The Ugly (1997 film)
The Ugly is a 1997 New Zealand psychological horror film about a psychiatrist meeting a serial killer to determine if he is cured.
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The Ugly is a 1997 psychological horror film from New Zealand. It marks the directorial debut of Scott Reynolds, who also wrote the script. The cast includes Paolo Rotondo, Rebecca Hobbs, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, and Roy Ward. The story follows a psychiatrist who evaluates a serial killer to see if his treatment has worked.
Plot
As they explore the killer’s past and his victims, a concept called "The Ugly" emerges—a twisted reference to "The Ugly Duckling." The film earned nominations for best film at festivals in New Zealand, Portugal, and the United States. Its success helped Reynolds secure funding from Miramax for his next project, Heaven, which was filmed in New Zealand with both local and American actors. In a decaying Auckland asylum, detained serial killer Simon Cartwright (Paolo Rotondo) asks for an outside psychiatrist, Dr. Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs), to reassess him.
She recently gained attention for winning a case involving another serial killer. Simon suffers abuse from two orderlies, Philip and Robert (Paul Glover and Christopher Graham). When Karen arrives, she clashes with the asylum’s head, Dr. Marlowe (Roy Ward), who suspects she is seeking publicity. Before her first session, a patient named Marge (Darien Takle) warns Karen to beware of "The Ugly."
Flashbacks reveal Simon’s past. As a child, his mother (Jennifer Ward-Lealand) abused him, drove away his only friend Julie (Vanessa Byrnes), and stopped his wealthy father from giving him a better life. Simon killed his mother, attempted to cover it up, and spent five years in an asylum. After release, he murdered over a dozen people, including Julie, but spared a deaf teenage girl, recognizing a similarity to himself.
Simon explains that "the ugly" compels him to kill; it torments him until he obeys its voice. Karen discovers that "The Ugly" is Simon’s alternate personality, and that he possesses psychic abilities. In the end, Simon kills Philip and Robert, escapes the asylum, and murders Karen. Paolo Rotondo as Simon Cartwright Caelem Pope as Simon, aged 4 Sam Wallace as Simon, aged 13 Rebecca Hobbs as Dr. Karen Shumaker Roy Ward as Dr. Marlowe Paul Glover as Philip Cristopher Graham as Robert Darien Takle as Marge Jennifer Ward-Lealand as Evelyn Cartwright Cath McWhirter as Helen Ann Miller Vanessa Byrnes as Julie Beth Allen as Julie, aged 13 Reviews were mixed.
Special effects
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 40% approval rating from five reviews, with a weighted average of 5.44/10. IMDb users rate it 6.0/10, based on 57 reviews and 37 critic reviews. Director Scott Reynolds chose to depict all blood as black. In his book Horror Films of the 1990s, author John Kenneth Muir suggests this visual choice implies Simon never saw his victims as human, making murder easier for him.
The film received 14 award nominations and won 7. At the 1999 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films (USA), it was nominated for best home video release. At the 1999 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, it was nominated for best limited-release/direct-to-video film, best actor (Paolo Rotondo), and best actress (Rebecca Hobbs). At FantaFestival (1997), it won best actor (Paolo Rotondo).
At Fantasporto (1998), it won two awards—best actress (Rebecca Hobbs) and outstanding first feature (Scott Reynolds)—and was nominated for best film. At the New Zealand Film and TV Awards (1997), it won best contribution to design (Richard Taylor) and best design (Grand Major). At the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (1997), it won the Citizen of Choice award and was nominated for best of Puchon. At the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival (1997), it won best director and was nominated for best film.
Background
Inside an old, decrepit insane asylum in Auckland, detained serial killer Simon Cartwright seeks to be reevaluated by an outside psychiatrist to prove that he has been cured. He requests specifically for Dr. Karen Schumaker. She has recently gained some notoriety for winning a case involving another serial killer. Simon endures abuse from two orderlies, Philip and Robert.
When Karen arrives, she argues with the head of the asylum, Dr. Marlowe, who believes she is getting involved in Simon's case for publicity. As she is led to her first session with Simon, another patient named Marge warns Karen to watch out for "The Ugly." Simon's backstory is explored through a series of flashbacks. As a youth, Simon was the target of abuse by his mother.
She drove away the only person Simon had ever cared about, Julie, and had prevented his wealthy father from taking custody and giving him a better life. In response to this, Simon murdered his mother and, after an attempt to cover up the crime, was locked in an asylum for five years. Upon his release Simon killed over a dozen random people, including Julie. However, Simon spared the life of a teenaged deaf girl, recognising that she was like him.
Simon explains that it is "the ugly" that makes him kill; it will not leave him alone until he has satisfied its voice. Karen discovers that "The Ugly" is Simon's alternate persona, and that he has psychic powers. At the end, Simon kills Philip and Robert, escapes the insane asylum, and kills Karen.
More in New Zealand horror films
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Ugly (1997 film) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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