Name: Double Blind
Director: Ian Hunt-Duffy
Released: 2024-02-13T21:58:57

Horror Reviews by The Collective is a page Mother of Movies follows on Facebook. They recommend loads of movies and sometimes I add them to my watchlist and take a look. A 2024 critique of a film called Double Blind promised a rating of 8 out of 10 and a glowing recount of strong gruesome scenes and interesting plot pivots.

The title was released on demand and digitally on February 13th by Epic Pictures. You can watch it in Australia from December 4th, 2024.

Things aren’t going so well in this drug trial. The camera zooms in on some lab mice all in various states of distress. Before there is time to look too closely at the busy room full of staff in yellow hazmat suits, one of them is shown placing a little white mouse into a tiny guillotine. Things aren’t going so well for the lab mice. The scene is snapped out of this environmental hazard and straight onto what is the start of a backstory for one of the volunteers. Claire is running from a man of interest and she can’t escape his calls.

Lucky for Claire, Blackwood Laboratories is a state-of-the-art facility that includes a signal jammer so once inside there is no one she can contact anyway. She joins the other 6 volunteers who we quickly get personality types for. Nice girl Allison bunks with an increasingly annoyed Claire. A silent frowning woman called Vanessa appears in the background from time to time. Marcus, Paul, and Ray join in on the experiment for various reasons and there is the classic hidden agenda Amir who is a doctor by trade but just hanging out with the test subjects.

Double Blind transcends its conventional character ensemble with astute casting choices, most notably through the presence of Dr. Burke, embodied by horror aficionado Pollyanna McIntosh. She portrays a deceptively wholesome character whose poor judgment imparts a richer complexity to some otherwise pedestrian segments.

“Without your help, none of this would be possible”
Quote from the horror and thriller movie, Double Blind 2024

Double Blind 2024

As a recent entry in the expanding subgenre of sleep experiment horror, Double Blind confidently holds its own against The Sleep Experiment and, Sleepless Beauty. Come True 2020 will remain my favorite sleep experiment movies. Where Double Blind 2024 sets itself apart is with its chillingly unique twist—falling asleep. In this study falling asleep promises not just nightmares but a gruesome demise, marked by a fatal hemorrhage from every facial orifice. Double Blind isn’t just another film medical testing for cash, it’s a solid contribution to the horror canon.

I’m no scientist but Double Blind promises mostly sensible decisions. Even when hallucinations begin for the participants due to sleep deprivation, their antics are mostly plausible given the scenario.

From the onset, the film Double Blind deliberately leaves viewers wondering why the dosage is increased after the initial fatality. Blackwood Laboratories tips out its inexhaustible financial resources and appears undeterred by the known lethal effects of its drug. Positioned as a corporation with power and resolve, they effortlessly coerce volunteers to continue participation, effectively silencing any hesitations with generous financial incentives.

It doesn’t take long for the chaos to descend upon the group. Double Blind sets up some bland props that amplify the tension. Like a giant digital clock that everyone suddenly notices. Blackwood conveniently has a giant clock that counts down for 24 hours when there is a security breach. Giant metal doors encase the underground rooms in total isolation with the satisfying sound of doors sealing everything up tight. The group knows if they fall asleep they will die, but they won’t be getting out of the facility anytime soon.

Double Blind Explained

“Imagine your brain is a computer. Now imagine your brain is a computer on fire. No wait, imagine your brain is a car. Now imagine your brain is a car on fire.”
Scientific explanation for the Double Blind movie

“Double Blind” maintains a brisk pace that ensures you won’t be bored. The film boasts well-executed practical effects, satisfying those in search of viscerally crafted bloodwork and designed quirky accidents. It stands out in the genre. The film explores the underrepresented themes of sleep study and deprivation. This sets it apart from the conventional narratives where human subjects are exploited by omnipotent corporations.

The movie navigates through some issues. This is especially true when the talk turns to a cure. It tries valiantly to clarify why everything is happening. Yet, these are minor hiccups in an otherwise solid narrative. For those willing to embrace some of the less believable parts, Double Blind promises a thoroughly entertaining experience.

Double Blind is rated

3.5 Fixing immune systems is as easy as a tire change out of 5