Memory
By Cynthia Fuchs,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Convoluted fright flick less scary than confusing.
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What's the Story?
Dr. Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane), a researcher who specializes in Alzheimer's syndrome (his mother is afflicted), is exposed to an ancient Amazonian Indian powder that purportedly allows users to see the past through the eyes of their ancestors. Taylor's best friend/fellow researcher Deep (Terry Chen) calls it "mystic mumbo jumbo" -- but Taylor is soon having "memories" that seem structured like nightmares, in which he runs through mud and woods after a figure dressed in a porcelain mask and a black Burberry trench coat. Conveniently, the figure leaves a newspaper for Taylor to find, dated March 21, 1971 -- a year before he was born. As the memories become more elaborate, Taylor learns that the subject was also a kidnapper and killer of little girls. He also discovers a local artist, Stephanie (Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer), who has painted a scary figure in the woods who looks just like his nightmare/memory. They're soon sleeping together and working to solve the mystery.
Is It Any Good?
Memory's slide into total nonsense (made concrete in an intricate, multi-room killer's lair decorated with decades' worth of collected trophies and throbbing green light) is set up early. The fact that the film raises worthy questions about experience, memory, and identity is too bad. They're pretty much lost inside a forgettable plot.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about different types of horror movies. What category does this one fall into? Which movies is it similar to (and different from)? Why are so many movies made about serial killers? Families can also talk about the connections between memory and identity. What does Taylor mean when he says that "Our lives are nothing more than our memories"? The director says the plot is based on science: Does it seem possible that people might transmit memories through DNA to our children?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 23, 2007
- On DVD or streaming: May 22, 2007
- Cast: Ann-Margret , Billy Zane , Dennis Hopper
- Director: Bennett Davlin
- Studio: Eastgate Pictures
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 98 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language and frightening images.
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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