A Truly Excellent Film

Big Brother + Prison + Experiment = Scary

I've seen some messed up films in my time from the pointless, unimpressive pathetic attempt of social commentary that is The Driller Killer to the disturbing and truly chilling Ring. But nothing prepared me for the shock that was The Experiment. I knew that it was pretty dark, and pulled no punches, but woah!

The film is based on a real life experiment, but made a little (okay, a lot) more extreme. The experiment was basically to analyse human nature and power roles. Volunteers were put into a prison scenario as either guards or prisoners, filmed, and then told to act it out seriously. In the actual real life experiment, it was aborted due to the 'guards' getting too brutal, and actually attacking the 'prisoners'. The experiment in the film explores this, and what might have happened had it been allowed to continue.

I actually came out of that film feeling like I'd been in the actual experiment myself: it was so gripping that you really felt like a part of it. I kinda felt like I'd been punched in the stomach: it literally took my breathe away! The film was so dark and tense that it drew you in like the bisto kids or something!

Now this is what I would call a real horror film. We're not talking blood, guts and gore: we're talking the horrific, brutal, shocking and downright scary potential of human nature. Now to me, that is real horror! Of course, there is extreme violence and some absolutely gut churning horrible moments (catching a knife strike and then pulling the knife out - all on camera - made me squirm somewhat), but that only adds to the psychological horror. The extreme violence is as a result of the psychological horror, and not the actual reason for the film being a horror. No schlock could have anything like the effect on me that The Experiment did!

With all the reality TV influenced films out there of varying quality (Kolobos and Series 7: The Contenders being two of the more superior ones), it's possible to overlook this little gem as another 'reality style' film. But this film is much more than that. This is a very important film and challenges human nature and it's potential for evil. It shows just what can happen when people get power and want power. From rape, to beating the defenceless to torture to humiliation, it pulls no punches whatsoever. Neither does it pull punches in it's brutal depiction of these horrors, but in my opinion that particularly adds to the reality and horror of what it portrays.

I would definitely recommend this film: it certainly makes you think. But if you're after something to brighten up your day, steer very clear.