Hypochondriac – Fantasia Review (4/5)

HYPOCHONDRIAC is a new horror movie with an LGBTQ lead character. A truly creepy and scary plot plays out. For the record, him being gay has nothing to do with the horror. Screening at Fantasia 2022. Read our full Hypochondriac movie review here!

HYPOCHONDRIAC is a new LGBTQ horror movie screening at Fantasia Film Festival right now. The fact that the LGBTQ lead character is gay has nothing to do with the horror. Instead, mental illness is the source of fear and horror, which you can easily understand when watching this movie.

From the opening scene, you can see the terrifying dynamic between mother and son. There is so much love there, but mental illness also plays a huge part of their relationship. In a very scary way!

Continue reading our Hypochondriac movie review below.

The fear is very real

Even though this movie is titled Hypochondriac it’s actually almost the opposite. As in, the main character is almost hoping that he’s a hypochondriac rather than something actually being wrong with him.

There is a brilliant scene early on, which many of us can surely relate to. He “googles” his symptoms and the first result is “ALS”. He changes the search slightly and now the diagnosis from Dr. Google is “Multiple Sclerosis”. Another little tweaking of the search phrase and now the diagnosis is “Schizophrenia”.

That last one is what he really fears since this is what his mother has suffered from all of his (and probably most of her) life. This is why he is going through all kinds of tests, almost wishing for another diagnosis. All while having increased symptoms of schizophrenia. Mostly hallucinations that are truly terrifying!

Very impressive lead performance

The lead character, Will, is played beautifully by Zach Villa. He brings so much heart and vulnerability to this character. In general, the movie deals with the very real issue of mental illness and how it affects everyone around them. Including children of those suffering from illnesses that could be passed on through genetics.

You may know Zach Villa from Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman (directed by Karyn Kusama). Also, he played “Richard Ramirez” in American Horror Story season 9. As his boyfriend, Luke, we see Devon Graye (I See You). They have some very intimate scenes (of all kinds) and every one of them works remarkably well.

In a small supporting role, we also see Madeline Zima playing a very rich (and annoying) character perfectly. And also, Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds), is the therapist who has been helping Will cope with his mother’s illness since he was a child. And now, talking with him about the chance of him having to deal with the illness himself.

Hypochondriac screening at Fantasia 2022

Addison Heimann is the writer and director of Hypochondriac which is a very well-rounded movie. For a feature film debut, it’s extremely impressive, so we will most certainly be keeping our eyes on Addison Heimann in the future!

While this movie is often uncomfortable to watch, it’s because you feel the fear and dread that the main character is going through. Sure, when his hands stop functioning properly, ALS and multiple sclerosis are terrifying to the main character. However, it’s obvious that his real fear is suffering the same fate as his mother.

A very strong and powerful horror movie where the main character is gay, but horror isn’t rooted in him being LGBTQ. Quite the opposite since he has a loving and supportive boyfriend. Even if Will isn’t the best boyfriend himself.

When you get the chance, I would definitely recommend watching Hypochondriac.

Hypochondriac is screening at Fantasia Film Festival 2022.

Details

Director: Addison Heimann
Writer: Addison Heimann
Cast: Marlene Forte, Devon Graye, Yumarie Morales, Zach Villa, Madeline Zima