Every child of the 80s, and many of the 90s, knows of Cary Elwes. Maybe you didn’t know how to spell his name correctly. That’s ok. I only just learned how to spell it, and I still don’t think I pronounce it correctly. I turn the “w” of
his last name into some sort of mumbled “long u” sound, and hope for the best. Actually, I think I do that for most British actors and actresses.
Maybe you didn’t even know what his name actually was. I remember the day that I learned his name. It was the day I first watched Saw. That was 17 years after he starred as Westley in The Princess Bride, a movie I’ve seen countless times.It’s almost inconceivable, but it’s true. Those were the days when I didn’t care who the celebrity was behind the character, which may be the greatest compliment in acting. I wouldn’t know, I’m not an actor, or, at least, a good one.
That was 13 years since he was in Hot Shots!, a movie of which I am probably one of the few remaining fans. I’m pretty sure I may also be one of the few remaining fans of Charlie Sheen as well. It’s not that I agree with anything the 
man says in real life. I just think he plays a great scotch-swilling, womanizing, over-the-hill playboy, which is only half of what Charlie Sheen is in the public eye.
The last time I can remember Cary Elwes in a starring role was in 1993’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It was a remarkably funny movie. What was even more remarkable was the fact that I thought the lead character Robin Hood(duh) was not played by Cary at all, but Chevy Chase. This was before seeing the actual movie, but for some reason, every poster and film preview led me to believe that Cary Elwes was Chevy Chase, or vice versa. Even to this day, I can swear that Chevy Chase was in his own Robin Hood parody, but IMDB.com says otherwise.
From there, instead of continuing a career in comedy and tight-fitting clothes, Cary disappeared. Not literally. He did voice-over work, cameos in a billion or so movies, but never landed a starring role. Some believed that he went the way of Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, becoming disfigured due to a freak Ewok accident, therefore unable to become the main attraction of anything that didn’t require incessant vomitting, or at least a really scary mask.
At the turn of the century, we welcomed him back with the first of a long, still-running series of movies, the Saw franchise. For almost two hours, audiences around the world watched Cary Elwes talk on a mobile phone in a dilapidated public bathroom set in an abandoned factory. He did some nice work, and Cary Elwes’ name was on everyone’s lips once again. This time, people actually knew what his name was.
Now it seems the horror/thriller genre has called again, as Elwes is set to return to the screen February 5th in the film
Psych:9. He will again be playing a doctor, apparently, but this time he will be in a hospital, not a bathroom.
The synopsis for Psych:9 is as follows: A young woman named Roslyn takes a job at a recently closed hospital to collate patient records. Working alone in the building after dark, she experiences a series of unsettling events that lead her to believe the hospital may be connected to a number of recent murders in the area.
Cary Elwes plays Dr. Irvin Clement, a charismatic psychiatrist who knows how to strip away the traits used to conceal true nature. He analyzes the lead, Roslyn, about her own painful past. What that unleashes, who knows.
Maybe it will unleash a Princess Bride sequel called Grown Old. I’m sure Fred Savage could use the work.
But back to Psych:9. Psychological thrillers are always enticing. For some reason, old, abandoned mental hospitals seem to create the perfect environment for horror movies. Maybe it helps along the idea that anyone can do the unthinkable, since they are already connected to the loony bin. What becomes even scarier is when you don’t expect certain people to go insane. This is why I liked the movie Session 9, which had hardly any action except for a couple of asbestos removers walking around.
Let us see if Cary Elwes and Psych:9 follow suit. You can check on their progress at psych9.com with pics, clips, and Winter Ave Zoli (yeah, I’m a fan.)