Based on the ads, I went into this thinking I had the story figured out. But I was wrong, and enjoyed the movie a lot more because of it.

Halle Berry? There’s nothing bad anyone can say about her except that her ex husband is a moron for being Mr. Ex- Halle Berry. She’s a great actress. Her performance really makes me wish her agent got her more challenging parts, because she is capable of a lot more than being Storm in X-men.

She comes across as believable psychiatric professional who is concerned about her patients. The best adjective I can think of for her in this film is empathetic. That’s why she is so believable, she can empathize with her characters, and her co stars, like Penelope Cruz, and it comes across on the screen.

Penelope had a great handle on the creepy secret lurking in the psych ward.

The dialogue was good, there were hearty doses of memorable lines, and the premise and story was sound. A few moments could have been milked for additional suspense, but it was a very good outing for everyone involved.

I liked Gothika. It’s worth a DVD purchase if you didn’t catch it in the theaters.