"Return" (1985) - That Ending Though! (And Hypnotic Regression Weirdness)

Okay, so I dove into "Return" (1985) last night. Yeah, yeah, I know, deep cut. It's one of those movies I found with a super vague description and thought, 'Why not?' The whole hypnotic regression thing immediately piqued my interest, mostly because of the practical effects they probably had to do back then. I can only imagine it must have been one of the first psychological thrillers to touch on the subject. It's about this woman who thinks a hypnotized guy holds the key to her grandfather's death. Super specific, I know. Honestly, the film wasn't perfect. The pacing was a bit slow in parts and the acting was a little wooden at times, especially from the supporting cast. But what really got me was the ending! Without spoiling anything, it goes completely off the rails in such a bizarre way. I mean, I was sitting there like 😲. And the sound design during some of the hypnosis scenes? Total creepy, low-frequency hum that really got under my skin. Hats off to whoever did that. The low quality of the video makes it even better, almost like a 'found footage' vibe, although you know it isn't. The dream sequences were pretty cool for the time, too. I'm curious about what camera tricks they used. I'm sure there's a lot of practical effects, but some of the scene transitions were unique. Is it groundbreaking? Nah. Is it going to keep you up at night? Probably not. But if you're into weird, little genre flicks with bizarre twists and enjoy spotting some classic special effects, "Return" might be worth a look. (Just be prepared for some serious '80s hairstyles!). I did some research afterward, and it seems it was directed by an unknown figure. Kinda cool, right?