Close Your Eyes (Doctor Sleep) (2002)
-
46% of critics liked it
(37 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(3,340 ratings)
A hypnotist with psychic talents is drawn into a criminal case with bizarre implications in this thriller from Great Britain. Dr. Michael Strother (Goran Visnjic) is a psychologist and hypnotherapist who has relocated from the United States to England after an ugly incident in which a boy under… More A hypnotist with psychic talents is drawn into a criminal case with bizarre implications in this thriller from Great Britain. Dr. Michael Strother (Goran Visnjic) is a psychologist and hypnotherapist who has relocated from the United States to England after an ugly incident in which a boy under Strother's care died while swimming, possibly due to a mistakenly triggered hypnotic suggestion. Strother sometimes sees visions which he believes are images from the minds of his patients, and while hypnotizing Janet Losey (Shirley Henderson), a police detective who is trying to give up cigarettes, he sees a terrifying vision of a girl trapped beneath the surface of a stream. Strother learns that the girl in his vision is Heather, a teenager who has recently disappeared; when found, she's disoriented, unable to speak, and has strange new tattoos on her arms. Despite the pleas of his wife Clara (Miranda Otto) to keep his distance, Strother becomes involved in the case, and with the help of Elliot (Paddy Considine), a dealer in fantasy games, he learns that the bizarre gibberish Heather has been spouting are part of the rituals of an outmoded religious rite. As Strother and Losey dig deeper into the bizarre crime, they're led into a twisted web of intrigue, violence, and religious fanaticism. Hypnotic was adapted from the Madison Smartt Bell novel Doctor Sleep, which was also the film's working title. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nick Willing
- Written By
- Nick Willing, William Brookfield
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Horror
- In Theaters
- Apr 23, 2002 Wide
- Studio
- First Look
Critic Reviews
-
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
The atmospheric psychological thriller weaves a compelling web thanks to dense, stylized direction by Nick Willing and a smartly assembled cast.
-
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
... one of the best thrillers I've seen probably since The Ring.
-
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
On their way to confront ancient evil, Strother and Losey keep tripping over timeworn cliches.
-
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
An occasionally engaging but more often gruesome British thriller.
-
Megan Lehmann, New York Post
If you can overlook its TV-episode look, occasional lapses in logic and detours into lurid overkill, this old-school psychological thriller, which marries a tracking-the- serial-killer narrative with occult themes, is a creepy diversion.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Goran Visnjic
as Dr. Adrian Strother
-
Shirley Henderson
as Det. Janet Losey
-
Miranda Otto
as Clara Strother
-
Paddy Considine
as Elliot
-
Claire Rushbrook
as Grace
-
Fiona Shaw
as Catherine Lebourg
-
Corin Redgrave
as Clements
-
Sophie Stuckey
as Heather
