Summary
An easy, laidback thriller film with a side of popcorn.
This review of the Netflix thriller film Hypnotic (starring Kate Siegel) does not contain spoilers.
Read the ending explained for this film.
Kate Siegel is no stranger to thrillers and horrors on Netflix. The star consumes the screen in The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass. She has substance on the screen. Her saleability is obvious, coupled with her well-measured performances. She’s made for this. So, when I saw Kate Siegel as the lead of the Netflix film Hypnotic, a title that obviously leans to a thriller, I was sold.
And it duly delivers. Hypnotic is not designed to be comprehensive storytelling of a bewildered character dismantled by her therapist, but instead, an easy, laidback thriller film with a side of popcorn. The film makes you think somewhat, and despite the predictability, it’s hella fun to jigsaw the twists together.
Kate Siegel plays Jenn Thompson, a woman that has found herself in crisis; she’s not happy, she’s unemployed, and feelings for her ex Brian Rawley (played by Jaime M. Callica) are complicated. So when her friend Gina Kelma (played by Lucie Guest) recommends she see therapist Dr. Collin Meade (played by Jason O’Mara), it feels like a no-brainer.
But, Collin Meade is not as professional-looking as he looks. He abuses his powers by using hypnotherapy to his advantage, and he soon has Jenn Thompson under his spell. Hypnotic becomes a thrilling story where Jenn has to determine how to undermine her therapist and stop this unraveling nightmare from evolving. The story is tidy 90-minuter, which requires little patience from the audience.
Many of the performances are on the surface as the directors (Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote) knew this was a star-led film. The other characters take a respectable step back while Kate Siegel enjoys taking the floor and navigating this murky world of conspiratorial therapy.
But apart from being a fun ride, there’s not much to say about Hypnotic. It does everything you expect it to. It’s not to be discredited or overly praised. It serves to entertain, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
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