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Cast: Brad Dourif, Ross Destiche, Jenna Enemy
Five college students wake up in an abandoned, locked-down insane asylum - with no idea how they got there and no means of escape. They discover that they are the subjects of secret experiments, but these tests have awakened something that cannot be explained by science. The group must now fight to escape both the human and supernatural threats if they are to survive and break out of their prison.
'The Control Group' tells the story of Jack, a college student and four of his classmates who mysteriously end up locked inside an old asylum. None of them know why they are there or how they got there. Jack is the most freaked out over it because he is still dealing with the loss of his sister. His depression makes it hard to have friends and cope with life in general. It doesn't take long before Jack and his classmates begin having hallucinations.
As the group searches for a way out the begin seeing someone who is wearing a bird-like mask. Will they find an exit before they all end up dead?
The film is a bit confusing but the story is well told and it keeps you interested the entire time. This is Director, Peter Hurd's debut film. You can tell he is very creative and has some big ideas for the film. The film is energetic but what lets it down the most is the budget. I really liked the story and the characters but the effects are actually pretty poor even for an Independent film that lets it down.
The acting is pretty good throughout and the film has some star power in Brad Dourif so there are some really good things about the film and there is enough going on to like it despite its sometimes poor production values.
I was really interested in seeing it once I saw that Brad Dourif was in it. He gives a great performance as does Ross Destiche who plays Jack. The rest of the cast was all very good as well.
I liked the film even with its flaws but it is not going to be for everyone. But if you are a lover of Indie films or just a fan of Brad Dourif then I recommend checking it out. I like what I saw from this young director and I hope he is given a bit more money for his next film so we can see what he can really do.
Released by Wild Eye Releasing
** 1/4 Out Of *****