Hysteria (1997 film)

The German Lexikon des internationalen Films ("Encyclopedia of International Films") wrote succinctly: "Psychological thriller that combines the classic motif of the mad scientist with the theme of a collective disorder of consciousness.".^[2]

DVD Talk’s Tyler Foster said Hysteria is a film that can't quite find the right balance between the bizarre and the intriguing. [...] The film jumps around, never quite settling on a particular rhythm or style, happy to peer into whatever nook and cranny Daalder's mind drifts to at a given moment." Foster concluded that "Hysteria is a very unusual film that will only truly appeal to an extremely specific segment of the audience. It's admirably ambitious, but the bulk of the film ignores Daalder's more intriguing ideas and comes off either too conventional or too aggressively weird."^[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." O'Neill also describes the film as "a heady mix of elements, and one's reaction might well alternate between frustration, bewilderment and amusement, but the film is never boring, thanks in no small part to the cast. McGoohan (in his last major theatrical role before his death in 2009) embodies the role of the renegade doctor with eccentric relish. [...] Plummer is typically off-the-wall and is allowed to be at her most unrestrained. Vaugier, receiving an 'and introducing' credit, is also equally uninhabited, both mentally and physically, as the young woman at the centre of the story. 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. The film was obviously shot with a limited budget and sometimes suffers from erratic performances, but the sheer commitment to its loopy concept carries it along quite well. McGoohan is always a riveting presence in all of his scenes, [while] Maloney keeps a firm grasp on the increasing instability of his character."^[5]

Ian Jane on Rock! Shock! Pop! 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. The ending feels just a tad too convenient but everything leading up to it is great." 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. It's really nicely shot and it's got plenty of atmosphere. A strange film to be sure, it's nevertheless an impressive picture."^[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. [...] It's bizarre, its a love story, its a madhouse, its a message... all wrapped up in one."^[7]

In 1998 Rene Daalder was nominated for the "International Fantasy Film Award" in the category "Best Film" at the Fantasporto International Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}

• Hysteria at IMDb