Intensive Care (film)

Intensive Care is a 1991 Dutch action horror film directed by Dorna van Rouveroy. It stars popular Flemish singer Koen Wauters^[1] in his second and final film role and Hollywood actor George Kennedy. While the movie wasn't a box office success it did develop a cult following over the decades due to it being hilariously bad and campy.^[2][3] It has been shown during the Belgian-Dutch Nacht van de Wansmaak film festival.

Plot

The famous surgeon Dr. Bruckner suffers a car accident, which leaves him horribly burned and puts him into a coma for seven years. When he awakes at New Years' Night he starts a murdering rampage. As the plot progresses he stalks a girl named Amy, her boyfriend Peter and Amy's brother Bobby and tries to enter their house, while the friends try to fence him off.

Cast

• George Kennedy ... Dr. Bruckner
• Koen Wauters ... Peter
• Nada van Nie ... Amy
• Michiel Hess ... Bobby
• Dick van den Toorn ... Ted
• Jules Croiset ... Dr. Horvath
• Huub Scholten ... Inspector Eddy
• Nora Tilley ... Rose
• Arthur Boni ... Steven
• Dolf de Vries ... Hank
• Barbara Barendrecht ... Shirley
• Fred Florusse ... John
• Simone Dresens ... Christine
• Fred Van Kuyk ... Inspector Fox
• Luc Theeboom ... Bert

Reception

The film failed to make a huge profit, despite having the hugely popular teen idol Koen Wauters in the starring role, and was demolished by the critics. De Volkskrant reviewed it as: "A movie where every aspect goes so disastrously wrong that it almost seems like a parody." ^[4] Yet it quickly gained a cult following due to its poor acting, unconvincing special effects, bad English pronunciation and a plot hole-ridden story.^[5] The car accident that puts the surgeon into a coma has many unexplained explosions. When he awakes after seven years he is miraculously strong and able to attack other people. For reasons that are never explained the surgeon goes on a murdering spree and manages to survive numerous attacks that would horribly injure any normal person. To top it all off the actor who played him before the accident (George Kennedy) is now obviously replaced by a different actor, covered in bandages. In one of the most infamous scenes the girl's boyfriend lies on the floor, bleeding due to stab wounds, which causes her to remark: "Moet ik een pleister voor je halen? Jeetje mina!" (Translation: "Shall I get you a little band-aid? Golly gosh").^[6] The picture is traditionally shown during each edition of the Dutch-Belgian B-movie festival Nacht van de Wansmaak and has frequently been called "the worst Dutch movie ever." Due to this reputation it has been honored in the "Hall of Shame" of the festival.^[7][8][9]

See also

• List of films considered the worst

Sources

External links

• Intensive Care at the Internet Movie Database