Review by Justin Bateman
Stars Sara Foster, Michael Biehn, Cary Elwes, Gabriel Mann, Colleen Camp, Winter Ave Zoli, Susie Amy, Katherine Shanklin, Brian Caspe, Ryan James, Stephen Fisher, Joel Kirby
Written by Lawrence Robinson
Certification UK 18
Runtime 98 minutes
Directed by Andrew Shortell
Roslyn (Foster) takes a job on the nightshift at a hospital that is being closed down so she can spend more time with her cabbie husband Cole (Mann). Meanwhile, a killer known as the Nighthawk is murdering women in the area. Rosyln has a history of mental instability but is this affecting her judgement or is she genuinely in danger?
Lonely night jobs are a staple of the horror mystery thriller genre and one set in a hospital comes as no great surprise. In the case of Psych 9, the setting is one of the main characters, with its creaking doors, screeching old elevator doors and temperamental flickering lighting. There is a dirty, greenish hue and it certainly adds to the chilly atmosphere. Fortunately, director Shortell doesn’t rely solely on the ambience to add tension and intrigue to proceedings.
While there are some scary moments, there is more than enough depth to the characters – and in particular Roslyn, played superbly by Sara Foster – to maintain interest beyond where the next shock is coming from. Her relationship with Cole is satisfyingly complicated and more than that, real. This feels like a real couple with real problems, struggling to make ends meet and get through life and this adds to the general feeling of unease.
While the body count increases and Roslyn struggles to keep it together, it becomes no clearer who the killer might be. Could it be Cary Elwes as the resident psychiatrist? Surely not Michael Biehn's Detective Marling? The plot barely unravels at all, just hinting at things that may be happening or may simply be figments of Roslyn’s fevered imagination and as such does a fine job of keeping the viewer involved and on edge. Disturbing and unsettling, Psych 9 is by no means an easy film to watch and isn't all that original but it’s largely effective and may well keep you guessing right until the end.