Gore Verbinski's 2016 film, A Cure for Wellness, has all the ingredients to be a masterpiece of gothic horror. It boasts a chilling setting in the Swiss Alps, a sprawling, mysterious wellness center, and a narrative that delves into themes of obsession, corporate greed, and the sickness that can lurk beneath a veneer of vitality. The trailer, with its sterile institutional corridors, dark chambers, slimy eels, and ethereal Mia Goth, plays like an outtake from American Horror Story: Asylum. I was so looking forward to seeing it in the spring of 2017.
Verbinski's earlier film, The Ring, is one of the few that has ever scared me on a visceral level. I was not prepared for that final Samara scene, but even before that, the horses on the ferry, the revelation in the well, and the bathtub electrocution were all masterfully executed horror vignettes. I anticipated the same shocks and thrills from Wellness, but while that film offers much to admire, it didn't live up to my expectations at the time.
Dane DeHaan delivered a committed performance as Lockhart, a young executive drawn into the center's sinister web, but it was Mia Goth's eerie performance as Hannah, an enigmatic and possibly dangerous patient, that got my attention. Of course, at the time, I had no idea who Goth was or that she would go on to become this generation's "scream queen." In light of her transcendent performances in the "X" trilogy and Infinity Pool, I thought revisiting A Cure for Wellness might be interesting. Perhaps time and perspective would buffer my opinion.
The story follows Lockhart, a shady corporate executive tasked with retrieving his colleague from a mysterious wellness retreat nestled in the Swiss Alps. Upon arrival, Lockhart finds himself trapped within the facility's unsettling practices, led by the enigmatic Dr. Volmer. The film excels in its visual storytelling. The sanitarium itself is a marvel of production design, a sprawling neoclassical nightmare that oozes a sense of decay and isolation. The score by Benjamin Wallfisch is equally impressive, a haunting blend of orchestral swells and unnerving soundscapes that perfectly complements the film's atmosphere.
However, the narrative stumbles at times. The central mystery unfolds at a glacial pace, and certain plot elements feel underdeveloped. The film's ending, while undeniably bold (without giving too much away, it's kinkier and more disturbing than anything in the X movies), left me wanting more in terms of emotional resonance.
That being said, A Cure for Wellness is undeniably a visually stunning film with a compelling central performance by DeHaan. Goth, while not afforded the full range her recent work showcases, still delivers a captivating presence. She was in her mid-20s at the time of filming but played Hannah, appropriately, with the emotional intelligence of a pre-teen. The disparity makes for a genuinely unnerving portrayal. And then there's the eels. While their role in the story seems slightly contrived, it's hard to deny the squirm factor they add to the proceedings.
Ultimately, while A Cure for Wellness won't keep you up at night like The Ring, it succeeds as a gothic curio that entertains even if it doesn't fully satisfy. If you're looking for an atmospheric thriller with a dash of the demented and a pinch of the perverted, it's worth a watch. Just don't expect a horror masterpiece.
A Cure for Wellness is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.