From Howard Avedis, the director of Mortuary, comes this off the wall psychological thriller. It’s sometimes frustratingly uneven, but the all-star cast keeps you watching. If you’re a fan of Bo Hopkins (like me), you’ll definitely want to check it out as he delivers a top-drawer performance as the disgusting, rapey orderly who makes Diane Hull’s life a living Hell.
The opening sequence is a laugh riot. Hull is distraught over breaking up with her boyfriend, so she goes to a disco to let off a little steam. She winds up mistakenly taking a poisoned drink intended for another patron (you know how those vindictive bartenders are) that’s loaded with strychnine. This leads to a hysterical scene where Hull gets on the dance floor and fights to remain conscious, all the while disco dancing as if her life depended on it (which, it kind of does).
The disco itself is a hoot. It looks like a VFW that’s holding a charity disco night. Even though there’s hardly anyone there, the club must be hopping enough to nab a disco queen like Pattie Brooks for the headliner.
Anyway, since the toxicology report shows poison in her system, the cops think Hull tried to kill herself. They stick her in a psych ward against her will where she must remain until the quacks there perform an evaluation. Not only does she have to contend with the various nutjobs who are locked up alongside her, Hull must resist the advances of Hopkins, who sets his sights on worming his way into her pants by any means necessary.
The Fifth Floor is a pretty good Woman Trying to Convince Everyone She’s Not Crazy movie. It kind of straddles the line between horror flick and a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-style drama. It’s all rather tame (although Hull does get a couple of solid nude scenes), so horror fans will probably be disappointed. However, the cast is top notch, so at least it’s never boring.
Hull does a fine job in the lead role, but it’s Video Vacuum favorite Bo Hopkins who takes the acting honors as the sleazy orderly. Remember all those movies where he played a sleazy sheriff? Well, imagine that, but instead of wearing a cowboy hat, he wears a nurse’s smock.
The supporting cast is stellar too. Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund is a nut who dresses up like a doctor so he can examine the new patients. Mel Ferrer is the unsympathetic doctor who neglects Hull. Patti D’Arbanville is the pregnant patient who buddies up with Hull. Sharon (It’s Alive) Farrell is Hull’s temperamental roommate. We also have Earl (Terminator 2) Boen, Alice (“Large Marge” from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) Nunn, Michael (The Hills Have Eyes) Berryman, and Tracey (Repo Man) Walter as the assorted featured patients. Because of the cast’s efforts, The Fifth Floor is worth a look, even if the film itself never quite goes to the top floor.
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