If the ghost can throttle Berry around in her cell, why does she need a warm body to inhabit when it's time to play executioner?Nitpicking, yes, but a succsessful chiller like "The Sixth Sense" doesn't leave you with questions like that. Having seen a truly heinous horror entry like "The Order" earlier this year, makes me thankful for "Gothika's" ability to keep me awake with the occasional jolt...and accidental humor. The ghost could've wrote "**** did it" on the wall instead of the more cryptic "Not alone," but the filmmaker isn't completely inept. How the killer is revealed is well-done, and although Berry could've been more understated in some scenes, she makes a plausible psychiatrist and gives "Gothika" some class. Of note, this is the second good English-language performance("Masked and Anonymous" is the other) from Penelope Cruz.… Expand

A pretty good movie. It is not as good as some other horrors, but it is better than I expected.

I really expected to hate this move, but walked away semi-surprised. It's really not as bad as people are making it out to be. It definitely isn't groundbreaking, and is pretty predictable. Nothing about this movie is awful, but nothing about it is all that good, either. I really don't recommend it unless you're aching for a new thriller flick (and I mean aching).

Absolute Crap. Why did Halle do this, everything about this movie is awful, it's not even remotely scary.

Although it's improbable and has plot holes big enough for Charles Dutton to fit through, this stylish thriller is worth a watch for genuine scares and chills, and a believable jacked-up performance from Halle Berry.

Halle was very good in this very poor flick , it had potential but somebody screwed-up? Not scary, way TOO dark, could have used some sunlight & classic dialogue possibly... please don't make a "re-make" of this film in the future unless you direct it correctly & use Jack Nicholson in the movie !!

In my opinion Gothika was an extremely intense movie, and this made it very enjoyable the plot kept strong the whole way through and a massive twist at the end top of an almost perfect movie.

Gothika was overall an average movie, but it proved to have some very terrifying moments witch will make your heart beat like you would not believe. It's that scary.

Give me Swept Away with the material girl any day. This movie is so BAD that it makes her movie look like it should have won the OSCAR for best picture. Up until now SWEPT AWAY was the worst film ever made. Move over, we now have a new leader of garbage.

A decent movie. Had some good parts.

It was great!!

"Gothika" is a stylish, creepy, but rarely scary psychologically thriller that had almost too much potential from the beginning. The film is works effectively enough for the first suspenseful hour or so, but ultimately buckles under its own ludicrous developments and the especially dissatisfying conclusion. Academy Award winner Halle Berry proves she can carry a mainstream film as the leading lady, but it's the supporting performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Penelope Cruz - the latter especially - that truly impress. Mathieu Kassovitz proves he's more than capable as a director, but perhaps his skills would be put to better use in a less contrived film.… Collapse

Dumb, dumb, dumb. And the ending? Dumberer. Do not waste your money. What was I thinking? What was Hale Berry thinking? To see one of today's cinema's most lovely ladies deglamorized for this drivel was trully, truly depressing. Oh, well, a gall's got to pay the bills, I suppose...

Although I thought Halle Barry did a great job in the leading role, the movie seemed like your run of the mill thriller to me. I did however, enjoy the many visual effects in the movie.

Terrible ending. Terrible beginning. Ludicrous story. I watched this completely alone...at night... in a pitch black room and not once was in suspense. Thats pretty pathetic.

Finally, the critics gave a movie exactly what it deserved.

Classic story but quite well done.

Dumb dumb dumb and soo predictable! Halle Berry needs a new agent!!

This was a fairly decent suspense movie if you are into that genre. Ms. Berry must be into it as well, as she appeared bare bones in this movie, sans make-up and looked as haggard and screwed up as the character she portrayed would be, if this was real life. She is not a bad dramatic actress. The holes in the plot are obvious, as one would wonder how a woman who is a psychiatrist would not have an inkling that her husband was.... (but that would be a spoiler). … Expand

This is one of scariest movies ever! I have never seen such a scary movie like the way Gothika is!

Not bad as a horror movie/ supernatural thriller but not a film you would watch again.

The best part of this film was halle berry. she brings a gritty depth to her role and shows how great her acting chops really.

A total hoot! really fun -- it's got it all: spirit possession, women in prison, oscar winner/s, serial killer/s, ominous use of water effect/s! a couple real startling moments, some enduring creepy features, but overall it's just full-on fun...

This movie sucked!!!!!!

Let's just rip off the Sixth Sense, the Exorcist, Seven and maybe a little Silence of the Lambs and make it into the most unoriginal and bad made-for-tv movie? This seen it, done that comedy-fest of eye rolls of unfathomable premises, is the worst movie I've seen. The only thing horrifying is the horribly cheesy dialogue.

Not even two hotties like Halle and Penelope could save this dreck. Not even worth a rental. I went to the matinee showing and still felt that I was ripped off!

It had some interesting cinematography and visual forshadowing, but for a mystery, it is REALLY bad if you can figure out exactly what will happen 15 minutes into the movie. Avoid this one, it was predictable and boring.

Pretty lame flick. At least Halle is still hot? Script and acting pretty bad.

I liked the cinematography in the movie. The flickering lights in the mental hospital was very creepy. The story wasn't super original and the ending let me down, so you should go see it only if you're really into thrillers.

Saer, what the hell are you talking about? there wasnt one scene in this horrible excuse for a horror film that scared me in the least. everything about it is detestable. its completely unbelievable, and it relies on gore and shocks instead of plot. why did they call it gothika anyway? there isnt one reference to that throughout the whole film. its sad to see that halle went from monsters ball to this. i guess people just cant make good horror movies anymore.… Expand

Jamal digs Halle a lot. I gave her 1 point for the Hot Mama she is. But for the movie, bro, this really sucked. Hell, I could look at Halle all night.

Say what you will about this movie. It was stylish and very creepy. It did not have an ending that you can see a mile away like Secret Window. It was much less predictable and much more of a thriller than the Johnny Depp snooze flick.

I went into this movie expecting a suspensful, intruiging look at how someone can devolve into a psychotic state. What I saw was a highly implausible and uninteresting ghost story populated with characters who always take the dumbest course of action available to them.

Actually, much better than I thought it would be. There are many jump-out-of-your-seat moments. And surprisingly, Penelope Cruz does a serviceable job in her supporting role. I don't usually mention it, but the sound is great in this film.

It had a decent story and it had a good thrill factor. I didn't understand why the ghost was so violent toward miranda, but it's irrelevent to rate a movie on what you understand or don't understand, but the ending was one big loop hole won't give it away see if you can figure it out...

Really good movie. I saw it today for the second time and I saw and understood far more than I did the first time, maybe it was the fact that I was expecting all of the scares and payed more attention to the plot this time around.

Besides just plain having a plot with more holes than a watering can, this movie had its fair share of flaws. First of all, the lighting was ridiculous. I've heard of mood lighting before, but the nonstop flickering lights were just too much. Second, I don't know what Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz were thinking, but a cheesy thriller will always be a cheesy thriller, no mater what kind of star power you assign to it. Even a good actor can't make a terrible movie watchable.… Expand

The first half of "Gothika" is great. John Ottmin's soundtrack combined with Matthew Libatique's cinematography and Kassovitz's direction helped create very creepy atmospheric tension. Although some may find her constant screaming excessive, Halle Berry's acting was great throughout the whole movie. There were a lot of scenes that tried to jump scare you, but none of them worked. There is no gore (with the exception of several cuts on arms, and blood writing on walls), so the movie relies on creepiness alone, and most of that is gone by the third act. There is a contrived plot twist near the end, and another very obvious (yet still ridiculous) one. There are loads of plot holes in "Gothika", and a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. However, before the third act, I nevertheless had good time.… Expand

I'm not that into Horror flicks, but I think that this one is pretty decent. The script was a little bit weak and the talented cast was wasted on a so-so cliche plot. But, it was entertaining. This is a rare occasion when I disagree with the critics, but yes, I've enjoyed Gothika.

If you are able to identify with Halle Berry's character and truly feel everything she feels, then this film plays on your emotions with an exhilaratingly force. If not, the film will seem scattershot and its mistakes will be all the more obvious. It all depends on perception.