Watch Human Experiments

Human Experiments, a 1979 thriller directed by Gregory Goodell, follows the story of Rachel Foster (Linda Haynes), a young woman incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital for a crime she didn't commit. While in the hospital, Rachel is subjected to strange and dangerous experiments that blur the line between treatment and torture. The movie begins with Rachel being transported to the hospital, where she is put under the care of Dr. Carl Boxer (Geoffrey Lewis), a psychiatrist who claims he wants to help her. However, it quickly becomes clear that Dr. Boxer is more interested in his experiments than in Rachel's well-being. He injects her with various drugs and forces her to endure painful tests, all while claiming that it's for her own good.

As Rachel's situation becomes increasingly dire, she starts to doubt her own sanity. Is she really just a patient in a hospital, or is there something more sinister going on? Her only allies are fellow patients Barbara (Ellen Travolta) and Tom (Ted Gehring), who try to help her unravel the mystery behind the experiments.

The movie is a tense and unsettling look at the dark side of psychiatry. It raises questions about the ethics of experimental treatments and the power dynamics between doctors and patients. Linda Haynes delivers a powerful performance as Rachel, conveying her character's fear and confusion with nuance and subtlety. Geoffrey Lewis is suitably creepy as Dr. Boxer, playing him as a man who's convinced he's doing the right thing even as he inflicts unimaginable pain on his patients. Ellen Travolta and Ted Gehring are also memorable as Barbara and Tom, both of whom have their own reasons for wanting to escape the hospital.

One of the most striking things about Human Experiments is its visual style. The movie is shot in a gritty, realistic style that gives it a sense of immediacy and urgency. The hospital itself is a bleak, oppressive place, with dimly-lit corridors and barred windows that create a feeling of confinement and claustrophobia. The camera lingers on the faces of the patients, capturing their fear and isolation in unflinching detail.

The movie also has a strong feminist undercurrent. Rachel's experiences can be seen as a metaphor for the way women have been historically mistreated and marginalized by the medical establishment. Dr. Boxer's insistence that Rachel needs to be "fixed" echoes the patriarchal notion that women are inherently broken or flawed. Barbara, meanwhile, is a strong-willed and independent woman who refuses to be cowed by the system.

Overall, Human Experiments is a harrowing and thought-provoking thriller that is sure to make an impression on viewers. Its exploration of power, control, and mental illness remains relevant today, over 40 years after its original release.

Human Experiments is a 1979 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.4.