A suicidal young man suffering from amnesia (Zeljko Ivanek) is admitted to a state mental hospital where his psychiatrist, Dr. Gail Farmer (Kathryn Harrold) discovers that her new patient has remarkable telepathic powers, being able to subconsciously transmit his thoughts, dreams and fears.
The Sender is a well directed, low-key chiller that features strong performances and some brilliantly executed scenes (the electro shock therapy sequence alone is worth the price of admission), but it is a film that I struggle to recognise as horror, since once it has been established that the disturbing occurrences are actually visions sent by John Doe (as the patient is known), any genuine sense of threat is eradicated: after the vision has ended, everything returns to normal, which doesn't make for a very scary viewing experience.
If anything, The Sender is a psychological mystery that leads the viewer on a merry dance wondering precisely how matters will be resolved; unfortunately, when all is said and done, the story doesn't really amount to much, with John Doe being released back into the community, supposedly cured, but in actuality, right back where he started (and free to try and kill himself once more).
The Sender is a well directed, low-key chiller that features strong performances and some brilliantly executed scenes (the electro shock therapy sequence alone is worth the price of admission), but it is a film that I struggle to recognise as horror, since once it has been established that the disturbing occurrences are actually visions sent by John Doe (as the patient is known), any genuine sense of threat is eradicated: after the vision has ended, everything returns to normal, which doesn't make for a very scary viewing experience.
If anything, The Sender is a psychological mystery that leads the viewer on a merry dance wondering precisely how matters will be resolved; unfortunately, when all is said and done, the story doesn't really amount to much, with John Doe being released back into the community, supposedly cured, but in actuality, right back where he started (and free to try and kill himself once more).