Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- haunted house season
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospherically effective but derivative, uneven, and undermined by a weak twist ending.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clark discovers that Cunningham Hall patients receive no real medication while the administrators conceal the facility's darker practices.
Clark becomes intrigued by a boy who appears to be a ghost and follows clues through the facility.
The plot confines Clark inside Cunningham Hall, including its basement cell 44 and hidden treatment areas.
The film emphasizes a cold atmosphere, terrifying imagery, and shock-driven scares inside the mental-health facility.
Films like Madhouse, and why
Session 9
shared psychiatric institution setting, supernatural menace, and claustrophobic horror atmosphere
Gothika
shared asylum setting, hidden institutional abuse, and escalating psychological dread
House on Haunted Hill
shared slasher mechanics, sinister facility, and graphic supernatural violence
The Grudge
shared medical setting, ghostly threat, and investigative horror structure
Movie Details
- Director
- William Butler
- Release Date
- 2004-07-30
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (158)
Cast
- Joshua Leonard
- Jordan Ladd
- Natasha Lyonne
- Lance Henriksen
- Dendrie Taylor
- Leslie Jordan
- Patrika Darbo
- Christian Leffler
- Newell Alexander
- Dan Callahan
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Madhouse about?
- A psychiatric intern uncovers supernatural terror and institutional corruption inside a mental-health facility where no patient is truly safe.
- What is Madhouse like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Madhouse as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Madhouse violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Madhouse as brutal.
- What did critics think of Madhouse?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospherically effective but derivative, uneven, and undermined by a weak twist ending.
- Which films are like Madhouse?
- Films with a similar feel include Session 9, Gothika, House on Haunted Hill, and The Grudge.
- How long is Madhouse?
- Madhouse runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch Madhouse?
- In United States, Madhouse is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
