Let's escape the horrors of the Present by seeing some Horrors of the Past.
Oh look- they're all in one Hospital!
They meet on the train and pretty much fall for each other immediately.
This is the last Film of Actress Phoebe (billed as Vanessa) Shaw, so she does nudity. Thanks for asking.
They see some things that they don't like.
Of course, now the place is locked down by the Head Doctor (Michael Gough) and patrolled by a bunch of faceless bikers.
They really were all the rage in the '60s!
The Doctor has been experimenting on people for a while.
Oddly, we don't get his big monologue until *way* late in the Film. It even comes with flashbacks, which makes it feel even later in the Film than it is.
He has the two in his power, so why not tell them your whole plan?
The guy- Jason- does make an escape, leading to a chase and a prolonged fight just there to introduce the bubbly marsh into the Plot for later.
Speaking of later, the Aunt decides to say 'See you later' to Gough after another young man (Abraham) shows up and she's convinced that things aren't going well.
They did just kill the guy who got people to show up too.
Well, her exit is less than amicable when a strange guy who appears to be covered in goop chokes her to death!
Can Jason, Abraham and the Dwarf (coming this Fall to ABC) make an escape?
Nah, it won't be that easy.
Instead, there's a big old climax and, shock of all shocks, they burn the place down! How unique!
To see how strange this gets, stream it now.
A fun flick, even if it is pretty damn silly. To be fair, that is part of its charm- intentional or otherwise.
I'm honestly not clear if this was *meant* to be an absurdist Comedy inside of a Horror Film at most points.
There is one bit where they prolong an action like how Family Guy used to do which makes me think that it is a Comedy. Other parts include torture and bloody deaths, so dunno.
The Plot is a weird mix of ideas, cliches and new things tossed into one freaky salad of a Film.
For example, there's a late reveal with Gough that is right out of House of Wax.
For example, there's a late reveal with Gough that is right out of House of Wax.
Other bits like controlling humans with machine parts is a unique (for the time) riff on old Zombie Films.
The Film is far from perfect, of course. It introduces Abraham very late into the Film and his whole Arc (gotta rescue my girl) ends abruptly with no great resolution.
Horror Hospital has a few things going for it, like a few gimmicks, a fun Cast, a good location and a bizarre Plot. It has encapsulated how so many of us feel after Tuesday night...
For a fun bit of '70s silliness, check it out. The fashions alone date this- not even getting into the technological aspects.
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