04/03/06 Close Your Eyes

Close Your Eyes (2002), directed by Nick Willing

watched w/ Tim; DVD (personal copy) @ home

In what seems to be a completely overlooked gem, this twisted supernatural thriller plays to its audience in both a subdued undertone all the while flashing dark imagery and mind-magic. The taut suspense begins when a seemingly mild-mannered hypno-therapist treats a British police detective for her smoking addiction. It is soon revealed that the therapist (played by some Croatian dude I've never heard of, but apparently he's on "E.R."), not only can hypnotize, but possesses telepathic powers that come to him in his visions. His newly moved family life to England is soon jeopardized when his telepathic nightmares haunt him, as his skill is utilized by the local police to solve a rash of grotesque and ritualistic murders. Of course, as all these creepy movies must, there is a young girl (here struck mute by the evil things she has witnessed) who is the mysterious key to solving the heinous crimes. Chock full of edge-of-your seat chills, cult symbolism, gross torture, and drug-enduced dream sequences! There's a tag line for you. This seems to be one of those creepy but good ones that slipped through the cracks on the store shelves...and will get stuck in your head all too easily. One final cool note...I got to see this one with my brother, who's now home from Afghanistan. He probably won't remember to check out this post, but he deserves the shout out nonetheless. I think he'll mostly agree with me on the quality of film here.

3 out of 5 stars