Hypnotic is a suspenseful psychological thriller that will have even audiences wondering what is real and what isn’t.
Hypnotic is a psychological thriller that is sure to have audiences wondering what is real and what isn’t. This movie is a lot of fun, despite its flaws, because it fully embraces what it is. It doesn’t try to add in unnecessary plot lines or humor, and just dives right in to the suspenseful moments. It might not be a perfect movie, but it is one that fans of thrillers will certainly enjoy.
This movie is about a woman named Jenn whose friend suggests she sees a therapist to help her deal with some traumatic moments. She takes her friend’s advice and ends up at the office of Dr. Collin Meade. While he is a psychiatrist, he uses hypnotism for certain cases, and he thinks she is a good candidate for it.
When she wakes up she comments that it feels as if it was only a few moments, but it had been an hour. As the days go on she starts to lose time, meaning that all of a sudden it could be hours later, and she has no idea what she had been doing. Things do not seem right with this doctor, and she begins to look into his past.
What Works With Hypnotic
Hypnotic is just about an hour and half, which is the perfect length for something like this. The movie flies by, making sure to not spend too long on any one moment. Over the last year the majority of movies are over two hours long and had Hypnotic tried to do this, it never would have worked. Thankfully this movie knows exactly what it is, and doesn’t try to be more than that. This is a fun thriller with jump scares and somewhat predictable twists, but still the perfect movie night flick!
Hypnotic wastes no time getting into the thick of it either. Within twenty minutes the audience knows exactly what they are in for and where the story is going. This is not a bad thing! All too often movies drag this out and it can be up to an hour before the actual events of the film have started.
There are some truly intense moments in Hypnotic. As someone who hates spiders there were some times I honestly had to look away — take a glance at the photo above and you will understand. Because of the nature of the movie and the hypnotism causes people to see things that are not really there, there are some truly heart pounding scenes. The audience is going to start wondering what is real, and what isn’t, which allows them to be completely captivated by everything that is going on.
All that being said, Kate Siegel is the main reason this movie is as good as it is. She is phenomenal in this role and fans of hers from Midnight Mass will be thrilled to see her again so soon. She is so good at being scared, but also portraying a woman who will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of things. This role while different from that in Midnight Mass, has its similarities. Siegel can play a badass with ease.
What Doesn’t Work With Hypnotic
The biggest flaw of this movie is that there are a lot of predictable moments. It is easy to figure out the main plot points, and see what is going to happen next from a mile away. Sure, Hypnotic has its surprises too, but they are few and far between.
As for the writing, well, it isn’t perfect. There are some times that viewers will be thinking a conversation felt off and it is likely due to the dialogue. However, this isn’t something that will take viewers completely out of the movie.
Overall Thoughts
Hypnotic is a going to be something that fans of the genre truly appreciate. It is chilling and intense — with fantastic lead performances. There are heart pounding and intense moments that will have you wondering what is and isn’t real.
While some parts are predictable, it is still a ton of fun to watch. Chances are thriller fans are going to be all in from the moment it starts, to the moment it ends — which is a quick hour and thirty minutes.
Not the best, but not the worst. The short runtime helps, along with the fact that this movie knows exactly what it is. A fun thriller, and nothing more.
About Hypnotic
Feeling stuck both personally and professionally, Jenn (Kate Siegel), a young woman reeling from a series of traumatic events, enlists a renowned hypnotherapist, Dr. Meade (Jason O’Mara), to help on her road to recovery. After a handful of intense sessions, terrifying events, and mysterious blackouts, Jenn soon finds herself caught in a dangerous mind game.
With the help of Detective Wade Rollins (Dulé Hill), Jen looks to put the pieces together before it’s too late and there are deadly consequences.
Watch Hypnotic now on Netflix!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.