Horror Hospital 1999 Horror Movie Review

In swinging ‘70s London, Jason (Robin Askwith), a Brian Jones doppelgänger, grows weary of the rock scene and decides it’s time for a vacation.  He responds to a flyer for a “Hairy Holiday” and meets up with Judy (Vanessa Shaw) on the way, but they soon find that their resort is actually a Hippie-to-Zombie Conversion Center, complete with crazed researcher (Michael Gough), evil midget, and lobotomized longhairs.  The doctor harvests human heads with a retractable blade attached to his limousine and runs his zombies via remote control.  A monster who appears to be made of Silly Putty stalks the grounds and claims an unlucky victim or two, until the midget and heroes plan their escape from the goonatorium. Gough claims some great chewable dialogue (Peter Cushing must have been busy), the midget has a great pathos-laden death scene, and a toxic waste site is also crammed into the overstuffed plot.  It’s not quite funny enough to be a horror comedy, but there’s enough gore to give it the feel of a later-era Hammer film.  Horror Hospital breathes some new life into the mad-doctor-and-zombification-facility plot and moves fast enough to keep things interesting, at least.  If you don’t go into it expecting stupendous effects or deep narrative, it’s a fun ride. —Jerry Renshaw