Product Description When a gloomy, God-fearing island community is rocked by the murder of a young child, a psychologist is called in to examine Dorothy Mills, the teenager accused of the crime. Despite the villagers' resistance, the therapist soon suspects that Dorothy suffers from multiple personality disorder. But when the girl speaks in the voice of the woman's own deceased son, what first seemed like madness may - as the locals believe - be Dorothy channeling the dead. A spine-chilling blend of psychological thriller and gothic terror, Dorothy Mills is eerie, suspenseful and truly frightening. .com Though compared to The Exorcist because of teenager Dorothy Mills’ (Jenn Murray) tendency towards possession, this psychological thriller feels much closer to a combination of Don’t Look Now, and The Wicker Man, both of which are better than Dorothy Mills. Though a gorgeous setting (an island off mainland Ireland) does lend the film clammy ambiance, for the most part there is little surprise or suspense. The saving grace of Dorothy Mills is actor Carice Van Houten’s portrayal of Jane, a traumatized Dublin psychiatrist assigned to the case of a teen who allegedly strangled a baby while babysitting. The second she ferries out to a creepy island populated by evangelical, semi-pagan zealots, Jane begins to experience what it means to be an outsider accidentally privy to some dark secrets exposed surrounding Mills’ mysterious case. Jane, who champions Mills as an unfortunate victim of schizophrenia, relives her own psychological battles through this young girl. Lame depictions of antics enacted by rebellious locals do a disservice to the true story here, which concerns the psychic bond between two females. Like Don’t Look Now, a sense of disorientation is created by Jane’s foreign locale, to this film’s credit, and her memories of loss do register as real tragedy as did Julie Christie’s in what was, perhaps, the best film ever made about parents processing the loss of their children. Director Agnes Merlet also did a service to Mills’ character in casting Murray, whose white hair and pallid complexion look ghostly enough to create some spook. But the story is just not that compelling. The details of Mills’ psychosis are explained away in a clichéd manner, leaving little for the viewer to wonder about in this supposedly supernatural tale. --Trinie Dalton
A**L
Couldn't pass up purchasing.
I rented this movie so many years ago from Blockbuster and for the price couldn't pass up purchasing now. This movie has everything a great horror movie needs and It will leave you feeling a little disturbed. The story stays with you. It's creepy. Its supernatural, It's psychological, and It's completely unpredictable which is what i really liked about it. Full Disclosure and Tbh.. I don't generally like movies with SA in them and there's one scene in this movie that i could probably never watch again and still be okay, but as a part of the bigger picture/plot its necessary to the storyline I suppose, If you like creepy, psychological, supernatural, ghost stories, give Dorthoy Mills a try.
J**E
Very good
The story was very good and the actors were really good. I have to say that I'm mystified as to why this would be compared to "The Exorcist," since there is absolutely nothing whatsoever in this movie that resembles it in anyway. This story is another of the latest trend in paranormal stories wherein someone is possessed by the dead victim of a crime committed by someone still living. The difference here is that it's actually quite well-done. The lead actresses, Jenn Murray as Dorothy Mills and Carice van Houton as Jane, are exceptional, as is the rest of the cast. I would highly recommend this movie.
K**B
Dorothy Mills
I would have to say that I knew where this was going. It was pretty easy to determine. I understood why the townspeople thought her remarkable, especially for the setting. The outcome was pretty good, knowing it's what was expected. I would say it's a light horror. No gory details so it's safe for those that don't like the "blood stuff".Spoiler alert: Don't read further if you don't want to know about the storyline:It's patterned after The Three Faces of Eve. That's my best guess. So, that pretty much tells you where it's all coming from. Right down to the "history" of the "why". I look at this as a remake of Eve, but from a different view. It's a child, not an adult telling their story. I liked the Eve movie, so this one was right on target.
B**N
supernatural Dorothy...
First of all, please remember this is not a Hollywood-kind of scary film where it makes you jump, sweat in fear or makes you scream every 5 seconds. This is a very well-crafted slow burner of a chiller. The type of supernatural horror that requires patience ( but that does not mean that this flick is yawn-inducing ) and also demands your understanding of each characters' frustrations in solving the mystery of this white pale girl named Dorothy...and those folks that live in her isolated village with their own perceptions of this girl. Get this only if you are the kind of person who loves slow burning thrill of a great old-fashioned supernatural horror movie. This story of Dorothy Mills lingers on my mind long after the credits ends. Oh, and watch out for the tremendous acting by this actress who played her. Flawless!
S**S
Mysterious & Justice Satisfying
Dorothy Mills was a pretty good suspense thriller and borderline scary.We enjoyed it. I don't wish to be specific because any details will give the movie away for a first time viewer. The idea was not entirely original. But the concept with respect to her personality was rearranged in an unexpected manner. Enjoy.
S**I
more movies like this please!!!
Sorry to disagree with some remarks of this movie being slow(?). I liked the pace of it and it gave you time to really understand the different characters and their secrets and lies. it added much needed depth to the story, something that is lacking in many Hollywood films.
B**D
Foreign style, but good story.
Didn't like the fact that it was a foreign made movie, BUT.....it was good and would recommend it. I think Hollywood would have done a better job, but the plot/story was very creative, and the acting was really not that bad.
J**R
MOST ORIGINAL FILM
You will never see a story like this ever again on the screen so if you appreciate something new and original then this is the film to see and even keep in your collection for sure. Not much can be said in order not to spoil the plot but for all of you video gamers out there, this is the film about the private lives of the villagers from Resident Evil 4 video game. I'm dead serious!!! You'll see...
G**R
Exceptional performance - but no exorcisms here
Please, please ignore the really inexplicable packaging - this is not remotely Exorcist like and the tagline 'Evil Chose Her' is just wildly off the mark. There are many fine films covering demonic possession (and many awful ones!) but this is not the subject matter here.Actually it would be very easy to argue that this doesn't really qualify as a horror - it's more of a supernatural drama/psychological thriller hybrid thingumajig. It's also rather good.We're not reinventing the wheel here, the film doesn't cover wholly new ground but rather mixes a few tropes from differing genres together very effectively. Even so, its probably a three star film but is elevated due to a simply fantastic performance from Jen Murray in the titular role, a massive challenge well met I feel. I also enjoyed Carice Van Houten's performance but, to be fair, Murray towers over this.It's well paced, sombrely but effectively filmed and has a few interesting twists and turns but if I revisit it, and I likley will do so, it will be to enjoy the performances
M**H
A deeply creepy story that beggars belief
Dublin psychiatrist Carice van Houten interviews highly disturbed teenager Jenn Murray, who’s accused of attacking an infant while babysitting. Set in a hostile pious community pitched midway between Father Ted’s Craggy Island and The Wicker Man’s Summerisle, this is the kind of deeply creepy story that quite rightly beggars belief. The performances are compelling, the climate as inhospitable as the locals, the plot components inevitably outlandish. We’re in the realm of the dead here and, as Stephen King noted, sometimes they come back. There’s evil at work, to be sure, but none of it is the girl’s doing.
A**E
A slow starter but worth sticking with...
Being a bit of a cheapskate I bought this dvd mainly because it was cheap! Keeping that and the quality of previous cheapo horror dvds in mind I wasn't expecting too much. As a few other reviewers have noted it does take a while to get going, but there's a good reason for that. The story unfolds within an island community, an attack on a baby by a young babysitter and the resulting investigation by a psychiatrist from the mainland. The director tries to build a sense of unease in the viewer by placing them in the shoes of the psychiatrist and observing the strange behaviour of the islanders from her point of view. It's a slow-burner for sure but a good way of keeping you guessing and the plot twists were well disguised. Jenn Murray was excellent as Dorothy (Is she crazy? Is she evil? Is she posessed?) and for me bumped this from a 3-star to a 4-star film. The supporting cast are worth praising too, being just weird enough to be convincing as an insular, secretive bunch untrusting of incomers.A decent film and worth sticking with for less than 3 quid!
M**E
The Past will come back to haunt you
A female psychiatrist who has recently lost her son goes to an Irish island to investigate a case of child abuse by a young babysitter called Dorothy.This is a great supernatural film.Dorothy seems to have multiple personalities which control her,but has strange events begin to occur she begins to realise that Dorothy is as much a victim herself,and that the past will not remain hidden. Good story,very well cast,highly recommended.
L**R
A bit average
Had great hopes as the film/story starts well. I much prefer films like this that don't rely too heavily on special effects but use the skill of the actors to create atmosphere. However, as the film progressed it suddently became quite predictable and a little dull. The young actress who plays Dorothy is quite fascinating and found myself watching the 'extras' on the dvd as I wanted to know more about her.
