I had never heard of "Memory" till I purchased it on a 4-movie "Horror Collector's Set" DVD from the bargain bin. In addition to "Memory," the other three movies on the DVD were Tobe Hooper's "Mortuary," "Wages of Sin" and "Bloody Mary." "Mortuary" wasn't too bad but the other two films were flat-out awful, so by the time I sat down to watch "Memory" I really wasn't expecting much. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the best movie on the DVD, even though it certainly isn't what I would consider a "Horror" movie. "Memory" is a fine mystery/suspense thriller along the lines of a James Patterson story (think "Kiss the Girls" or "Along Came A Spider") with some occasional horrific overtones.
Billy Zane of "Titanic" stars as Taylor, a researcher for a pharmaceutical company who is accidentally exposed to an unknown drug compound while in Brazil for a convention. When he returns home to Boston, he begins having disturbing flashbacks of a masked person in a black cloak, dark forests, and little girls. Disturbed by these visions, he begins to do some research on the powder he touched and it turns out that Indian tribes in the Amazon have been using it for thousands of years to see other people's memories, through their own eyes. Unfortunately for Taylor, the person whose memories he's now "sharing" happens to be a psycho who's been kidnapping and killing little girls for the past 30 years without being caught. With the help of his artist girlfriend (Tricia Helfer of "Battlestar Galactica") and two family friends (the late great Dennis Hopper and Ann-Margret) he takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery and stop the masked kidnapper before he can claim yet another new victim. As his investigation moves along, it seems that the killer also has a connection to Taylor's past that he has never suspected.
Though this was obviously a low budget film (from a first time writer/director) "Memory" is a nice looking film and a tight, fast moving effort. The veteran cast turns in fine performances all around, and the twists and turns of the plot will keep the viewer guessing till its creepy finale in the kidnapper's lair. This is also the coolest set piece in the movie, a cavernous building loaded with scary looking mannequins and bizarre scrawlings on the walls. I thought I had the ending figured out early on but as it turns out, the filmmakers threw me a curve ball that I wasn't expecting. Horror fans will probably be disappointed by this flick (as I said, it really doesn't belong on a "Horror" DVD) but fans of psychological thrillers should be pleased with this little known gem.
"Memory" can apparently be found cheaply wherever bargain DVDs are sold so I would recommend checking it out. Just a tip, if you happen to buy it on the same "Horror Collector's Set" that I did, skip the other three movies on it and go right to this one.
