The Scribbler (film)
{{short description|2014 film directed by John Suits}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Scribbler
| image = Scribbler movieposter.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Release poster
| director = John Suits
| writer = Daniel Schaffer
| based_on = {{based on|The Scribbler|Daniel Schaffer}}
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Gabriel Cowan
- Ken F. Levin
}}
| starring = {{plainlist|
- Katie Cassidy
- Garret Dillahunt
- Michelle Trachtenberg
- Michael Imperioli
- Gina Gershon
- Sasha Grey
- Kunal Nayyar
- Ashlynn Yennie
- Eliza Dushku
- Billy Campbell
}}
| cinematography = Mark Putnam
| editing = Mark Lowrie
| music = Alec Puro
| studio = {{plainlist|
- Caliber Media Company
- New Artists Alliance
}}
| distributor = XLrator Media
| released = {{Film date|2014|03|01|Glasgow Fright Fest|2014|09|19|United States}}
| runtime = 89 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
The Scribbler is a 2014 American science fiction thriller film directed by John Suits and written by Daniel Schaffer, based on his own graphic novel of same name. The film stars Katie Cassidy, Garret Dillahunt, Michelle Trachtenberg (in her final film role), Michael Imperioli, Gina Gershon, Sasha Grey, Kunal Nayyar, Ashlynn Yennie, Eliza Dushku, and Billy Campbell.
Plot
Suki, a young woman suffering from split personality disorder, moves into Juniper Tower, a strange, darkly gothic apartment building, that serves as a halfway house for mental patients who don't need to be institutionalized any longer, but are not completely cured yet. Suki has been given an experimental device that lets her perform a procedure known as The Siamese Burn on herself. The machine is supposed to "burn" all her extra personalities until she only has one left.
At Juniper Tower, Suki reconnects with her friend with benefits Hogan, a man who may fake depression so that he can stay there as the "rooster of the henhouse". She also meets several female tenants and learns that Hogan has slept with most of them. One by one, the girls are found dead from apparent suicide.
Suki soon realizes that the girls have actually been murdered, and is worried that one of her multiple personalities is responsible. She keeps using the "Siamese Burn" to delete them, but the machine has been heavily modified, which leads Suki to believe that one of her personas, the one that committed the crimes, is trying to keep Suki from getting rid of her. She suspects the mysterious "Scribbler", a super-powered being who communicates with her by scribbling messages backwards.
Suki finally understands that the Scribbler has really been trying to help her solve the murders, and embraces her alter ego in order to fight the real killer, Alice, an escaped mental patient who's been hiding at Juniper Tower. Alice turns out to be the evil personality of Veronica, a young woman who unsuccessfully used the "Siamese Burn" to remove her. After the Scribbler overpowers Alice, Veronica commits suicide.
Later that night, Suki is interrogated by Detective Moss, who believes she committed all the murders, and Doctor Silk, who's hoping to figure out what really happened. During the interrogation, Hogan creates a distraction, and Suki uses the Scribbler's supernatural abilities to escape.
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Katie Cassidy as Suki
- Garret Dillahunt as Hogan
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Alice/Veronica
- Eliza Dushku as Criminal Psychologist Jennifer Silk
- Michael Imperioli as Detective Moss
- Billy Campbell as Sinclair
- Gina Gershon as Cleo
- Sasha Grey as Bunny
- Kunal Nayyar as Karem
- Ashlynn Yennie as Emily
- T.V. Carpio as Satomi
- Richard Riehle as Officer O'Reilly
- Sara Tomko as Psychiatric Nurse Langdon
- Michael Berry Jr. as Hogan (Dog) Voice
- Sir Hollywood as Hogan (Dog)
- Luke Barnett as Orderly
- Brad Culver as Officer
}}
Production
{{expand section|date=December 2014}}
Filming began in May 2012 in Los Angeles at Linda Vista Community Hospital.{{cite news|title='The Scribbler' Starts Production With Katie Cassidy Starring|url=https://deadline.com/2012/05/the-scribbler-starts-production-with-katie-cassidy-starring-269080/|access-date=August 1, 2013|newspaper=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 9, 2012}}
Release
The Scribbler premiered at the Glasgow FrightFest on March 1, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.frightfest.co.uk/films/2014FrightFestGlasgow/thescribbler-joh.html|title=The Scribbler - John Suits: FrightFest Glasgow 2014|work=London FrightFest Film Festival|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 21, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/70220/scribbler-takes-notes-home-video/|title=The Scribbler Takes Notes on Home Video|last=Barton|first=Steve|work=Dread Central|date=September 25, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}}
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 40% of ten surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.7/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_scribbler/|title=The Scribbler (2014)|work=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Metacritic rated it 27/100 based on six reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-scribbler|title=The Scribbler|work=Metacritic|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Geoff Berkshire of Variety likened it to Sucker Punch as if it were made by The Asylum.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-the-scribbler-1201309524/|title=Film Review: 'The Scribbler'|last=Berkshire|first=Geoff|work=Variety|date=September 19, 2015|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Although ultimately far too muddled in its concept and execution to be anything more than a curiosity, The Scribbler does manage the dubious feat of being one of the strangest films you're likely to see this year."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/scribbler-film-review-734023|title='The Scribbler': Film Review|last=Scheck|first=Frank|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 18, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Film Journal International wrote, "With its endless edginess and unhealthy obsession with madness at its most flamboyant, The Scribbler strains to be a cult film, but even the most diehard lovers of cinema strangeness may find it ultimately too nonsensical and needlessly overwrought."{{cite web|url=http://www.filmjournal.com/node/9905|title=Film Review: The Scribbler|author=|work=Film Journal International|date=September 18, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Director John Suits seems more concerned with plying eyeballs with creepy atmospherics, showy visual effects and sexy interludes than with propulsive pacing or roiling tension."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-scribbler-movie-review-20140919-story.html|title=Review An indecipherable 'Scribbler' goes nowhere|last=Goldstein|first=Gary|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 18, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Mark Rabinowitz of Paste wrote, "The Scribbler is overwrought, absurd, occasionally exploitative, completely lacking in subplot, takes a good 20–25 minutes to really get going and has acting that varies from excellent to, well, less-than-excellent. It’s also hugely fun!"{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/09/the-scribbler.html|title=The Scribbler|last=Rabinowitz|first=Mark|work=Paste|date=September 24, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Jess Hicks of Bloody Disgusting rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "The Scribbler is a great example of how you don’t need a few million dollars to make an entertaining superhero movie."{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3319065/review-scribbler-better-origin-story/|title=[Review] 'The Scribbler' A Better Origin Story Than Most|last=Hicks|first=Jess|work=Bloody Disgusting|date=October 28, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}} Scott Hallam of Dread Central rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "The Scribbler is entertaining and has plenty of action to keep viewers interested. If you can handle an ending that feels like an afterthought, then you'll dig this one."{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/66526/scribbler-the-2014-2/|title=Scribbler, The (2014)|last=Hallam|first=Scott|work=Dread Central|date=September 15, 2014|accessdate=April 24, 2015}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|2396721}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scribbler, The (film)}}
Category:American thriller films
Category:Films about dissociative identity disorder
Category:Films shot in Los Angeles
Category:Films based on British comics
Category:Live-action films based on comics
Category:Films based on Image Comics