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Parents' Guide to

Gothika

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Grisly, disturbing, extremely violent horror film.

Movie R 2003 95 minutes
Gothika Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 2 parent reviews

NeonKennedy
NeonKennedy Adult
November 8, 2011
age 14+

A thilling thiller

jsharpe
jsharpe Parent of 11-year-old
October 17, 2009
age 16+
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In GOTHIKA, Dr. Miranda Gray (Halle Berry) is a psychiatrist at a facility for the criminally insane. The director of the facility is her husband, Doug (Charles S. Dutton). Driving home on a dark and stormy night, Miranda swerves to avoid hitting a girl standing in the road. When she gets out of the car, she sees that the girl is badly hurt. Miranda tries to talk to her. The next thing she knows, she wakes up in the mental hospital, but now she is on the other side of the glass wall. She is a patient. Doug has been murdered, and all of the evidence points to Miranda as the killer. How can she find out what really happened if everyone thinks she is crazy?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (8 ):

Director Mathieu Kassovitz creates a nicely creepy feeling with Gothika, though he overdoes the flickering lights and the guess-what's-just-out-of-our-field-of-vision surprises. But the last half and especially the last half hour are both predictable and preposterous. When Miranda explains that "Logic is overrated" in the middle of a climactic confrontation, it feels like a last-minute attempt to justify the resolution of a movie that begins as a promisingly creepy thriller but then falls apart.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Pete's comment that "the ability to repress is actually a vital survival tool." What other survival tools did Miranda demonstrate?

Movie Details

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