I thought this movie was great.
Unlike most horror/thrillers, the movie is realistic - Doctor with brain tumour tets experimental drug on one of her patients and puts him into a coma. As a result of taking the drug herself and her tumour, she begins to hallucinate. She catches her husband banging her sister and in a fit of rage kills them both, shoots the dog, and puts herself into a coma. The idea that you might read an article in the paper to that effect makes the movie much more disturbing.
The sense of helplessness and terror was well done. It's easier to imagine two people invading someone's home and playing sick games with them than the idea of a supernatural serial killer (most movie killers ARE supernatural - super strong, REAL hard to kill, they never tire, etc.)
The violence was truly disturbing. Violence in most movies is cartoon violence. It's accompanied by music, people perform balletic moves while killing each other, they deliver clever one-liners, etc. In this movie the acts of brutal violence and the responses of the characters are raw and brutal, without hollywood glamourization.
On another level, the movie is about morality. Each character is evil in their own way. Harlan raped and butchered a teenage boy. Sam found someone she could experiment on to save herself. Dave and Melody had an affair behind a dying wifes back while she supported them both. Is any of them a human being? "I guess that depends on your definition."
Well that's it. I thought this movie provided a real sense of terror and claustrophobia, coupled with some grisly gore and even a little philosophy. I was disturbed by it. The best movies stay with you after you've watched them.
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