By John Corrado

★★½ (out of 4)

Taking place in 1980, when widespread fear of satan worship and occult rituals are spreading across the nation, Regression follows police detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke), who is investigating a young woman (Emma Watson) who alleges that her father (David Dencik) sexually assaulted her, despite him having no memory of committing the crime.  When they bring in a psychiatrist (David Thewlis) to carry out hypnotic regression therapies, they start to uncover an even deeper mystery, and come to fear links to the occult.

This is an example of a film that I actually found to be better and more worthwhile than the mostly negative reviews might suggest.  Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, and featuring a stylish sense of atmosphere appropriate to the time period, Regression is a fairly compelling psychological thriller that explores how fear and paranoia can creep into even the most doubtful minds and influence a police investigation.  Anchored by an engaging performance from the always dependable Ethan Hawke, this is a pretty good genre film that offers enough intrigue and moments of suspense to keep us watching.

The DVD includes no bonus features.

Regression is an Elevation Pictures release.  It’s 106 minutes and rated 14A.