I've never trusted physicians. Probably never will, and for good reason: Rising above tepid slasher fare, German import Anatomy shows just how gruesome hospitals, doctors, and all their trappings can be.

Starring Run Lola Run's Franka Potente, the story recalls Extreme Measures (though skewing younger), a tale of a secret society of doctors and med students that disavow the Hippocratic oath, instead opting to do grotesque experiments on living, often perfectly healthy, patients.

A rising star, Potente's Paula gets wrapped up in the conspiracy as her med student friends disappear one by one, a gruesome Survivor with hefty stakes.

Darkly atmospheric and genuinely scary -- particularly in its final 20 minutes -- Anatomy is a fresh alternative to the generic teen horror that spews out of Hollywood each week. The "mystery" of the killer would be pretty obvious -- except the male cast members of Anatomy bear such a strong resemblance to one another (and everyone wears scrubs) it's hard to figure out who's who.

Altogether, a tense and unusual entry into the horror genre.

Aka Anatomie.



Scalpel?