One of my favorite film subgenres is the slow-burn psychological horror film - THE SHINING, ROSEMARY'S BABY, the recent HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, or even aspects of some of David Lynch's work. I love the feeling of creeping Lovecraftian dread as the face of evil slowly reveals itself and the protagonists descend into madness. Sounds fun, right? While it’s not exactly a horror film (depending on your outlook on life, you could view it as a dark comedy), THE NINTH CONFIGURATION is one of the best examples of the genre I’ve seen.
THE NINTH CONFIGURATION is one of two films directed by Wiliam Peter Blatty, writer of THE EXORCIST (A recent viewing of which has reminded me that it is one of the best films ever made, horror or otherwise). He calls this film the spiritual sequel to THE EXORCIST – though there is basically no relation plotwise, both films share common themes about loss of faith and the questioning of God’s existence. Which is heavy but always incredibly intriguing to me.Stacy Keach stars as a military psychologist assigned to an experimental mental institution for Vietnam veterans, which for some reason is in a Bram Stoker-esque medieval castle in the middle of a rainy Northwestern forest. Shockingly, some weird events happen! A veritable buffet of ugly characters fills out the rest of the cast, which is essentially all I ask for in a film.
This description may make the THE NINTH CONFIGURATION seem like a depressing slog, but the dark moments are punctuated by a lot of sharp, witty writing, and dark humour - a running plot thread has one patient trying to direct a Shakespeare adaption starring dogs:
“Why are you teaching the dogs Shakespeare?”
“Someone's got to do it.”
Filled to the brim with strange, unnerving imagery, clever writing, and great performances, I loved this film.
SIDEBAR: Watching this film reminded me of another creepy movie set in a mental institution, called SESSION 9. Shot entirely on location at the abandoned hospital that inspired Arkham Asylum, of Batman and Lovecraft fame, it’s definitely worth checking out. It is also a film of note because it is one of the only things that David Caruso has done that isn’t terrible. Another entry in the slow-paced horror genre that I definitely recommend.
No seriously, SESSION 9 is really good. I know Caruso is a tough pill to swallow, but you’ll have to take my word for it.
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