By Travis Johnson
Gore Verbinksi is no stranger to horror – he did the American remake of The Ring back in the day, and it wasn’t too shabby. It’s been a long time between drinks, though, so we’re happy to see him return to the genre with A Cure for Wellness, from the pen of Justin Haythe, who took a pass or two at Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger – but let’s not hold that against him.
In a classic noir/horror plot hook, Dane DeHaan’s young exec is dispatched to a remote European health spa to retrieve his company’s CEO. What he finds, of course, is queasy weirdness involving hallucinatory episodes, a mysterious cult, and eels – lots and lots of eels. It’s a bit like Suspiria if the main character was an exceptionally pretty man instead of an exceptionally pretty ballerina.
There’s a dearth of plot info, but that’s for the best – this is clearly a mystey/horror/journey into darkness kind of deal, so the less we know going in the better. This first taste, however, has certainly whetted our appetites for more.
A Cure for Wellness hits cinemas on February 23.
