'Hypnotic' review: Is therapy really the answer to every problem in Netflix's psychological horror-thriller?

Kate Siegel's chilling new thriller, Hypnotic, just dropped on Netflix, and it's all about the dangerous power of hypnotherapy.

The plot of the film revolves around a young woman, Jenn, who is trying to fix her headspace by turning to a different method of therapy. She seeks out Dr. Meade's help from her past trauma only to learn about the horrifying side effects of his sessions.

The film is directed by Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote and script penned by Richard D’Ovidio. The leading roles are taken by Kate Siegel, Jason O’Mara, and Dule Hill.

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'Hypnotic': A review

The narrative of Hypnotic follows Jenn (Kate Siegel), who is struggling to get her life back together after certain traumatic events happened in her life. While attending a party at her best friend’s house, Gina (Lucie Guest), she meets the dashing hypnotherapist Dr. Meade (Jason O'Mara), who offers to help her find mental peace and tranquility to move forward with her life.

But, things take a different turn when she realizes that the doctor's intentions aren't noble as she is being used instead of being helped. Sadly, she is on a mental leash as Meade is able to manipulate her into seeing or doing whatever he wants by using mind control techniques. Nevertheless, she teams up with a Portland police detective named Rollins (Dule Hill) to try and bring the psychotic doctor down.

Still from Netflix's Hypnotic (Image via Netflix)

The premise of the film, Hypnotic, is very interesting since therapy is always considered to somewhat have positive effects on one's mental health. But learning about things like cruel therapy and post-hypnotism triggers through Kate Siegel's impressive acting is thrilling. From the very first few minutes of Hypnotic, the viewers can tell who the bad guy is, but the suspense lies in the whys.

There are moments within Hypnotic that are born of true terror, especially the sheer idea of being helpless and paralyzed in front of a madman. It's similar to being awake during surgery, being conscious but almost trapped and tormented.

With her brilliant acting, Kate Siegel is able to pull out emotions, and the excellent direction with neat plot twists makes it look composed. The general setting of the movie is in the present day but with polished, fashionable women and charming, high-powered men.

The look of the movie is more captivating than the storyline itself, especially with the intriguing cast. The atmosphere of the movie is opulent and chic, as each set has its own characteristics that exhibit a certain look and feel like the house party is inspired by the Hollywood lifestyle, whereas Dr. Meade's office has sinister vibes with an aura that screams evil.

Hypnotic is an excellent thriller flick that is designed to feed on the viewer's paranoia with the idea that one can easily be controlled through hypnosis, leading to becoming a mental slave with almost no way out.

Hypnotic is now streaming on Netflix.