts to standard B-grade horror type. What ensues is just your usual slasher-horror killings and bad guys chasing innocent women.

Very disappointing.

Awkward dialogue in a chilling asylum.

[parry_na · 5/10 · 9 April 2020]

George Johnny Johnson produces, directs and writes this 'inmates on the rampage' horror known as 'Psychotic' or 'Psychotic Asylum.' It's clearly a low budget project, but entered into with a certain enthusiasm and some effective moments.

As main character Dr. Helen Kingford, Jenna Verdicchio battles gamely with some awkward medical dialogue that tries to offer some explanation for the actions of deranged warders, specifically Thomas Reid (Steve Hope Wynne).

Initially driven to despair by the imminent closing of the asylum, Reid's mind is invaded by an unexplained demonic influence, which goes onto possess those around him. We know they are possessed, because their eyes go black, and they are occasionally given to answer to a distorted, disembodied voice. Apart from that, however, we know nothing about the nature of the threat. It simply controls its victims, giving them a childlike mentality.

There are a few decent twists here, especially the rather implausible one toward the end involving inmate Lara Visser (Kristina Dargelyte).

There are also a few disappointingly directed scenes of violence, lots of spitting, brief moments of gore, and a highly impressive location. I would say the building is probably the main reason to watch - its dilapidated corridors and dark spaces take your mind off deficiencies in the production which often occur in low budgets films such as this. My score is 5 out of 10.

Atrocious

[meghanncrawford · 1/10 · 19 October 2020]

Terrible film. The acting wasn't great, the effects were awful. The "plot" was non existent and made zero sense. Save yourself some time and watch a half decent film.

Terrible

[africe · 1/10 · 11 July 2019]

Don't waste your time! One of the worst movies I've seen. Horrible ! Dumbest ending to a film yet! And I've seen many

Quickly goes south.

[ansell-72879 · 3/10 · 5 October 2021]

Patients and staff in a mental institution are on the rampage and a doctor is trapped. Sort of sounds OK. Unfortunately, the actual execution of the idea fails on a number of levels.

An early reference to the ghost of a girl haunting the institution may explain the demonic possession of some of the inmates and staff. Possession is indicated by eyes turning black and maniacal laughing.

So many questions. Why not untie the rescued doctor? Would a rubbish bin really obstruct a door? Would a throat have a slit before the knife is run across it? And so and so on.

And then there is the homeless girl whose appearance and significance remain inexplicable despite best efforts at explanation.

There is an awkward and stilted gap between many of the dialogue exchanges which destroys tension.

Director, writer and, producer Johnny Johnson is clearly working with a very limited budget and a virtually unknown cast of actors. These tax his own abilities in the various roles he assumes.

Steve Hope Wynne, as fired security guard Thomas Reid, carries the can as far as evil protagonists go. He throws himself into the role with enthusiasm but pulling back a bit, employing a degree of subtly, would have enhanced his characterization. There is something of the Panto to his performance. (Oh, this is an English production.)

Tzevt Lazar, as Leszek Nowicki, the inmate with a story and heart, is the standout cast member but, and forgive the harshness, the bar isn't set that high.

The dialogue is corny, the acting often hammy and the plot at times confusingly incoherent.

I'm certain that all went into the project with the best intentions but Psychotic goes south very quickly.

Honestly the worst attempt at a horror ever

[pokemon_trainer_lucas · 1/10 · 21 June 2019]

I bought this on DVD for £3 at ASDA, and what a waste of money. It isn't even worth 3p! I actually switched it off after 15 minutes because it was making me feel ill because of how badly executed it was. The acting was atrocious, the budget must have been so low, and the effects weren't convincing in any way. Please don't waste your money on this pathetic excuse for a film.

Two million quid - for this?

[BA_Harrison · 2/10 · 29 January 2023]

Psychotic uses that tried and tested horror scenario - the lunatics have taken over the asylum. It's a premise that is usually good for plenty of scares and suspense - you'd have to be a really bad film-maker to screw this up - but writer/director Johnny Johnson fails on almost every level, penning a dreadful script, commanding lousy performances and displaying a total lack of technical prowess.

The plot sees employees at a soon-to-be-closed mental institution celebrating their final shift when several dangerous patients escape, aided by disgruntled guard Thomas (Steve Hope Wynne), who has just been canned. Psychologist Dr. Helen Kingford (Jenna Verdicchio) has to team up with murderer Lara Visser (Kristina Dargelyte) in order to survive the night.

Instead of going down the straightforward route, pitting the staff against the inmates in a fight for survival, Johnson attempts to introduce an inadvisable supernatural element, having Thomas and one of the nutters become possessed by... well, your guess is as good as mine since this is never adequately explained. Johnson also clumsily inserts some rubbish about a little girl called Chloe (Rosie Cochrane) who has been living in the bowels of the building, with Helen assuming the role of the girl's protector. This Ripley/Newt-style subplot makes little sense (how has the girl survived on her own and unnoticed?), the naffness compounded by the fact that Cochrane is a lousy child actor.

In terms of horror, there's a modicum of gore and a couple of cheap jump scares, but nothing that's going to give anyone sleepless nights - except for maybe the backers of this film, who must lie awake wondering where the estimated budget of £2,000,000 went.

Dull As Dirt!

[vengeance20 · 1/10 · 9 September 2021]

So, watched this after a list of other horrors I've been meaning to watch & thought this might be of so good. I was wrong.

The film follows an asylum which is due to get shut down and thw remaining 3 inmates are let loose as a woman is held captive.

I found the film to be mostly boring and full of talky talk. Little action, little gore, even little horror despite the vissuals which weren't sinister by the way. The sexism against men in this film in terms of how they're portrayed. Bad. The plot, weak as hell. The run time, being 79 minutes feels like 179. Pacing was poor. Moreover, the dialogue/sound mixing was bad. I couldn't hear a word the cast memebers were saying most if not all the time in the film.

Overall, it's poor.

1/10.

The worst horror movie ever

[azminshahrivar · 1/10 · 1 December 2023]

This movie is inappropriate, stupid, inappropriate, long and boring. The first problem is the security guard raped the female doctor. That's just bad taste and very inappropriate. Second problem is the actors were unrecognisable. Third problem is the unexplained cause of breakout at the asylum. Fourth the jumpscares, gore, action and music were very lame. The crazy patient also attacked the doctor. There was inappropriate sexual references in the doctor's office. The little girl found in the basement was silly. The ending was very bad and stupid. The female patient kills the doctor to silence her and escape. The little girl tells the police to check the ambulance but it is too late. The patient is watching from a close distance but the police don't notice. This movie should be banned. In the meantime avoid this title on freevee and other streaming services. It's absolutely rubbish.

"What are you trying to escape?"

[hwgrayson · 3/10 · 4 May 2024]

This took a bit of endurance to get through. The story got more preposterous as it went along with people falling into a medical machine of some kind and their eyes turning black (!) and a child who seems to be living in the basement of an asylum with no one ever noticing and many lines of psychological blather that didn't make sense. The characters range from dull to being hilariously over the top and their motivations were opaque. The actors weren't served well by the unfocused script, though the actors themselves were not convincing in any way. The ending of the film was left open suggesting a sequel but the movie didn't deserve one.

Psychotic Asylum

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 23 February 2024]

British horror movie set in a mental (used to be called lunatic) asylum. It is soon to close, it's psychologist Dr Helen Kingford's final shift and the security guards have been given their notice. Head guard Thomas is none to happy, he shows his anger by attempting to rape poor Helen and releases the highly dangerous patients - all three of them! The mental hospital is a large old building yet there are only three crazies banged up inside, which is a bit puzzling, not to mention disappointing. The place may or may not be haunted, things aren't exactly made very clear, but Tom becomes possessed by some sort of evil, his eyes turning completely black. One creepy guy becomes a whole lot more creepy, I often root for the bad guy but not this time. He is played by Steve Hope Wynne and is one of the few convincing actors among a cast of stiffs, poor dialogue and awkward silences doesn't help things. Jenna Verdicchio plays Helen and although I felt sympathy for her plight her character makes some really dumb and annoying decisions (and she's not the only one). The soundtrack features much very dramatic music which simply does not suit a movie of this weak calibre. I watched this on Amazon under the title of Psychotic Asylum and dated it two years younger at 2015. The ending has a dark twist and the movie is by no means abysmal, I liked the location and at 81 minutes in length it is alright for a once only viewing.