(rated R, 97 mins)
Set in an abandoned insane asylum with their own personalities piercing from the walls, its time the Danvers State Mental Hospital was cleaned up. Gordon Fleming (Peter Mullan), the Scottish emigrant who owns and operates the Hazmat Elimination Co., badly needs to win a contract to remove dangerous asbestos from the hospital, which is soon to be renovated. To seal the deal and collect a bonus, Gordon promises town engineer Bill Griggs (Paul Guilfoyle) that he and his crew can complete the massive job in 1 week. What they didn’t anticipate was “if these walls could talk” and they do. Gordon’s team includes his impressionable nephew Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), Mike (Stephen Gevedon, a sort of George Clooney look-a-like), Hank (Josh Lucas), and his crew chief Phil (David Caruso) who estimates it should take 3 weeks for the same cleanup thus causing immediate tension. This year’s “Blair Witch Project” complete with Satanic ritual suggestions. Director Brad “Next Stop Wonderland” Anderson does a 320 in choosing this subject matter after his cute comedy. If his last stop was “Wonderland” his “next stop” spells creepy success!
