The Facility (2012)

Directed by Ian Clark [Other horror films: N/A]

I have to admit, while this British film is far from perfect (and perhaps a few steps away from being good), I enjoyed it more this time around than when I first saw it.

A lot of this comes from the sort of low-key feel the film takes – no dramatic music, no surprising twists, nothing that modern horror films sometimes have an overreliance on. It felt almost like a documentary at times, and I think that heightened the sense of realism. It helps that this is based off an actual event (the 2006 human trial of Theralizumab), so when the credits at the end say “no one from the company was charged with a crime,” and “none of the fatalities during trial were legally said to be caused by the drugs”, I can give it leeway (as I generally hate that type of thing).

There were quite a few decent performances here, but the ones that stood out most were Alex Reid (known due her appearance in The Descent), Nia Roberts, Steve Evets, and Aneurin Barnard. None of these individuals blew me away or anything, but they all gave perfectly acceptable performances.

The film does get a bit tiring near the end, especially after a plethora of utterly idiotic decisions made by the characters. It’s a shame, because for the most part, the first half is pretty good. I particularly appreciate the character building by means of showing each of them getting their shot (some of which are placebos) to officially start off the trial. Also, the fact that the film is mildly bleak in it’s conclusion (the corporation, of course, faces no legal ramifications for their actions) made the realism even more apparent.

Like I said, I did enjoy this British flick more than when I last saw it, and while I don’t love it, I could see myself giving it even another viewing in the future.

7/10