10 Weirdest Virtual Reality Horror Movies
2. The Cell
Most directors tend to be extremely careful when preparing their first feature. Since they're still testing their waters, it's not uncommon for a filmmaker's first outing to be small in scope and a straightforward story.
But Tarsem Singh went to the other extreme. Not only does his feature debut, The Cell, have one of the most magnificent aesthetics ever put to film, it's his most ambitious project to date.
In the film, psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) uses VR technology to enter the minds of coma patients. When the FBI ask Catherine to use the device to enter the mind of serial killer Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) to find one of his victims, she reluctantly agrees. As she navigates through the psychopath's disturbing memories and sickening fantasies, Catherine worries she might lose her sanity, as well as her life.
Even though the story is a bit of a muddle, it's impossible not to be blown away (and freaked out) by the visuals that manifest in the killer's mind. Disassembling horse pieces. Intestine-pulling torture devices. Also, watching D'Onofrio at his most maniacally gleeful is as compelling as it is disturbing.
You may not like The Cell, but it's worth watching, purely to bear witness to the creatively depraved visuals.