Gothika

{{short description|2003 film by Mathieu Kassovitz}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Gothika | image = Gothikaposter.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Mathieu Kassovitz]] | producer = {{plainlist| * [[Joel Silver]] * [[Robert Zemeckis]] * [[Susan Downey|Susan Levin]] }} | writer = [[Sebastian Gutierrez (director)|Sebastian Gutierrez]] | starring = {{plainlist| * [[Halle Berry]] * [[Robert Downey Jr.]] * [[Charles S. Dutton]] * [[John Carroll Lynch]] * [[Bernard Hill]] * [[Penélope Cruz]] }} | music = [[John Ottman]]<!-- Principal composer only. --> | cinematography = [[Matthew Libatique]] | editing = [[Yannick Kergoat]] | studio = {{unbulleted list|[[Warner Bros. Pictures]]|[[Columbia Pictures]]|[[Dark Castle Entertainment]]}} | distributor = {{unbulleted list|Warner Bros. Pictures (USA/Canada/Japan)|[[Sony Pictures Releasing|Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International]] (International)}} | released = {{film date|2003|11|21}} | runtime = 98 minutes | country = United States<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/62750-GOTHIKA?cxt=filmography|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|title=Gothika|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124021649/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/62750-GOTHIKA?cxt=filmography|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref> | language = English | budget = $40 million<ref name=mojo>{{mojo title|gothika|Gothika}}</ref> | gross = $141.6 million<ref name=mojo/> }}

'''''Gothika''''' is a 2003 American [[supernatural horror film]] directed by [[Mathieu Kassovitz]], written by [[Sebastian Gutierrez (director)|Sebastian Gutierrez]], co-produced by [[Joel Silver]] and [[Robert Zemeckis]], and starring [[Halle Berry]] with [[Robert Downey Jr.]], [[Penélope Cruz]], [[Charles S. Dutton]], [[John Carroll Lynch]], and [[Bernard Hill]]. The film follows a psychiatrist who finds herself incarcerated in the penitentiary in which she works, accused of brutally murdering her husband.

The fourth project developed by production company [[Dark Castle Entertainment]], following 2002's ''[[Ghost Ship (2002 film)|Ghost Ship]]'', ''Gothika'' was the second film by the company to be co-distributed by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] and [[Columbia Pictures]], the first being ''[[Thirteen Ghosts]]''. It was also Dark Castle's first major scale production and the first to boast a number of high-profile stars in its lead roles.<ref name=ign/> ''Gothika'' was shot in [[Quebec]] in the spring of 2003.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on November 21, 2003, the Friday before [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]]. The film grossed $141.6 million internationally, though it received generally negative reviews from critics.

==Plot== Dr. Miranda Grey, a psychiatrist at Woodward Penitentiary in rural western [[Connecticut]], crashes her car one night on a country road to avoid hitting a young woman. When she awakens, she finds herself an inmate of the women's ward in which she works, receiving treatment from her colleague, Dr. Pete Graham. Pete reveals that her husband, Douglas, has been the victim of a brutal [[axe murder]], and she is the sole suspect. As Miranda attempts to adjust to life as an inmate, she is haunted by visions of the young woman she saw the night of the car accident, and is attacked by her apparition; the woman carves the phrase "Not Alone" into Miranda's arm, though hospital staff presume she is [[self-harm]]ing.

Miranda bonds with fellow inmate Chloe Sava, whom she treated before her incarceration. One night, she witnesses Chloe being raped and glimpses a tattoo of an [[Anima Sola]] on the perpetrator's chest, though the guards do not believe her. As time passes, she regains memories of the car accident. She identifies the mysterious woman as Rachel, the daughter of her superior, Dr. Phil Parsons, who had died in an apparent [[suicide]] several years prior. Late one night, Miranda is attacked by Rachel's ghost and escapes the hospital. She returns to her home and observes the crime scene. This triggers vivid memories of Miranda committing Douglas's murder.

Miranda visits Douglas' rural farmhouse in [[Rhode Island]], hoping it will contain clues. In a cellar in the barn, she finds a blood-stained mattress, along with sedatives, restraints, and video recording equipment. One of the tapes is revealed to be a [[snuff film]] shot by Douglas, which shows him raping, torturing, and murdering a young woman. Police arrive, arresting Miranda and finding one of Douglas's victims, Tracey Seaver, still alive in the barn. Miranda realizes that Rachel [[spirit possession|possessed]] her to carry out the act and avenge Rachel's own murder by Douglas.

Incarcerated in the county jail, Miranda speaks to Sheriff Bob Ryan, Douglas' best friend, about her belief that Rachel's suicide was staged and a second perpetrator was involved. Using her expertise as a psychiatrist, she constructs a psychological profile of the second perpetrator and realizes it is Ryan, who then attempts to inject her with a sedative. In the struggle, she tears at his shirt, revealing the Anima Sola tattoo on his chest. She turns the syringe on Ryan before fleeing. In a drugged state, he pursues her, telling her that Rachel was their first victim, and he and Douglas worked together to abduct, rape, and murder local women. Rachel's apparition appears and Ryan shoots at it, causing an explosion that sets him ablaze. Miranda shoots the burned Ryan to death. Moments later, Pete arrives to save her, having realized the truth.

A year later, Miranda, now freed, walks with Chloe, also released, on a city sidewalk. After Chloe leaves, Miranda sees a young boy on the road who is about to be struck by a fire truck. However, the fire truck passes right through him and she realizes he is only a ghost, failing to notice the "Missing" flyer of the boy.

==Cast== {{Cast list| * [[Halle Berry]] as Dr. Miranda Grey * [[Robert Downey Jr.]] as Dr. Pete Graham * [[Penélope Cruz]] as Chloe Sava * [[Charles S. Dutton]] as Dr. Douglas Grey * [[John Carroll Lynch]] as Sheriff Bob Ryan * [[Bernard Hill]] as Phil Parsons * [[Dorian Harewood]] as Teddy Howard * [[Bronwen Mantel]] as Irene * Kathleen Mackey as Rachel Parsons * Matthew G. Taylor as Turlington * Michel Perron as Joe * Andrea Sheldon as Tracey Seaver }}

==Production== ===Development=== The fourth feature film produced by [[Dark Castle Entertainment]], ''Gothika'' was the first to boast a high-profile leading cast, and was the company's largest-scale production at the time,<ref name=ign>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/19/ign-interviews-gothika-director-mathieu-kassovitz-and-stars-halle-berry-and-robert-downey-jr|website=[[IGN]]|date=November 19, 2003|title=IGN Interviews Gothika Director Mathieu Kassovitz and Stars Halle Berry and Robert Downey, Jr|last=Otto|first=Jeff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025200106/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/19/ign-interviews-gothika-director-mathieu-kassovitz-and-stars-halle-berry-and-robert-downey-jr|archive-date=October 25, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> with a budget of approximately $40 million.<ref name=mojo/>

===Casting=== Berry was partly inspired to take the role because her mother, a nurse, worked in a psychiatric hospital for decades.<ref name=ks>{{cite news|work=[[Kitsap Sun]]|url=https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2003/11-21/323870_halle_berry_talks_about_fame__f.html|title=Halle Berry talks about fame, filming of 'Gothika'|date=November 21, 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529042239/https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2003/11-21/323870_halle_berry_talks_about_fame__f.html|archive-date=May 29, 2021|last=Silson-Combs|first=Lana}}</ref>

===Filming=== Filming took place on-location in [[Quebec, Canada]] in the spring of 2003.<ref name=ie/> The film was largely shot at the abandoned St. Vincent-de-Paul Prison in [[Laval, Quebec|Laval]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.piratemedia1.com/archives/article_a4bc86b0-359a-5a02-8af0-b83d0eebc68f.html|work=[[WDLX|Pirate Media 1]]|title=Film review 'Gothika'|date=December 4, 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124022037/https://www.piratemedia1.com/archives/article_a4bc86b0-359a-5a02-8af0-b83d0eebc68f.html|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref> Other scenes were filmed throughout [[Montreal]], [[Hinchinbrooke, Quebec|Hinchinbrooke]], [[Oka, Quebec|Oka]], and [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]].

Shooting of Berry's sequences was temporarily halted for several weeks in May 2003, after Robert Downey Jr., while filming a tense scene with Berry, grabbed and twisted her arm, accidentally breaking it.<ref name=ks/><ref name=ie>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30099519.html|work=[[Irish Examiner]]|title=Gothika filming continues without Berry|date=May 19, 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529042740/https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30099519.html|archive-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref>

==Soundtrack== The score's original music was composed by [[John Ottman]], with additional cues by [[Lior Rosner]]. "[[Behind Blue Eyes]]" by [[Limp Bizkit]] (originally by [[The Who]]) was featured in the film but was not available on the soundtrack. The record was released on November 18, 2003, via [[Varèse Sarabande]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/OST/gothika/|title=Gothika (2003)|publisher=soundtrackinfo.com|access-date=May 25, 2014}}</ref>

==Release== ''Gothika'' was released on November 21, 2003 in North America, opening the Friday before the [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] week in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records/domestic/all-movies/holiday-5-day-all-movies/thanksgiving|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|title=Thanksgiving (All Movies, 5-Day)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124020138/https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records/domestic/all-movies/holiday-5-day-all-movies/thanksgiving|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref>

===Home media=== ''Gothika'' was released on [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] by Warner Home Video on March 2, 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Patrizio|first=Andy|title=Gothika on March 23|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/03/gothika-on-march-23|publisher=IGN|access-date=May 16, 2026|date=February 3, 2004}}</ref><ref name=wr/> The initial DVD release was available in both [[widescreen]] and [[Fullscreen (aspect ratio)|fullscreen]] editions.<ref name=wr>{{Cite journal|journal=Widescreen Review|issue=28|url=https://widescreenreview.com/dvd_detail.php?recid=12699|title=Gothika|url-status=live|date=May 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529043417/https://widescreenreview.com/dvd_detail.php?recid=12699|archive-date=May 29, 2021}}</ref> A two-disc special edition DVD, featuring additional documentaries and bonus features, was subsequently released in October 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|title="Gothika Two-Disc Special Edition" DVD From Warner Home Video|url=https://www.warnerbros.com/news/press-releases/%E2%80%9Cgothika-two-disc-special-edition%E2%80%9D-dvd-warner-home-video|work=[[Warner Bros.]]|date=July 19, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807212916/https://www.warnerbros.com/news/press-releases/%E2%80%9Cgothika-two-disc-special-edition%E2%80%9D-dvd-warner-home-video|archive-date=August 7, 2020|access-date=February 13, 2021}}</ref> The film was released on [[Blu-ray]] by Warner Bros. on September 25, 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/283/gothika.html|work=High-Def Digest|title=Gothika Blu-ray Review|date=September 30, 2007|url-status=live|last=Bracke|first=Peter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128170638/https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/283/gothika.html|archive-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref>

==Reception== ===Box office=== ''Gothika'' grossed $19.3 million in its opening weekend, ranking at #2 behind ''[[The Cat in the Hat (2003 film)|The Cat in the Hat]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-cat-on-top/114820626/ |title='Cat' on top |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260516223506/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-cat-on-top/114820626/ |date=November 26, 2003 |access-date=May 16, 2026 |archive-date=May 16, 2026 |page=14 |publisher=[[The News & Observer]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref name=mojo/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/sulewski/forecast112103.asp|work=Box Office Prophets|title=Weekend Forecast for November 21-23, 2003|last=Sulewski|first=Reagen|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124015820/http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/sulewski/forecast112103.asp|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref> It went on to gross $59.7 million in the US and $81.9 million from foreign markets for a worldwide total of $141.6 million.<ref name=mojo/>

===Critical response=== The review aggregator site [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave ''Gothika'' a 15% approval rating based on 165 reviews and an average rating of 4.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Berry's acting talents can't save ''Gothika'' from its preposterous plot and bad dialogue."<ref>{{cite web |title = Gothika (2003) |url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gothika |work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=March 7, 2025}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 38 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/gothika|title=Gothika Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}</ref>

A more positive review came from [[Roger Ebert]] of ''The Chicago Sun-Times'', who gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. He wrote that "the plot is preposterous" but nonetheless felt that stylish direction and Berry's performance made ''Gothika'' enjoyable on its own "lurid" terms: "The casting of Halle Berry is useful to the movie because she evokes a vulnerable quality that triggers our concern. [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]] might have wanted to work with her. He didn't cast so much for acting ability as for an innate quality."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gothika-2003|title=Gothika Movie Review & Film Summary (2003)|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=November 21, 2003|author-link=Roger Ebert|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208192216/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gothika-2003|archive-date=December 8, 2017}}</ref>

[[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the film's atmosphere and cinematography, but felt the screenplays was inconsistent, noting that "ghost-story clichés collide with the serial-killer clichés, and the women-behind-bars clichés give way to the wronged-women-seeking revenge clichés, the movie proves to be both too much and not enough: yet another slick, empty package of ersatz entertainment."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/21/movies/film-review-if-you-see-a-roadside-ghost-afire-it-s-best-to-keep-right-on-driving.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 21, 2003|last=Scott|first=A. O.|author-link=A. O. Scott|title=FILM REVIEW; If You See a Roadside Ghost Afire, It's Best to Keep Right on Driving|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222194745/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/21/movies/film-review-if-you-see-a-roadside-ghost-afire-it-s-best-to-keep-right-on-driving.html|archive-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> Adam Smith of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' awarded the film two out of five stars, writing: "Sebastian Gutierrez's over-cooked screenplay provides director Kassovitz with more than enough trope to hang himself, serving up every cliche from endless thunderstorms and creepy asylums to flickering strip-lights and that 'spooky' backwards sound effect that no hackneyed horror these days is ever without, before applying the tin lid with a 'twist' ending more carefully signposted than wet floors in an orthopaedic ward."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|last=Smith|first=Adam|date=2004|title=Gothika Review|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gothika-review/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008123939/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gothika-review/|archive-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref>

=== Awards and nominations === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- ! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Institution ! scope="col" style="width:2em;" | Year ! scope="col" style="width:25em;" | Category ! scope="col" | Nominee(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- ! scope="row" | [[Black Reel Awards]] | 2004 | [[Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress|Outstanding Actress]] | [[Halle Berry]] | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Black Reel Awards]]|title=Halle Berry|url=https://www.blackreelawards.com/bruised_berry-emerging-director|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124021346/https://www.blackreelawards.com/bruised_berry-emerging-director|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | [[Golden Trailer Awards]] | 2004 | Best Horror/Thriller | ''Gothika'' | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="TVG">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/gothika/2030140666/|title=Gothika|work=[[TV Guide]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20251124034956/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/gothika/2030140666/|archive-date=November 24, 2025}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | [[MTV Movie Awards]] | [[2004 MTV Movie Awards|2004]] | Best Female Performance | rowspan="2" | Halle Berry | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/mtv-movie-award-nominations-2004/ |title= MTV Movie Award Nominations 2004 |first= Willow |last= Green |work= [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date= April 22, 2004|archive-date= November 23, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231123052220/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/mtv-movie-award-nominations-2004/ |url-status=live}}</ref> |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" | [[NAACP Image Awards]] | rowspan="2" | [[35th NAACP Image Awards|2004]] | [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture]] | {{nom}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="TVG" /> |- | [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture]] | [[Charles S. Dutton]] | {{nom}} |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" | [[Teen Choice Awards]] | rowspan="2" | [[2004 Teen Choice Awards|2004]] | Choice Movie Actress – Drama/Action Adventure | Halle Berry | {{won}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | <ref>{{Cite web|title=Teen Choice Awards 2004|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/teen-choice-awards-2004/|website=[[CBS News]]|date= August 9, 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130050241/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/teen-choice-awards-2004/|archive-date=November 30, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> |- | Choice Movie – Thriller | ''Gothika'' | {{nom}} |- |}

==See also== * [[List of ghost films]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0348836|Gothika}} * {{TCMDb title|id=537003}} * {{mojo title|gothika|Gothika}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|gothika|Gothika}} * {{Metacritic film|title=Gothika}}

{{Mathieu Kassovitz}} {{Dark Castle Entertainment}}

[[Category:2003 films]] [[Category:2000s horror thriller films]] [[Category:2000s ghost films]] [[Category:2000s psychological horror films]] [[Category:2000s serial killer films]] [[Category:2000s supernatural horror films]] [[Category:2003 American films]] [[Category:2003 English-language films]] [[Category:2003 horror films]] [[Category:2003 psychological thriller films]] [[Category:American ghost films]] [[Category:American horror thriller films]] [[Category:American psychological horror films]] [[Category:American psychological thriller films]] [[Category:American rape and revenge films]] [[Category:American serial killer films]] [[Category:American supernatural horror films]] [[Category:American supernatural thriller films]] [[Category:Films about psychiatry]] [[Category:Films about spirit possession]] [[Category:Films directed by Mathieu Kassovitz]] [[Category:Films produced by Joel Silver]] [[Category:Films produced by Robert Zemeckis]] [[Category:Films scored by John Ottman]] [[Category:Films set in Connecticut]] [[Category:Films set in psychiatric hospitals]] [[Category:Films shot in Montreal]] [[Category:Films shot in Quebec]] [[Category:Fiction about mariticide]] [[Category:Films about snuff films]] [[Category:English-language horror thriller films]] [[Category:English-language crime films]] [[Category:Teen Choice Award–winning films]] [[Category:Dark Castle Entertainment films]] [[Category:Columbia Pictures films]] [[Category:Warner Bros. films]]