The Attic Expeditions (2001)

[Mofo Rising]

An enjoyable film, in my opinion.  One of those somewhat-understandable, "what the hell is going on?", semi-Lovecraftian films.

This guy, Trevor Blackburn, wakes up in a strange hospital run by Jeffrey Combs after killing his girlfriend.  Right?  Well, that's what they say at least.  As part of his therapy (he's an amnesiac and doesn't remember anything), they send him to a halfway house for crazy people called "The House of Love".  To help him get better, of course.

Well, everything is not what it seems.  The house is a bizarre mishmash of strange therapy, and all is being observed by Combs, who is Dr. Ek, and Ted Raimi, so right away you things are not going well and are probably low budget as well (as indicated by the presence of Raimi).  Also, it seems that nobody is actually who they say they are.  If you are reasonably acquainted with occult thinking then the main nurse introducing herself as Abby Thelema might make you think it's one of "those films".

If you can overlook the film's problems (leading man Andras Jones seems to be channeling a poor man's Crispin Glover), you will probably have an enjoyable time.  My main gripe with the film is that it presents a fairly understandable narrative for most of the film, but there are a few elements that don't really jive with the rest of the film.  I'll leave you to sort those out for yourself, but they leave what otherwise could have been a pleasing puzzle unresolved in not so pleasing ways.

That may be the point.  I don't mind unsolvable puzzles; that's why I'm such a huge David Lynch fan.  But the film doesn't quite harmonize, which keeps me from grading this as high as I otherwise would have.

Not much violence, but a lot of grauitous(?) nudity and willy-nilly occult references say check it out.



Post Edited (05-11-05 23:50)