Hysteria is a 1997 British-Canadian psychological thriller film written and directed by Rene Daalder, starring Patrick McGoohan, Amanda Plummer, Michael Maloney and Emmanuelle Vaugier.
The inmates of a psychiatric hospital are subjected to radical experiments by being implanted with chips that affect the collective consciousness, with the goal of creating the perfect citizen.
"[3] Chris O'Neill reviewed the film for Experimental Conversations, stating that "Hysteria resembles a science fiction/horror hybrid and in the first 15 minutes director Rene Daalder displays a paired (sic) down, no-nonsense style of storytelling comparable to the sharpest of B features.
[...] But it is clear from the outset that things are far from straightforward since the entire cast, both those portraying mentally-unstable patients and the figures who represent authoritative normality, are played with an overtly exaggerated theatricality."
Maloney is left with the difficult task of representing the only 'normal' (and therefore vaguely sympathetic) character that the viewer can relate to: a fine and sometimes slippery line for an actor to walk, but he just about makes it.
"[4] The English site mondo-digital states that "Both heady and orgiastic at the same time, Hysteria wouldn't feel out of place running alongside a later Ken Russell film or, most pointedly, the cinematic freak out [The] Mansion of Madness.
Dot Com claims that, "infused with some disturbingly effective moments of black comedy, Hysteria is as much a movie about dominance and power struggle as it is about an insane asylum."
Jane also compliments that "the interiors [of the old gothic house that serves as the asylum] do a great job of relaying the madness inherent in the premise of the film", and that "there are a lot of little details that come together here to make this a pretty original movie.
In conclusion, Hysteria is said to be "a strange mix of black comedy and gothic horror performed by a talented cast of decidedly quirky actors.
"[6] Adrian Halen of Welcome to Daisyland - Horrornews felt that "'Hysteria' was indeed an appropriate title that sets the tone from start to end" as "the movie falls squarely into a b-movie category but in doing so also holds plenty of charm in its own right."
Halen culminates saying that "the movie transcends its trappings and manages to come ahead with a clear message about human nature and what can be achieved past our own egos and isolation.