The Vance Institute

What this film sets out to do, it does.

The feeling of isolation and helplessness against the corporation is my favourite aspect of the film. From the scenes of the contestants alone in their rooms to their brief time together before challenges, nothing feels safe. Nothing they are given feels like it can be trusted and those in charge have an unsettling dark edge.

The only negatives I can think of is the sometimes jarring cutaways and editing along with the choice to make the film B&W. I'd love to have seen a version with even just some slight colour. The characters wear these cool red jumpsuits I wish we'd seen in all their glory.

The B&W does works best during scenes set at night with those classic heavy hex shadows that I love so much.

The cast do a wonderful job throughout and maintain a good chemistry throughout. You don't want to see them die so when that fate does meet some of them you can't help but feel some sadness.

Its a film with a gripping plot and premise that keeps you engaged for its runtime while also leaving the door open for more possible stories.

Hex once again demonstrate they know quality and how to make it. One for the watchlist.

Its a difficult film to describe. Its kind of a squid game meets saw, but focuses on psychological horror instead of out right violence.

The physical violence is mostly hidden away from view allowing you to imagine what's going on. In some respects this felt a little annoying at times, especially when the cut away was very jarring; but the story makes up for it.

The film is in black and white (mostly) and I think that helps illustrate the mental horrors going on.

I was completely engrossed in the film and the time flew by, leading to a rather unexpected ending.

My only real negative about the film would be the long pauses showing the outside of the building - presumably to show the time of the day. They often felt overly long.

Participating in a self-help workshop, a group of strangers arrives at a guru's compound in the woods to begin training in a series of dangerous and somewhat unethical activities designed to push them to be better people at the expense others in the program.

There was a lot to like about this one. Among the better features here stems from the overall setup of the situation and what goes on at the institute. The idea of this lonely group of misfits and losers being brought to this bizarre and secluded locale in the woods by a sketchy doctor and put through an increasingly alarming series of tests designed to evoke their personal demons and push them past it to grow as a person comes across rather nicely. Giving us a chance to get to know who they are and what they're struggling with, there's a lot to like here as everything comes together into a solid, chilling setup. This leads into the film's enjoyable series of tortures and psychological mind-games he puts everyone through to achieve his desired results. As they're put through personal struggles designed around their own issues or group-based tactics to push them through challenging ordeals, these scenes provide the kind of traumatic-centric activities that figure into his devious nature. They grow darker and more psychologically charged as it goes along which leads into the wild finale involving some decent twists and reveals that showcase some intriguing elements, providing a lot to enjoy overall. The film does have some drawbacks holding it back. The main factor against this one is the overall obvious nature of the doctor's duplicitous tactics without any alarms going off. He's not portrayed as the charming snake or the smooth-talking radical presenting something different for gullible victims the way these types of characters are usually played off as here he's just an abusive tormentor putting them through intense tortures without question. The tactics and philosophy are so questionable it's a wonder how he got this far much like the first one, and along with the low-budget look here are what bring this down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

The Vance Institute is a Suspense filled psychological thriller/horror. It is heavy on having a disturbing atmosphere throughout the movie. There are definitely some themes and layers to this movie as well as the characters. The main theme is people dealing with their insecurities and inner fears and whether or not they will let others in an authority use those insecurities and fears to manipulate them.. I can almost see a metaphor for those that run this institute representing the government, the super wealthy and powerful . Those who are attending the institute are us, the people who are being manipulated. I could be reading to much into that as I am nit sure of the writers intention. This is a very dark film so don't expect a happy ending.

Overall I really enjoyed this film. It was well directed and acted and well written. I highly recomend.

To me this felt like a nice blend of The Stanford Experiment, Squid Game and fragments of A Field In England plus a little pinch of Dead Man's shoes.

An edgy psychological horror that used the black and white palatte properly to add shadows alluding to the dark world of the characters.

The set design was great with the cold uninviting hard edged Institute matching the militant titular Vance and his team.

I think the cinematography was very well done, perhaps a little too static at times, but I'm pleased it let the scenes unfold rather than force any dramatic tension.

I read another review that mentioned the static shots of the Institute being a bit too long, and I kind of agree with that, but besides that minor factor, The Vance Institute is a great twisted tale that has a great unnerving vibe.