REVIEWS & CRITIQUES

SearchMyTrash.com

"The idea behind Catatonia is an interesting one for sure: While it's a direct (and logical) sequel to Play Hooky (as mentioned above of course), it ditches both that movie's found footage approach and its slasher formula for a psycho-thriller narrative with strong associative undercurrents. And that makes the film work more than well enough in its own right: Catatonia is an intentionally maze-like structured story that keeps one guessing throughout and keeps the suspense high at all times (even in the "dream"-sequences), and the whole thing is carried by a bunch of well fleshed out characters played by a very able cast. Plus the surprise twist at the end is almost worth the price of admission in itself.

So in all, really good genre entertainment! ~~ Michael Haberfeiner of SearchMyTrash.com

IN THE AUDIENCE

"There is a lot going on...intense...The story is layered and complex...Kim Kleemichen reprises her role as Rosie, our severely damaged main character, not only suffering Post Traumatic Stress and abandoned by her family, but continuing to be subjected to various abuses, primarily by some of the hospital staff. This must have been quite the challenging role...Tom Petrone, returning in his role as Buddy, steps off the bus at the hospital, and in facing him, Rosie begins to face her trauma. Conversely, every time Buddy sees Rosie, he believes, in his delusional mind, that they are friends and playmates. I enjoy Petrone’s open, expressive performance, and his effectively childlike delivery...Of note: the performances of Vinnie Bernardo as the villainous, predatory Albert, and Ann Parkhurst as the cruel, selfish Nurse Baskum- seriously, there is nothing redeeming in this character at all...this is still an ambitious film that can, at times, be confusing for the viewer; it is, for the most part, a successful send off for Rosie and Buddy’s stories." ~~~ Mojodawn of "In The Audience."

ZOMBIES DON'T RUN

"How many of you remember another movie Wild Eye released called "Play Hooky?" Well, if you do then you should probably know that this is the sequel to that found footage film that was shot on a Flip HD camera if memory does me well. I kinda liked that one so I was pretty interested in checking this one out. So, we pick up sometimes after the events of that film and our only survivor is now in a catatonic state in the crazy house, but don’t worry, everyone more or less from the first film at least makes a cameo here in some form of another. Another person from the first film is the killer who survived that head beating he took with a baseball bat somehow and is now in the same place as our catatonic survivor. Now, I suspected he’d probably break free and go on a killing spree that would resemble something out of Halloween 2 but that isn’t the case. Instead we are sort of asked to kill sorry for not only our girl but him as the staff at this place is short and very shady. It takes even a more artsy path as well. That does come with some mixed results but I at least tip my cap for them not just doing what was typical.

The movie might not be for everyone but I found it interesting enough. I’d have liked a little more blood or suspense but it really doesn’t seem to be THAT kind of movie at all. We use a very somber mood, some dark visions, and some metaphors to tell this story and you probably won’t even be required to have even seen Play Hooky before seeing this one. The movies really do come across as night and day despite having a continued story. This is sort of the type of films that Wild Eye is known for releasing and while I admit I don’t love all of them, I do think I liked this one just enough to give it the nod. The ending is a bit iffy for me but outside of that I found it to be pretty well made for the most part." ~~~ Chuck Conry of "Zombies Don't Run"

SHAWN C. PHILLIPS

"Kind of a cool thing...ghosts and weird, freaky characters...cool stuff when cutting {editing back and forth between the reality in the asylum, of the surviving victim of the murders, and the delusion of her being trapped in the abandoned asylum where the murders took place}. Kind of sort of reminded me of "Don't Look In The Basement 2," - that sort of vibe. A cool follow-up. ~~~~ Shawn C. Phillips

AIN'T IT COOL NEWS

An experienced therapist in the mental health field reviews CATATONIA. The therapist-side totally hated how the healthcare professionals are portrayed, interact and conduct business (read the full review) but the film reviewer-side praised the story-line, sophisticated visuals metaphors and admirable risk-taking (read the clips below).

“I have to give it up to the filmmakers behind CATATONIA and its predecessor as this film takes the story in a new and very different direction. Too many sequels end up rehashing almost everything that has been done before, serving as a mere echo of what worked in the original. Even the biggest budgeted films are guilty of this…CATATONIA uses the same characters surviving from the previous film, but surprisingly tells a different story. While the characters of Rosie and Buddy are carried over, their roles shift dramatically as the villain of this one isn’t a psycho killer, but an entire hospital filled with absolutely horrible people. This decision to move the story forward rather than just get stuck on repeat is something I wish more sequels would try….

What really befuddles me is that the filmmakers can get the mental health field so wrong, yet they are able to work with some pretty sophisticated metaphors when they show how Rosie is translating all of this trauma underneath her catatonia. The metaphorical chases with Rosie trying to find her way out of an abandoned building with her younger self latched to her hand and a masked female creature chasing after her are actually quite effective…CATATONIA is admirable that it takes chances with the story and has a deft usage of metaphor. It’s just too bad they just went to extreme and unbelievable lengths with their bad guys.” ~~ M.L. Miller aka AmbushBug for "Ain't It Cool News"

An AMAZON.COM "Top Customer" Review

"Liked it. It's a nicely wrapped two movie story. I felt closure. Great hallucination scenes with Rosie {Kim Kleemichen} and little Rosalita {Shannon Milich}, and also when Rosie hallucinates about the abandoned asylum crime-scenes where the original murders took place. The little girl, Rosalita, was phenomenal as Rosie’s innocent self; great casting there. The two orderlies - Albert {Vincent Bernardo} and Norman {Stan Saja}, didn't steal the show. I was worried at first, but man, if they didn't play the truth out of how to get through a work-day with others. The actor who played Rosie’s dad {Arturo Guzman} was excellent. Not sure if it was the Spanish language, or what, but he really stood out to me. And again, I find myself commenting on the wonderful lighting, {Jason Chester} something I don't normally notice. One of the only thing I wasn't a fan of was the head Night Nurse {Ann Parkhurst} – a little too dramatic. It could have been part of her character eccentricities, but I was not a fan her deliberate line delivery. Part of the reason I loved the movie is because it didn't drag it out." ~~~ Robert Bray