Horror Movie Review: Disquiet (2023)

From writer and director Michael Winnick comes Disquiet, a horror/thriller that sees a man wake up in hospital to find it abandoned and that a sinister force is prowling the halls.

Meaning ‘a feeling of anxiety or worry’, Disquiet is an apt title for a movie that aims for uncomfortable atmosphere and high tension. Where an inherent dislike of hospitals is blended with the fear of being alone and stalked by something or someone dangerous.

This is what Disquiet aims for but lacks the ‘oomph’ needed to be a truly frightening film.

It starts off strongly enough though. As Sam (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how he got there. It’s dark, silent and he gets no response from the patient call button. The film immediately grabs your attention with this atmospheric opening and then ramps it all up for a flurry of intense action-led horror moments as Sam comes under attack from something.

Even the most cynical of horror fans will find themselves glued to the screen during the opening segments. The sense of panic and disorientation felt by Sam is shared by the viewer.

Unfortunately, this is the high point of the movie and onwards it doesn’t manage to capture the same level of frenetic energy and chilling isolation.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable as the story begins to fill in, new characters are introduced, and the pacing is kept peppy. Disquiet may not be a frightening film overall, but it is never boring. Even with characters who aren’t the most substantial and the fact that the film isn’t brave enough to let the imagination fill in the blanks.

An annoying aspect, as Disquiet spends a lot of time trying to keep you guessing as to just what is going on. All while adding some fairly obvious signposts along the way. Then, just in case the viewer hasn’t been able to keep up, it dumps the how, why and what in the final few minutes. Many will appreciate that as it does at least tie everything together, but it doesn’t make the movie any scarier.

As an overall blend of horror and thriller, Disquiet arguably sits the latter camp more comfortably. Which is a strange thing to see when you consider how horror-laden the opening of the movie is. With the focus after, being on thrills and mysteries, it does mean horror takes a backseat. Which does mean the lack of oomph when it comes to scares does disappoint. However, that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not worth a watch.