In 19th century Baltimore, a girl stricken with grief from her parents’ untimely death, voluntarily checks herself into the Rosewood Institute, and is subjected to bizarre and increasingly violent pseudo-scientific experiments in personality modification, brainwashing and mind control, she must escape the clutches of the Rosewood and exact her revenge.

The Institute is a literate, ambitious film inspired by the real horrors that took place at the Rosewood Institute of Baltimore, Maryland. Isabel (Allie Gallerani) is a wealthy socialite, reeling from the death of her parents, seeking a place to mourn and convalesce. After meeting with the director of the facility, Dr. Torrington (Eric Roberts), touring the grounds, and getting a feel for the place, Ann checks herself in. She neglected to take to heart the odd behavior of a few of the patients that she ran into during the tour, much less the mannered and bizarre behavior of the staff.

She first meets Dr. Cairn (James Franco) as he skulks up to her bedside in the middle of the night, lantern in hand, explaining to her the method of treatment she will undergo. At Rosewood, Dr. Cairn uses art immersion therapy to mentally guide and heal. Convincing the residents of the facility to act out, even live the parts of famous stories of the time, he hopes to lead them to wellness.  

As Ann’s stay at Rosewood goes on, she meets a host of odd characters including patients that seem to have their mental faculties, surgeons that leer around half-opened doors, and nurses that assure her that everything is fine. This is typical territory here as Ann continues to make discovery after discovery that things aren’t quite right.  She is soon persuaded to agree to torturous therapies as a way to delve deeper into the psyche and then things get even weirder. Does Ann finally resist the bizarre treatments and escape? Does she give in and let the madness take over? Does she tell Dr. Cairn to stop the nocturnal visits? 

Written by Adam Rager and Matt Rager, the story attempts to weave references to the stories of Poe, Hawthorne, and other period authors by having the patients acting out scenes from their books as therapy. The idea is an interesting one but somehow it feels like more of a way to reference better, more macabre stories. It would have been interesting to see the patient acting out parables from pieces that they might consider classic in the 1880’s, the bible maybe, with less overt references to what we today consider literature.  Another problem with the script, through no fault of its own, is the fact that it was developed as a 120 page pilot script for television. Characters appear in the film early on then never return, stories are dropped, and it feels like there is a much bigger story with more longevity. It’s a shame it didn’t go in that direction.

On the upside Pamela Romanowsky and James Franco‘s joint direction gives a film with a small budget a very rich feel. The film looks like a lush oil painting with it’s heavy amber tones and detailed costuming. Despite the performances that occasionally come off as broad and ceremonial, there is a grotesque pleasure in seeing  some of the characters get what they deserve.

The site of lurid human trafficking, the real Rosewood story  was uncovered on May 13, 1937, by Leo Kanner. Back in the day, the wealthy were known to stop by the asylum to purchase what amounted to slaves for their own needs. This served as a starting point for a creepy period piece set in an experimental sanitarium. It’s a shame that more of that story was jettisoned in favor of a more ghoulish route. Despite it’s faults, the film succeeds in creating an atmosphere rich in gothic horror and despair. 

The Institute is out NOW in select theaters and VOD.