Pathology

PATHOLOGY
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Weston, Lauren Lee Smith, and Alyssa Milano
Directed by: Marc Schoelermann

Style: Murderous Psychological Thriller
Blood and Guts: 4
Fright Factor: 3
Laugh Factor: 0
Weapons of choice: Medical paraphernalia
Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Ted Grey (Ventimiglia) is one of the brightest pathologists out there, and he knows it. Graduating from Harvard Medical School and now joining one of the best Pathology programs in the country, he has the world at his scalpel tips. However, he soon discovers that a few of his fellow doctors have taken to testing each others genius. Bodies start rolling in, and the after-hours club takes to trying to construct the perfect murder, one that cannot be solved by forensics. Social boundaries are crossed, limits tested, and Grey quickly discovers that there is a fine line between genius and madness.

I qualify this film as a horror film solely on the basis of the actors conviction in the roles. They portray the psychological distancing perfectly, each showing how they have lost all connection with reality. The conversations between Dr. Grey and his rival, Dr. Gallo (Weston) provide some truly unnerving face-offs. While there is a lot of blood and guts tied around dissection and a few messed up murders, all of the violence stems from the nature of the characters i.e. doctors, so it is almost never gratuitous. Hence, all of the terror comes from just how real the actors make these actions seem. We glimpse the rationalization of madness, which is what some of the very best horror films do.

Ventimiglia does a great job with moral ambiguity, where we can tell that being better than everyone else guides his actions, even when getting out of the game, as it is his way to prove to himself that he is better than the animal Gallo has become. His fiancée returning becomes his game, his ability to have done these horrible things and get away scot free. It is less that he truly cares for her, but rather she is status and a trophy to prove his superiority.

This movie hits all of the right notes and manages to be a rather gripping thriller. The plot never really deviates from the standard fare for these types of movies, so there isn't a whole lot to discuss about it afterwards. Its strength, however, lies less in surprising us and more grabbing us by the spine and pulling.