Other Side of Hell

The Other Side of Hell was a made-for-tv movie, which aired in 1978. In the story, Alan Arkin's character, is distraught over his father's death, or

more specifically, his father's last words to him ("I will never forgive you."). After his father passes, Frank begins to break into mausoleums and drives

a pipe into the ground at the graveyard (this all happens offscreen). He later claims that he did this so that he could get a message to his father. When

the movie begins, Frank is at the courthouse for a sanity hearing, so that he can get the help he wants and needs. Unfortunately, he finds himself at a

hospital for the criminally insane, where the only psychiatrist never sees the patients. Instead, the patients (or inmates) have to cure themselves, and

even then, they'll probably never leave the institution.

The action of the movie takes place over several years, as Frank Dole regains his sanity and attempts to get out of the asylum both legally and illegally.

While at the asylum, he witnesses the cruelty of the guards (who beat inmates to death), but as an insane person, no one will believe the stories that come

from the inside. Most of the second half of the movie consists of Dole gathering proof and attempting to escape his corner of hell. I am biased, in

that I really enjoy movies like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Shock Treatment," but I feel that some of Alan Arkin's best scenes are in this film.

According to some users at IMDB.com, the story is based on the experiences of Bill Thomas at Fairview State Hospital in Pennsylvania. An account

of the events can be found in the out-of-print books "Cold Storage" by William Rawls and "The Shoe Leather Treatment" by S.L. Stebel.

This film has never been released on video, and as far as I know, it hasn't aired on television since the eighties. Fortunately, with the help of the

internet, a slightly rough copy can sometimes be found on one of the auction sites, or if you're really lucky, you might find it in a torrent. I can't help you

with specific sites or listings, but to wet your appetite, here are three clips. The first two clips don't really give too much away, spoilerwise, but the third

one gives a tad more. I should also warn of violence and nudity in the last clip. It aired on tv, so it's not too graphic, but I wouldn't show it to young children.