Antidote
Review by Lou Wallace
Starring Ashlynn Yennie and Louis Mandylor
A woman is admitted into a hospital for an emergency surgery, but she wakes up in a bizarre medical facility where patients are treated like lab rats as mysterious doctors are trying out a cure for all ills. The clinical research is brutal — human endurance is put to the test and she must find a way to escape or continue to be used as a human Guinea pig.
I watched this film over the weekend and was quickly pulled into the dark but fascinating drama/horror story. Filmed with minimal sets, virtually no visual effects (except at the very end) and a small cast.
Most of the film is dialog between the patient and the doctor, as well as the interaction between her and the few other patients/inmates in her wing. The story begins with a common scenario – a patient wakes up in a new place, no idea how she got there, no idea where she is and no idea what is going on.
But it quickly evolves into something much darker. What seems to be a treatment facility quickly changes into somewhere horrible, brutal and terrifying, with people put through terrible torturous ordeals, only to be quickly healed with ‘the antidote’. The question is why? Is it a legitimate hospital? A secret military research project? Or worse?
In some ways the film’s atmosphere reminded me of The Autopsy Of Jane Doe – normal at first, and slowly becoming darker, sinister and stranger. And like that film it has twists, jump scares and a surprising ending.
If you’re a fan of scary drama, Antidote is probably for you.
Recommended!
From director Peter Daskaloff, and starring The Human Centipede’s Ashlynn Yennie and Louis Mandylor (Rambo : Last Blood), Antidote premieres on DVD and Digital May 11 from Uncork’d Entertainment. 1 hour 27 minutes.
