A Slasher Unsure of Its Own Identity

Read Time:5 Minute, 31 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Doctor Plague
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Genre: Horror, Crime, Slasher
Year Released: 2026
Runtime: 1h 23m
Director(s): Ben Fortune
Writer(s): Simon Cluett, Robert Dunn, Robert Geoffrey Hughes
Cast: Martin Kemp, Peter Woodward, Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, David Yip, Wendy Glenn
Where to Watch: available now, stream here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: What happens when a film can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be, and how much does that indecision matter when the heart and costumes absolutely nail it? DOCTOR PLAGUE raises that question almost immediately, then proceeds to circle it for the remainder of its runtime without ever landing on an answer.

On paper, this feels like an intriguing piece of British genre pulp. A jaded detective, John Verney, investigates a masked killer stalking East London, with murders echoing back to a Jack the Ripper-style mythology and plague-era iconography. It’s an idea that practically begs for mood, dread, and a sense of historical rot. The plague doctor costume alone does half the work, tapping into an image that is already unsettling before a single knife is raised. The problem isn’t the concept. The problem is what happens when the film tries to stack too many identities on top of it.

Martin Kemp carries the film as Verney, and his presence is easily one of DOCTOR PLAGUE’s most stable aspects. He brings a weary energy that works even when the script gives him little to do beyond scowl, brood, and ignore advice that might save lives. Kemp understands the assignment, leaning into the tired-cop persona with enough conviction to ground scenes that would otherwise drift. He doesn’t phone it in, and that effort shows, even when the material strains under its own weight.

The film opens with a promising sense of seriousness, positioning itself closer to an occult crime thriller than a straight slasher. Verney’s superiors dismiss the murders as gang violence, nudging him into conspiracy territory that escalates quickly from suspicion to full-blown secret societies tied to the 1800s. It’s here that the film begins to fracture. Instead of committing to either a procedural descent into obsession or a stripped-down stalker structure, DOCTOR PLAGUE keeps pivoting between the two, never allowing either vision to take control.

The killer is undeniably effective at first glance. The plague doctor costume works best in shadow, where suggestion does more heavy lifting than execution. In those moments, the film briefly remembers that atmosphere matters. Unfortunately, the illusion doesn’t always survive sustained exposure. There is something oddly off about the costume. I mean, this is an indie horror film, so I’m not expecting top-level detail, but I wish the “doctor” had spent a little more time partially hidden to help hide those aspects.

The unevenness extends to the kills themselves. Some moments hint at practical effects that slasher fans will appreciate. In contrast, others retreat into offscreen moments or awkward digital blood (this is one of the most painful sins a modern-day film can commit, in my opinion) that drains impact rather than heightening it. The inconsistency is jarring. One scene flirts with excess, leaning into exaggerated gore, while the next feels strangely bloodless, as if the film lost interest halfway through staging the violence.

Supporting performances are solid on paper and frequently underused in practice. Peter Woodward, David Yip, and Wendy Glenn lend credibility, bolstering a cast that clearly knows how to perform. Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott’s role leans toward moral ambiguity and journalistic curiosity, but the film never allows that dynamic to evolve into something genuinely compelling. Characters move through the story because the plot requires it, not because their motivations feel organic.

Certain dreamlike or hallucinatory sequences hint at a more confident film buried beneath the surface. These moments suggest what could have been achieved with tighter control and clearer priorities. The film looks exactly like what it is, an indie production operating within real limitations, but limitations alone do not explain the lack of cohesion.

The conspiracy element becomes increasingly convoluted without becoming deeper. The narrative keeps taking unnecessary detours when a simpler structure would have served it better. Instead of escalating dread, the plot piles on information, creating a sense of clutter rather than momentum. By the time the film reaches its final stretch, it feels boxed in by its own ambition, struggling to resolve ideas it barely had time to establish.

There is a very specific audience for DOCTOR PLAGUE. Fans of Shogun Films’ prior films, particularly HELLOWEEN, will recognize the DNA immediately. This is video store horror in spirit, the kind of film you might have grabbed off a dusty shelf knowing full well it wouldn’t be a Hollywood slasher, but hoping it would at least be memorable. That nostalgia does a lot of work here!

DOCTOR PLAGUE isn’t without merit. The central concept is strong, the lead performance is committed, and flashes of atmosphere suggest real potential. The film wants to be an occult thriller, a slasher, and a conspiracy drama all at once, and it lacks the discipline to let any one of those identities fully take over. The result is a movie that feels stitched together rather than shaped. This may not be a film for casual horror viewers; it plays best as a late-night curiosity for genre fans.

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[photo courtesy of SHOGUN FILMS, TRINITY CREATIVE]

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