State of Mind 2004 Horror Movie Review

The presence of cult movie icons Fred Williamson and Paul Naschy is the main draw for this 1992 French/Dutch/Belgian-produced Troma release that borrows heavily from Stephen King’s Misery. Williamson headlines as a detective looking for a couple who disappeared after a car accident; what he doesn’t know is that the pair (Troma regulars Don Hannah and Lisa Gaye) were taken in by a disturbed former nurse (Maouk van der Meulen) who is now holding them captive.  Williamson and former ‘80s teen actress Jill Schoelen (as his partner) give solid performances, and Naschy makes the most of his cameo as a lecherous asylum official, but the film itself (co-produced by John Desert, whose long relationship with Troma has yielded Maniac Nurses Find Ecstasy and Rabid Grannies) offers low-wattage suspense on its limited budget and clichéd script. Troma’s DVD is typically loaded with extras, including interviews with Desert, Gaye, and the director and screenwriter as well as trailers for other “Tromatic” titles like Toxic Avenger IV. —Paul Gaita