The Attic Expeditions (2001)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Jeremy Kasten

Writer:

Rogan Russell Marshall (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 2007 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

His search for peace of mind... will leave his mind in pieces.

Plot:

Trevor is a young man who has been sentenced to a long stay in a mental hospital after brutally killing his girlfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Girlfriend | Murder | Brain | Mad Doctor | Brain Surgery

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Andras Jones	...	Trevor Blackburn
Seth Green	...	Douglas
Jeffrey Combs	...	Dr. Ek
Wendy Robie	...	Dr. Thalama
Ted Raimi	...	Dr. Coffee
Beth Bates	...	Faith
Shannon Hart Cleary	...	Amy
Alice Cooper	...	Samuel Leventhal
Jerry Hauck	...	Ronald
Brenda James	...	Nurse
Nancy Wolfe	...	Liz
Stephen Donovan	...	Doctor 1
Andrew Ggem	...	Doctor 2
Cutter Cutshaw	...	Orderly
Scott Levy	...	Orderly
Rich Lehmann	...	Orderly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Delilah Anderson	...	Nurse
Richard Balin	...	Security Guard
Rochelle Balin	...	Hospital Inmate
Allen Bernstein	...	Hospital Inmate
Lisa Boynton	...	Hospital Inmate
Rustam Branaman	...	Orderly Two
Nicole Chaplain	...	Nurse Two
Carolyn Gold	...	Hospital Inmate
Michael Gold	...	Hospital Inmate
Clay Greenbush	...	Orderly
Tim Heidecker	...	Orderly
Barbara Kaplan	...	Hospital Inmate
Jon Kaplan	...	Hospital Inmate
Julian Kaplan	...	Hospital Inmate
Lee Kasten	...	Hospital Inmate
Linda Kasten	...	Hospital Inmate
Louis Klaitman	...	Hospital Inmate
Jessica Kopp	...	Hospital Inmate
Allen R. Larson	...	Hospital Inmate
Bradley Marcus	...	Techboy One
Kevin Marcus	...	Techboy Two
Rogan Russell Marshall	...	Orderly
Bruce McIntyre	...	Hospital Inmate
Moksha McPherrin	...	Nurse
Scott Morris	...	Orderly
Catherine Marie Moss	...	Nurse
Katherine Nehra	...	Panicked Nurse
Deborah Offner	...	Dr. Coffey's Secretary
Travis Topa	...	Orderly

Directed by
Jeremy Kasten

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rogan Russell Marshall		writer

Produced by
Melissa Balin	....	producer
David Bouffard	....	associate producer
Daniel Gold	....	producer
Dan Griffiths	....	producer
Jessica Kopp	....	executive producer
Allen R. Larson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
David Reynolds

Cinematography by
Greg Littlewood
Michael Negrin

Film Editing by
Barbara Kaplan

Casting by
Aaron Griffith

Production Design by
Cordelia Culver
David Prior		(as David Britten Prior)
Laura Roberts

Set Decoration by
Traci Spadorcia

Costume Design by
Judith Brewer Curtis

Makeup Department
Kimberly Braisin	....	makeup artist
Stahr Froman	....	assistant makeup artist
Victoria Goodman	....	hair stylist (as Victoria Bentley)
Cass McClure	....	makeup effects department head

Production Management
Michael A. Gemme	....	unit production manager (as Michael Gemme)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Parker Chehak	....	second assistant director
Daniel Rogers	....	second assistant director
Alex Sherwin	....	first assistant director
Oliver Summers	....	second second assistant director
Jeff Vespa	....	first assistant director (as Jeffrey Charles Meyer)

Art Department
Alixia Bermak	....	prop coordinator
Grey Hill	....	painter

Sound Department
Karma Barber	....	foley artist
Robby Bartholomew	....	sound re-recording mixer
Patrick Bietz	....	supervising sound editor
Stanley Kastner	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jason G. Maltz	....	sound mixer
Todd Morrissey	....	sound recordist
Matthew Nicolay	....	production sound mixer
Geoffrey Schramm	....	boom operator
Clancy T. Troutman	....	supervising sound editor

Visual Effects by
Fortunato Frattasio	....	digital artist
Christopher Jackson	....	visual effects supervisor
Ann Podlozny	....	visual effects producer

Camera and Electrical Department
Andrew B. Andersen	....	director of photography: second unit
Ariel Benarroch	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Alex Brown	....	still photographer
Jeremy Fry	....	grip
Andy Jagerson	....	grip
George Maxwell	....	director of photography: second unit
Thomas McCarty	....	grip
Keith Solomon	....	director of photography: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carrie Grace	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Brandon Balin	....	assistant editor
Eric Seaburn	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michele Wernick	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Alix Feldman	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Jeremy Bate	....	production assistant
Thomas Crawford	....	production assistant
Lisa McNeil	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Malcolm Abbey	....	special thanks
Jessica Roulston	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Tse Tse Fly Productions

Distributors

• DEJ Productions
• High Fliers Video Distribution (UK)
• Trans-Pacific Media Consultants Group

Also Known As:

Horror in the Attic (UK)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, horror violence/gore, language and drug use.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Singapore:R21 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Tse Tse Fly Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end when Trevor and Faith are making love, you can see the actor is wearing a flesh-tone g-string. As they are sitting and talking in the follow scene, you can see the "string" part on his hips.

Every small town needs a Dr. Eck and a House of Love! This I command...

There was a film I reviewed a bit ago entitled "13 Seconds", in which your typical horror genre gets a confusing twist ending coupled with horrid acting and a bland plot. As you can tell, I wasn't a fan of this film and was momentarily turned away from cheap horror movies. "13 Seconds" garnered several awards, is recognized in the film community, but for me was just a sloppy film with the irritable inconsistent voice dub. I think that is what harmed this film the most – but then I gave up on my plight to avoid cheap horror films and decided to watch the equally low-budget horror/suspense/thriller film "The Attic Expeditions", and I must admit, I was rejuvenated. This film was a breath of confusing fresh air. From the sporadic, yet strong, opening, through the rest of this nonconsecutive film about magik (with a "K"), the philosophy of modern medicine, and perhaps love, I was hooked. From the films that I have watched lately, this was one that I was eager to start from the beginning and watch again. While I cannot say that director Jeremy Kasten has created a flawless film, he has impressed me by giving us a strong story with a limited budget. This was a film obviously loved by everyone involved and in my eyes has the ability to become a cult classic if watched by an open-mind audience.

We follow the story of Trevor Blackburn, who may or may not have killed his fiancé while performing a magik ritual. Due to possible insanity, he is operated on and forced to recuperate in a facility simply called "House of Love". It is in this "house" that Trevor continues to have flashbacks coupled with nightmares, coupled with sudden murders of the other tenants. He is observed, from a distance – through television monitors, by a Dr. Eck (played sinisterly by Jeffrey Combs) and his associate, Dr. Coffee (played by Ted Raimi). This give us the impression that perhaps this is not the place we assume, and that it is just a set-up by Eck for a more dutiful purpose. Then, quite classically, as we think we know the truth to this film, director Kasten gives us one last push of the unknown and before the screen our minds are shattered.

I think what appealed to me the most was that albeit this was a very low-budget film, the creators did everything possible to make this less cheap and more detail oriented. I loved the visual style of this film. The way that our characters acted, the way the interacted with each other, and their deadpan ability to bring the unknown to the surface. It was as if I was watching "Evil Dead" for the first time (not that I want to draw similarities – it was just a similar viewing experience). There were elements of Gilliam, mixed with Raimi, mixed with Nolan all rolled together. Although the international name for this film is "Memento 2", please do not connect the two. This film stands on its own. Kasten assembled a flawless cast with a surprising turn from Seth Green (playing a very Patrick Bateman character) and the always fun Jeffrey Combs. I even enjoyed the Kyle MacLachlan-esquire style of Andras Jones – then there was Ted Raimi, whom didn't almost fit within this film, but still made it fun to see him sweat. Alas, those eager to see Alice Cooper, he was only in it for a brief moment, though the special features claim he was a valuable asset to the production. I didn't see it. With this seemingly strong cast in place, it was up to the storyteller to get the rest in motion – and it happens successfully.

"The Attic Expeditions" is not a one-time-viewing film. I think what makes me rave so much about this film is the way the story was told, out of context, out of consecutive order, out of sanity. You cannot make an assumption about this film from just one viewing, one must go back – rewatch, and enjoy. I will say this much, it is not a film for everyone. The scenes can be unsettling and a bit disturbing since you do not quite fully know if he is in his mind or in ours. Rather disturbing actually. Kasten plays not only with the character's minds, but also with ours. "The Attic Expeditions" is one of those films that leaves the room either going, "gosh that was horrible", or wide open for discussion. For me, I needed someone to talk to. I wasn't sure what was real, and what was in Trevor's mind. That is what makes this film stand out. While there were some shots of a boom in some scenes, but again, that is what makes this low-budget film even better. Concentrate on what you cannot comprehend, and this will be a phenomenal film for you.

Overall, I gotta say that after a slew of mediocre Hollywood budget films, this was a volatile breath of fresh air. I challenge anyone that dislikes this film to ask "why" -- is it because you didn't understand the story or because it was cheaper than the mass produced films. With a film like "The Attic Expeditions", more chances are taken – the risks are higher, and the final product is worth a second viewing. As others have quoted, and I believe them, this is a horror film for those of us that pride ourselves on intelligence. It is smart, challenging, and grossly entertaining. I don't mind calling this film cheap because it entertained me mentally, and I will go back to rewatch to see if a second viewing would un-muddle the questions looming in my mind. I was impressed.

If I went insane, I would definitely choose Dr. Eck to ensure my return of sanity!

Grade: **** out of *****