Insaniac
 (2002)
review by Head Cheeze

The latest entry from Sub Rosa Extreme finds behind-the-scenes cutey, Robin Garrels (composer, producer, and director from the SRE/Wicked Pixel camp) taking it to the lens with her starring turn in Insaniac, a violent and disturbing film that one-ups many of the films from the low-budget S.O.V. genre with a tight narrative and cohesive story about a young woman named Autumn (Garrels) who undergoes therapeutic hypnosis to unlock the secrets hidden within her very shattered psyche. When Autumn's journey into her innerworkings threatens to reveal a violent and sordid history best forgotten, her inner psychopath takes hold and keeps her train firmly on the rails of Crazy! (Go ozzy Go!)

Insaniac is one part psychodrama, one part horror film, and two parts art house splatterfest, which may put off viewers familiar with the usual "gut and run" style of other Sub Rosa Extreme offerings, but I though the film was all the better for it. Garrels is a more than competent actress, and embraces her own script in a way that only it's creator could. Her Autumn is at once seductively charming, disarmingly vulnerable, and ultimately dangerous, and she works the material expertly under director John Specht's watchful eye. Specht himself, also stars as Autumn's doctor, and provides that nice soothing/bordering on downright creepy vibe all psychotherapists seem to have (and I should know, since I'm quite mad). Specht proves to be even more effective behind the camera, and dresses up Garrel's script with some truly outlandish visuals and setpieces that effectively illustrate Autumn's madness.

My only problem with Insaniac is that it's hallucinatory style mirrors the Eric Stanze film, Ice from the Sun, very closely in my opinion, and may have a lot to do with the fact that Stanze edited Insaniac. He did a fine job, but it feels as though his creative stamp may have taken prescedence over Specht and Garrels original vision for the film. Whether or not this is the case, it's just how it felt to me. However, I actually liked Insaniac better simply because the story made more sense (although, to be fair, Ice didn't seem to be trying to tell much of a linear story at all; rather, the film was more akin to a nightmare documented on tape.)

Sub Rosa Extreme offers Insaniac with a few extras including a commentary by the cast and crew, trailers for other Sub Rosa flicks, and a short film, "Satan Eats Lunch". The Sub Rosa flicks aren't exactly readily available at your local Wal Mart, so you may have to do some hunting, or simply visit the company's website at www.b-movie.com.