Overrated

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

After having seen the gory and over-the-top silly "Dr. Giggles" hundreds of times and loving it more with every viewing, it's rather difficult to accept that Manny Coto's debut film "Playroom" is such an ambitious and serious-minded psycho thriller. I surely wasn't expecting to see an attempt for intellectual horror, set in Eastern Europe and focusing on topics like archeology and child-psychology, so "Dr. Giggles"-fans beware!! It's not even an admirable attempt, as the screenplay is very uninteresting, tedious and a total bunch of nonsense. An obtrusive reporter convinces his girlfriend-editor to travel to Yugoslavia, more particularly to an ancient abbey where he and his archaeologist-father searched for the tomb of a fella named Ilok. After a couple of days of digging with no results, Chris goes completely nuts, has visions of his former imaginary childhood friend and kills the rest of the expedition crew. Big deal! "Playroom" is boring, mainly because you never care for Chris or his bad case of split personality syndrome. This is only the first time I see Christopher MacDonald in a lead role (he usually plays supportive characters) and he already fails to convince us of his acting capabilities. There's absolutely no tension, although Coto seemly tried hard to create some, and the supportive characters are all insufferable. Well, except for the great Vincent Schiavelli but his role is regretfully brief. There also is an irritating lack of gore and there seemly weren't enough budgets to buy a couple of extra light bulbs, as entire sequences are filmed in the dark. One final piece of advise for young scriptwriters: there's NOTHING even remotely scary about kids' imaginary friends! Especially not if these imaginary friends are ordinary looking kids as well.

This film really appealed to me, as I love the lush mountainous Eastern Europe countryside, and the hospitality of the locals. If you ever have the chance to visit Eastern Europe or the Balkans, don't hesitate to go.Christopher McDonald(Happy Gilmore's Shooter McGavin) gives a remarkable performance, if not over-the-top, as an archaeologist determined to find the tomb of an evil child prince who enjoyed public displays of torture. The site has a history with McDonald as well, his family was brutally slain here when he was a child. Tagging along is his girlfriend/boss, former Miss Virgina Lisa Aliff, and his drunk photographer friend and his annoying yoga obsessed wife. Throw in character actor Vincent Schiavelli, as his father's assistant and current mental patient, determined to seek revenge, and you have a solid involving story.The torture chamber was brilliantly constructed, and Christopher McDonald's deranged enthusiasm was classic. Lisa Aliff provides the skin, and it is rather noteworthy, she is an enchanting beauty. I have watched this film over and over again, and like it just as much as the first time I viewed it.

Archaeologist finds himself drawn to the site where his parents were murdered. There he and his friends are haunted by the ghost of an evil ten year old prince. Acceptable premise and good settings are just not enough to save this flick. The characters and acting are annoying and the script throws out many questions, but never bothers to answer them all. Rated R.

"Schizo" or "Playroom" has a close and mystical atmosphere, but it is not the psychological thriller it claims and wants to be. The story twist is too fast moving concerning to what you know about the main character from the beginning of the movie.Chris, played by Chris McDonnell of "Happy Gilmore", never has the sympathy of the viewer. McDonnell's acting is overdone. The other characters, Marcy (Jamie Rose) and Paul, seem to be only important for being killed by Chris, who turns into a murderer way to fast. But...nice ways to kill the others...!Wonderful landscape, average story.5 out of 10