DELIRIUM: A Good Idea Buried Under Too Many

Delirium is another film added to the list of horror/thrillers banking on the questionable nature of our main character. How can we rely on what we are seeing if they’re questioning their reality? Is it or is it not happening? Maybe this is a hallucination, perhaps a haunting, or maybe an unhealthy mix of the two. Delirium attempts to work this narrative conundrum.

This film actually grabbed me at first, and there are narrative aspects that are inventive, but unfortunately, the movie overextends its grasp.

A Basic Tale

Tom (Topher Grace) has just been released from a mental institution, a place he had resided for many years following a young girl’s murder. He inherits a mansion after his parents die, returning to his home, alone. His father took his life and his mother disappeared years before. This is familiar ground, and he goes through old items from his younger years, and yet, it’s also unknown. It has been a long time, and there’s something unsettling about the place.

Tom suffers from delusions, and repeatedly sees his brother Alex (Callan Mulvey). Since Alex went to prison when Tom went to an institution, he assumes that he is as real as the mutilated body of his father that he keeps seeing.

One of the only tangible and stable things for Tom seems to be his interactions with the attractive grocery delivery girl (as he can’t leave his home, yes, that’s another caveat, he’s got on an ankle monitor) Lynn (Genesis Rodriguez). They flirt, and Lynn is the audience’s key to better understanding Tom. Through her interest in Tom we learn about his history.

A Talented Cast & Solid Idea Isn’t Enough

Topher Grace still has that same charming smile he’s had since he graced the screen in That 70’s Show, while still maintaining the ability to turn that into something dramatic and dark. This just isn’t the lead turn he deserves. It reminded me a little of his performance in Predators (with obvious differences). As it is with most of his roles, there’s a good bit of humor mixed in, which helps with the limited set and uncertain stability of the cast. There are some areas regarding the portrayal of mental illness that I wish were handled with more tact, and less of what stereotypes put out there, but it wasn’t a complete deterrence.

His parole office Brody is played by Patricia Clarkson and she’s tough as nails, cruelly handling Tom because of his past crimes. We get a retelling of the disturbing events, and it seems he’s at least lucid on those. As the film goes on, and you’re unsure of what’s real, you at least trust Tom’s general sense of skepticism. Could the house be haunted? Maybe, there are oddities without explanation. He keeps receiving calls, but he can’t understand who is on the line. His violent brother keeps showing up, taunting him, and he’s seeing the dead, but is it just his withering psyche pushing him to a dark place?

There’s intrigue written here, and it is too bad that screenwriter Adam Alleca doesn’t do more with it. Sometimes there are some truly suspenseful moments, but then there is dialogue that seems laughable in its awkwardness. With too many holes, the film doesn’t truly find a rhythm. One scene with Patricia Clarkson in particular, with a sexual advance on Tom, seems out of place and just… strange. Not in a good way either.

Overall, the movie uses some cliche devices that makes for scares that are ultimately, un-substantial. Where the film could have been new and original, it instead, fell into some common tropes. It’s too bad that Delirium didn’t work out, because it had significant potential. I particularly enjoyed the 90’s references, being a 90’s girl myself, and I really rooted for its success. I hope Topher Grace gets an opportunity to shine in the future. I feel he’s earned it.

Dennis directs the movie in a similar fashion; it’s uneven, with some spots too heavily loaded with reveals and scares, while others sluggishly move along. Delirium looks inviting, and there’s a talented group doing what they can. Maybe it could have been scarier, maybe it could have been funnier, maybe it could have been…more.

Conclusion: Delirium

There are some curious and provoking prospects for exploration, and Grace is reasonably believable as the unreliable protagonist. He’s interesting enough to warrant our attention, but ultimately the route to the big “reveal” veers off course.

What did you think? How does this rank against other psychological horrors? Let us know in the comments below!

Watch Delirium