Spiderhead (2022)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
In a high-tech prison, inmates volunteer for drug experiments to shorten their sentences, only to discover the true, darker purpose of the research.
The story
Spiderhead is a state-of-the-art penitentiary where inmates participate in experiments involving mind-altering drugs in exchange for reduced sentences. Overseen by the hospitable Steve Abnesti, the subjects are free to roam and perform chores while undergoing daily test runs of various chemicals that alter their emotions and perceptions. Among the volunteers is Jeff, an inmate seeking redemption for a tragic accident. However, as the experiments progress, the prisoners begin to realize the true nature of the facility and the unsettling motives behind the pharmaceutical research.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a luxurious penitentiary, inmates volunteer for drug trials to shorten their sentences. Steve Abnesti, the hospitable overseer, administers various chemicals that distort emotions and perceptions. Inmate Jeff, haunted by a drunk driving death, is given a 'love drug' and later forced to choose which female inmate receives a fear-inducing drug. After a tragic suicide occurs during a test, Jeff discovers that the prison is actually run by Abnesti Pharmaceuticals and the drugs were named from a bingo card. Steve and Jeff eventually bond, but the truth emerges: the facility is testing a compliance drug, B-6, using the other drugs as side projects to see if inmates would harm loved ones under command. It is revealed that the inmates had been under the influence of the obedience drug the entire time. Jeff learns that Steve had already finished his sentence months ago. A confrontation ensues where Jeff tries to free Lizzy, but Steve, viewing the project as his only love, sabotages her MobiPak with fear drugs. After a violent struggle, Jeff and Lizzy manage to escape the island while Steve crashes his floatplane in a drug-induced state.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joseph Kosinski
- Writers
- Rhett Reese · screenplay; Paul Wernick · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Chris Hemsworth · Steve Abnesti; Miles Teller · Jeff; Jurnee Smollett · Lizzy
- Genres
- science fiction; psychological thriller
- Themes
- obedience; pharmaceutical ethics; redemption
- Tone and mood
- psychological; dystopian
- Premise and plot tags
- prison film; science fiction; pharmaceutical thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Escape from Spiderhead by George Saunders
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a short story first published in The New Yorker in 2010.; Principal photography took place in Australia in 2020.; The drugs in the film were named from a bingo card.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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