The Ugly (1997)
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40% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
58% of users liked it
(3,334 ratings)
Housed inside the grimy walls of a horrific New Zealand asylum there sits a serial killer waiting to be determined sane enough to stand trial. The mental hospital is run by the sinister Dr. Marlowe, who looks the other way when his thuggish orderlies occasionally rough up the inmates. Into this… More Housed inside the grimy walls of a horrific New Zealand asylum there sits a serial killer waiting to be determined sane enough to stand trial. The mental hospital is run by the sinister Dr. Marlowe, who looks the other way when his thuggish orderlies occasionally rough up the inmates. Into this hellish place comes the cocky Dr. Karen Shoemaker, a psychiatrist famed for having made major breakthroughs with another murderer. Though Marlowe thinks that no one could reach Simon Cartwright, the killer, Shoemaker is determined to try, so, with Marlowe watching behind a two-way mirror, she begins the first of many chilling sessions with the unrepentant Simon. A horror film that draws some of its best bits from other slasher movies, while also adding a few interesting twists of its own, this directorial debut from New Zealand director Scott Reynolds follows the winding course of these sessions, presenting pieces from Simon's grim life and graphically gory murders via flashback. As time passes, Shoemaker comes to trust the placid-seeming Simon and asks that his shackles be removed. Shortly thereafter she learns that he hears voices urgently telling him to kill and kill again. Dr. Shoemaker must then work even harder to control her dangerous patient and her growing terror. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Scott Reynolds
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery & Suspense
NC-17,
- In Theaters
- Aug 26, 1997 Wide
- On DVD
- Sep 20, 1999
Critic Reviews
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Maitland McDonagh, Film Journal International
There's fun to be had for horror junkies, but others may want to wait for Reynolds' next picture.
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Cast
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Paolo Rotondo
as Simon Cartwright
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Rebecca Hobbs
as Dr. Karen Shoemaker
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Jennifer Ward-Lealand
as Simon's Mother
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Roy Ward
as Dr. Marlowe
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Vanessa Byrnes
as Julie
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P. Glover
as Phillip
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Christopher Graham
as Robert
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Jon Brazier
as Frank
