As a young boy Johnny Morgan (Dark Rising‘s Andrew Cymek) helplessly watched as his sister was kidnapped by a vicious murder known as “The Wolf.” Johnny dedicated his life to tracking down the killer and bringing him to justice. But now that “The Wolf” has been caught and sent to Parker’s Asylum Johnny’s thirst for revenge remains unquenched. Deep in the underground halls of the asylum Johnny finds himself in the midst of madness when the inmates escape their cages and terrorize the overwhelmed staff (which just happens to include his estranged wife Jamie, played by Brigitte Kingsley).
In the audio commentary from director/writer/actor Cymek discusses the long, laborious process of making Medium Raw and how the original ideas behind the story changed due to budget constraints. The film, clearly a labor of love, is filled with great ideas; too many ideas. It’s tone swings from campy to dead serious and while the villains are masterfully drawn the rest of the characters are woefully flat. Despite being married in real life, the relationship between Cymek and Kingsley feels forced, cliché and unnecessary for the main plot. Positives? William R. Davis is fantastic as Dr. Robert Parker, the art design is quite good and the claustrophobic cinematography is effective. Medium Raw is the sort of horror film that is frustrating because it has the makings of being something quite good but ultimately falls short of its promise. Fans of the horror genre will still want to give the film a chance. Young filmmakers will also want to give Cymek’s excellent audio commentary a listen. Genre fans should also note that Buffy’s Mercedes McNab has a small role as does The Lord of the Rings’ John Rhys-Davies.
Bonus features also include an alternate ending (which I prefer), a trailer as well as deleted and extended scenes.