Review of Gothika (2003) by Will — 10 Aug 2011

The first half of "Gothika" is great. John Ottmin's soundtrack combined with Matthew Libatique's cinematography and Kassovitz's direction helped create very creepy atmospheric tension. Although some may find her constant screaming excessive, Halle Berry's acting was great throughout the whole movie.

There were a lot of scenes that tried to jump scare you, but none of them worked. There is no gore (with the exception of several cuts on arms, and blood writing on walls), so the movie relies on creepiness alone, and most of that is gone by the third act.

There is a contrived plot twist near the end, and another very obvious (yet still ridiculous) one. There are loads of plot holes in "Gothika", and a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. However, before the third act, I nevertheless had good time.