Crazy as Hell

Crazy as Hell is one of those films that comes from out of nowhere and makes you wonder why? I'm not talking about why was a film like this made or why was such a serious topic dealt with in this fashion, but just...why? It is one of those films that are misleading to viewers. Anyone who picked up that it is a horror film will be disappointed up until the last five minutes. But anyone who has decided that maybe it is a powerful drama with something prophetic to say can also kiss his or her thoughts away. Eriq La Salle of ER fame directs and co-stars in this thriller/drama/horror/suspense/whatever you want to call it film about a maverick psychiatrist named Ty Adams who is plagued with the guilt/fear/agony from the suicide of his schizophrenic seven year old daughter and the later death of his wife. Think Brining Out the Dead meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ty is sent to a famous mental institution to allow a film crew to document his famous healing powers that seem almost godly. You see Ty is a man who is so sure of his craft that he believes that he can play God by curing patients instead of treating them. Then one day a tall, dark man who is glaze of passion in his eyes and an aura of discern in his presence checks himself into the hospital. The man is seemingly normal and perceptive in his state of life. He is a rational man who no cause for belief that he needs to even be in an institution. Upon entering Ty's office for the first time he claims that he is Satan looking to clear his mind of the misconceptions that he has been plagued with since the dawn of eternity. He is looking for a soul to help him clear his name and afford him as human again. In his godly state of mind, body and soul, Ty seems all but fit for this position. This is an abnormally humane film in that it doesn't choose sides and it doesn't become a battle of wits over who is the strong subconscious force in peoples lives. It truly is an original working of thoughts and ideas of not good versus evil, but body versus mind. Forget that it take place in a mental institution, that is simply a backdrop in which the main character fits into. This film has nothing to do with mental illness of how someone's ego got in the way of their living. It is not a film that is trying to preach either. It doesn't care about your religion or what faith you practice in. All that it cares about is what you are willing to believe in and to what point in time does the truth become untrue. This film may even run better as a satire than it will anything else. It simply wants to know, hey, what would you do if the devil showed up on your doorstep? Would you believe him? Would you slam the door in his face? And then why would you do it? It takes us on a journey through our own minds and allows us to sift through own state of belief. And then at the other end of the spectrum it is possible that this film is nothing more than one big joke. `I bet you were expecting more. Something like horns and a pointy tail?' Asks Satan. `That was all made up in the movies. I am a big seller at the box-office, at lest I hope I still am.' The Satan character is a very ironic presence because never once does he allow the audience to feel anything for him. We see him on screen, we listen to him talk and we feel his presence but never really know how to approach him. I guess that is what makes this film so intriguing. Has anyone ever seen God of the devil? More than likely not, so if he appeared in the flesh how would we cope with him as a human being when all we are taught about him is inhuman qualities. We see what can happen to a man who thinks he posses super human talent who comes face to face with a man who may actually posse such unearthly skill. And still Ty believes that he can saturate his suppressed inner turbulence and bring this thing back into reality because hey, there is no such thing as the devil right? What Crazy as Hell has to offer is not really funny nor is scary or chilling or anything of the kind. Emotions are twisted little games that play with the minds of people so it would be dangerous to fill this film with them. Faith is belief is wide in rage from being to being so why not give the viewer the opportunity to use their own digression? That is exactly what La Salle does. He allows the film to tangle its dirty web of secrets around what goes on a person's head. This is not a film that is mapped out and realises all the points where the audience should be scared or should be sad. This is a film that tells its story and does nothing else of the kind. Some may see brilliance prevail and others may not understand due to a biased outlook on life, this is not a narrow-minded film not is it a great cause for interpretation. This is a film that is what it is and if you get it great, if not, well maybe next time. The acting in this film is tremendously strong from both leads. Michael Beach as Ty never allows the audience's emotions to get tangled in with that of his character and gives us a questionable company as to whether he actually cares for his work or is just living on his reputation. La Salle gives what could be his best performance as Satan. He is creepy without being scary and he is admirable without being likable, truly the films greatest asset. But what started out as a compelling study of the human psychosis and how it reacts to the pressures of a human web of emotions becomes nothing more than unlawful thriller material. There is a breakdown, a chase, an unnatural event and then a supernatural event that leads the viewer directly to a headache. Possibly the most alluring aspect of the film was questioning how a situation like this could be resolved. I thought about it the entire film. I didn't know whether it would end in with a surprise, a bang, an ironic note or a standard return to normalcy. I started to recall what happened at the end of K-Pax and though of how it probably could/would end on the same level as that. But to my surprising I was left faced with one of the worst endings I have seen in a long time. There was no surprise, no conclusion, no wrap-up, not even a climax of any sort. It came fourth with a pathetic closing idea and then ending abruptly without explanation or means for cause. After watching this film and having time to think about it I am kind of stuck in the middle. I don't really know what to think. I can understand any praise that it has adorned but I would also be willing to except any criticism it receives as well. So make what you will of this film, love it, maybe even hate it, admire it and stupor over it but when watching it keep in mind, the devil doesn't have a social security number.

I'd never heard of "Crazy As Hell" before seeing it, but I watched it on a whim. It was entertaining enough to keep my attention, but I was kind of waiting for it to end. The film just lacked intensity, which was odd considering the subject matter. Sadly, it just kind of dragged and not a whole lot happened. It felt like a Twilight Zone episode that was stretched into a two hour film. And, like many old Twilight Zone episodes, it dealt with a very one-dimensional character with a painfully obvious character flaw (in this case: arrogance/ego). Our main character isn't all that likable and doesn't seem to have anything at stake, so why should I care what happens to him? There are a lot of not-so-subtle clues and symbols. Oddly, many of them seemed like plot flaws and turned out to be intentional later on. For example (without giving anything away) in first scene, Ty stops his car then back up and accidentally backs his car over a glass bottle right behind his tire - why didn't he run it over it when he first pulled up? I dismissed this as a movie mistake, but it actually made sense in retrospect. Like a lot of the movie, it was so simple and obvious that I actually DIDN'T notice it.

***SPOILERS*** Early in "Crazy as Hell" the head nurse of the Sedah State Mental Hospital where the movie takes place Nurse Danza, Jane Carr, is asked by the head doctor there Dr. Ty Adams, Michael Beach, what she would ask "The Devil" if she ever had the chance to talk to him. Nurse Danza said the following statement that was absolutely stunning: "I'd ask him why he spends his time punishing those that he's supposed to adore to make a point to a God that he's supposed to despise?". The same statement, word for word, is later said by non other the "The Man" or "The Devil" himself to Dr. Adams. This started to make me feel that I wasn't watching some light comedy, about "The Devil", but a very serious and penetrating movie about a subject that has been on the minds of great thinkers since the dawn of recored history.

"Crazy as Hell" comes full-circle when it reaches it's climax. By that time I wasn't at all disappointed in what I saw in the film. Even though at first I didn't at all expect to see it when the movie started. Dr. Adams is invited to be the head psychiatrist, where there's to be made a documentary on his work on curing mental illness, at the Sedah State Mental Hospitle for a month. This is to use his ground breaking theories of curing those that are mentally ill without the use of mind-altering drugs or strong medication, like shock treatment.

At first Dr. Adams' methods work as he seems to cure one of the most psychotic patients at the hospital Cheryl, Tracy Pettit,from her self-destructive actions with out the use of drugs, which up to that time had little effect on her. As Dr. Adams starts to settle down and get into the swing of things in the hospital all of a sudden a person appears there as a new patient calling himself "The Man" or what he's better known as to us "The Devil" Eriq La Salle. From then on it's all down hill for the good doctor.

Dr. Adams is told by "The Devil" that he's really upset because of all the bad press that he's been receiving over the last thousands of years. He wants to set the record straight about himself and wants Dr. Adams to help him in that endeavor. At first Dr. Adams thinks that "The Man" is just a harmless eccentric. Later he sees that he knows a lot more about his past and background that he'll willing to talk about with "The Man" or anyone else.

"The Man" gets so under Dr.Adams skin that one afternoon at a picnic in the park with the other patients he loses it and almost comes to blows with him. Slowly Dr. Adams starts to lose his grip on reality to the point where he talks to his both deceased wife and daughter Veda & Brianna,Shelly Robertson & Khylan Jones. This strange conversation by Dr. Adams is picked up on video tape and, after seeing it, makes the administrator of the hospital Dr. Delazo, Ronny Cox, think that Dr. Adams needs to be treated for mental and psychological trauma himself.

Feeling very hostile toward his patient, which is very unprofessional for a doctor, Dr. Adams now drops his non-orthodox methods in regard to "The Man" and has him put on strong drugs and put in a padded cell and in a straight-jacker for 24 hours. Unknown to him "the Man" has a big surprise for Dr.Adams. When it finally comes it's going to shock him back to where the movie started when his troubles with "The Man" was just beginning.

Different yet vastly superior movie about "The Devil" and how he operates here on earth and in his underground kingdom. Michael Beach is very sympathetic in his role as the troubled Dr.Adams who's sparring with "The Devil" during the movie brings the best out of "The Devil" and the worst out of him which was "The Devil's" plan all along. The end of the movie was both sad and shocking when we, as well as Dr. Adams, see the "Grand Plan" that "The Devil" set into motion for Dr. Adams. It reveled the most darkest secrets that Dr. Adams was hiding from himself, and everyone else, that he kept hidden deep in his sad and troubled soul.

Eriq La Salle was both fascinating and scary as the sharp and witty Devil and played his part as the "Man from Hell" to the hilt. The scene at the picnic with the confrontation between "The Man" and Dr. Adams showed for the first time the other side of the coin of Dr. Adams cool clam and collective personality. As he lost his cool and ended up as crazy, if not more so, then the patients that he was treating.

CRAZY AS HELL takes the good old JACOB'S LADDER approach in a novel direction. A famed psychiatrist (the always likable Michael Beach) arrives at a state mental hospital, called Sedah. He has a different approach to treating the mentally ill: He talks to them, which puts him at odds with hospital director Ronny Cox, who believes strongly in medicating and if necessary restraining them. At first, Beach seems to have some success with his approach. Then a new patient (director Eric La Salle) arrives, calling himself Satan. It's all downhill from there. While all this is playing out, a film crew is filming a documentary on the famed shrink. At one point, they catch him talking to himself when he thinks he is talking to someone, and this is a major tipoff as to what is actually going on, and what's to come. Think of the hospital's name in reverse, and you'll get it. Hell, think of the movie's title and you're bound to get it. The ending is inevitable and a real downer, sort of like a Twilight Zone episode. And a lot like JACOB'S LADDER and CARNIVAL OF SOULS. But don't let this put you off from watching it. CRAZY AS HELL is that rare gem: a TV movie worth watching. It is well acted and directed, occasionally suspenseful, and La Salle keeps things moving along at a decent clip.

After reading the blurb and checking out the poster on Amazon Prime I quickly stuck this on my watchlist. It looked like it could be an interesting horror flick... except it's not exactly a horror flick. What you get is an enjoyably creepy psychological ghost story, Even though it wasn't what I was expecting, it is well worth a watch, especially on a cold, wet, and windy winter afternoon: After all, there are a lot of good things about this film - the story, the direction, and the acting.

This is the story of a troubled psychiatrist who is suffering from the loss of his wife and child. He doesn't fully believe in medicating the mentally ill. He considers they could help most of them in a less intrusive way, through talk and actions. A stance that is more widely accepted today. What writer, Jeremy Levin, gives the audience is a well-structured argument for both methods. He doesn't condone one or the other. Add to this the mysterious patient named "Satan" and his belief to be the one and only Old Nick, Lucifer, Scratch... the devil himself, then you have interest, intrigue, and a splash of creepiness.

Eriq La Salle shows off his directing skills and they are strong. This is a well lit and nicely composed story. The lighting effects work to create the mood of the piece. I especially liked the dreamlike impression he delivers when Dr Adams meets Cheryl for the first time. This gives you the feeling of peace, which suddenly disappears when he enters the room and her illness takes control. The sex scene is another perfectly crafted sequence. Structured just right with the subdued light, close-up shots, and sound effects and music - the rhythmic drumbeat is perfection. All of this kept me interested and drew me further into the story.

That said, there are a few scenes that come across as average; they could remove these to make a stronger film. However, these are few and shouldn't hurt your enjoyment of the film and story.

However, it was La Salle's acting that made this movie so watchable. The way he keeps his character, Satan, light and breezy, even in his evil periods, is brilliant. He verbally skips his way through the film and this with the juxtaposition of Dr Adams makes their thrusts and parries more mesmerising. There are times you wonder who is being evaluated.

Though this is truly La Salle's film, the rest of the cast is also well above par... except for Sinbad. I liked Mr Johnson, the orderly who is forever trying to have "a word" with Dr Adams. Though the character comes off a little too bland, and that is something Sinbad is not. He portrays his character well, it's just that I was expecting somebody a smidgen more enlivened.

This is for all of you who like the paranormal and the mysterious. If you have Amazon Prime, then take a look, it is free. Those without, if you see a copy going cheap anywhere, then grab it, watch it and pass it on. This is a "one watch film". Though I enjoyed it and highly recommend it, I won't be rushing to watch it again.

Skip on over and check on my Chiller Thriller Killer and Dramatisation Of Life lists to see where this little flick charted.