The Holly Kane Experiment sees a young psychologist trying to perfect her own techniques on subliminal messaging – aka ‘mind-control’. When she thinks she’s getting closer to producing the clinical trials she’s been dreaming of, with the help of fellow psychologist Marvin Greenslade, played by Nick Henson, things don’t quite add up. Soon, Holly starts realising the truth – that her thoughts might not be her own.
Holly, played by the talented Kirsty Averton, and her new love interest Dennis (James Rose) begin to unravel the truth behind what’s really going on and face the question ‘Can you run away from thoughts that aren’t your own?’ With her biggest fear being losing her mind like her schizophrenic sister and her bipolar mother, Holly travels down a dark path of confusion, narcotics and obscure sexual encounters before she can be pulled from the core of the darkness and back into the light.
Directed by Tom Sands and written by Mick Sands, this psychological thriller has you second guessing your own mind. It’s thought provoking and makes you try to understand the conscious and the subconscious mind. At times it is so effective that it will make you question your own sanity.
With the running time being 100 minutes, it seems that it could have easily been cut down by at least a third as the pace towards the start is very slow and drags profusely. It soon picks up and gains confidence and becomes a film that is disturbing yet intriguing. It rewards your perseverance through the mire of the middle of the film and the end is well worth sticking around for. The music by Richard Morson is noteworthy too, being full of suspense, and playing very nicely with the themes of delving into the subconscious.
The Holly Kane Experiment, although a tad too long, has you routing for the good guys. It has you praying that what you see in the film is only fictional and can’t be replicated into the real world… you hope.
