Suspended Animation

2003 Horror

After an unnerving brush with death, a filmmaker finds that his ordeal isn't quite over in this modestly budgeted horror movie. Tom Kempton (Alex McArthur) is a successful animator who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood for a while. He joins several friends for a vacation in Northern Michigan, where they rent snowmobiles to make the most of the snowy winter weather. Kempton gets separated from his friends while exploring the slopes and soon finds himself lost; looking for shelter, he takes refuge in a small cabin, only to discover it's inhabited by Vanessa Boulette (Laura Esterman) and her sister Ann (Sage Allen), a pair of elderly siblings with a feeble hold on reality and a taste for human flesh. Captured and tortured by the Boulette sisters, Kempton is saved at the last minute, but the experience makes a deep impression on him and he uses his fearsome experience as the basis for his next project. Even though Kempton has been reassured that the Boulette sisters died in their showdown with the authorities, he's convinced the threat isn't gone, and it turns out he's right -- one of the sisters had a bastard daughter which was put up for adoption, and her son now displays many of the same psychotic tendencies as his grandmother. Suspended Animation marked a return to the horror genre for director John D. Hancock, who in 1971 made the cult favorite Let's Scare Jessica to Death. more..

Director: John D. Hancock

Starring: Alex McArthur, Laura Esterman, Sage Allen, Rebecca Harrell, Fred Meyers

Reviews

  • A bold and unqualified triumph, nifty trick and treat for Halloween that is, arguably, Hancock's best film ever, surpassing even his potent heart-tugger, the 1973 baseball drama "Bang the Drum Slowly."

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • Although overlong, the picture has a fair measure of jolts and surprises.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    19 January 2013

  • An uneasy mix of B-movie scares.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • A sturdy, well-made piece that never quite overcomes its structural flaws.

    Dave Kehr - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • The opening and closing scenes are scary and should please fans of the genre, especially at Halloween time.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    19 January 2013

Awards

No awards