Seven volunteers arrive at a remote medical facility to take part in a two week paid drug trial. When one of them is taken away on the first night with severe pain and swelling, and the centre is placed on lockdown, it’s not long before others begin succumbing to madness. It seems that the drug being tested has some unforeseen side effects.
Creating a horror film that’s in any way original gets harder and harder as the years go by. Story structures that were tired and worn 20 years ago are relentlessly regurgitated with little variation, granting further ammunition for those who claim the genre is all but meaningless.
Although Guinea Pigs is at its heart a slasher film and its set up of “group of strangers locked in a remote building doesn’t exactly scream originality, it manages to provide some welcome twists on an all too familiar formula. Instead of a typical cast of photogenic young things, the wide variation in age and experience of the characters makes for a much more realistic dynamic when they argue over the best course of action. Intriguingly, it’s the middle-aged unemployed guy who makes a living from trials who proves to be the most knowledgeable as well as being the most interesting character and his world-weary cynicism grants him a degree of logic and rationality so sorely lacking in films such as these.
The staggered timing of the initial drug injections provide a consistent sense of tension, meaning not everyone’s psychotic break will happen at the same time, but leaving everyone with the knowledge of who’s next without knowing exactly when it will occur. While the terror of violent death is ever-present, more significant is the fear of the drug’s effects taking over and with it the loss of rationality and humanity.
Some stand-out touches, such as improvised weaponry in the shape of a broom handle with syringes tied to its end, and one brief sequence lit by a series of camera flashes, grant the film some further distinction. While the last-minute revelation will surprise few, the cold and detached manner with which it’s presented is perhaps the scariest thing about the film.
Overall Verdict: A familiar set up is rendered engaging through a simple yet inventive story, proving there’s still hope that horror can be lifted from its clichéd mire.
Reviewer: Andrew Marshall