Sinister Surgeon (2024) – Written Review

Starring Samantha Neyland Trumbo, we watch as a highly educated surgical resident joins a practice marred by a burgeoning scandal of recent patients being murdered.

Plot Summary

Katelyn Harken is a new resident at P&N Plastic Surgery, and while the P of the company, Dr. Jacob Peterson, is kind to Kate, partly due to Katelyn’s father being Jacob’s professor, the N, Dr. Nichols, gives her a hard time. Luckily, Lori, the office manager, is kind. But, while Kately is trying to get adjusted, a murder investigation is ongoing, and Katelyn seems in line to be the next victim.

Noted Cast and Characters Of “Sinister Surgeon”

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Katelyn	Samantha Neyland Trumbo
Jacob	Anthony Montgomery
Dr. Nichols	Helena Mattsson
Lori	Alisa Allapach

Katelyn

With her father being a cardiac surgeon, an education at East Lexington, and a USMLE score of 290, Katelyn is perhaps one of the smartest and most talented surgeons around. Hence why Dr. Jacob Peterson wanted her for his practice. But, with her father’s recent death, she has shifted from following in his footsteps to forging her own path alone, which leaves her highly educated but also vulnerable.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Christmas Rescue.”

Jacob

Dr. Jacob Peterson is the co-founder of P&N Plastic Surgery, located in Beverly Hills. He is a doctor known not only for his talent and recently being a widow but also for being very flirty with his patients.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Carole’s Christmas.”

Dr. Nichols

With her name on the practice, Dr. Nichols is a very tough boss when you first meet her. But, it is only because she wants the best because she believes she hired the best. Now, in Katelyn’s case, Dr. Nichols didn’t personally choose her, but like many, Dr. Nichols can warm up to you if you show yourself capable of consistent and reliable output.

Lori

Lori is the office manager for P&N Plastic Surgery and a former patient. An accident left her looking far different than what we see, and while she is better, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t still think about the trajectory she was on before she got hurt.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Light As A Feather.”

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun Violence, Gore, Blood, Torture, Notable Fight Scenes
• Sexual Content: Sexual Situations
• Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Body Horror, Drinking

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

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Highlights

If You Enjoy Tubi Mysteries, You’ll Enjoy This One

A whodunit mystery combined with light sexual content and people getting killed in a gruesome fashion. In some ways, Tubi has made a niche for itself in having this formula, and while it may not stand up well to bigger platforms, Tubi reminds you of that bargain bin where you’d always find something you were surprised about.

Speaking specifically on “Sinister Surgeon,” however, what we enjoyed was Dr. Nichols’ attitude towards Katelyn, Lori being an equal opportunity gossiper, and Jacob giving you “Black folk got to stick together” vibes. Granted, part of his interest and protection of Katelyn dealt with her looking like his wife and him wanting to sleep with her, but in the beginning, it seemed like he wanted to look out for the daughter of his favorite professor, especially since she is just starting her career.

However, you have reason to question everyone as the bodies add up. Is Dr. Nichols, who seemingly doesn’t like having a partnership with Dr. Peterson, trying to set him up? Could Dr. Peterson be a cannibal and is scalping flesh or even selling body parts of past patients who he knows are single and have no one? What about Lori? Between her accident and what happened to her face and body, could she feel like these women don’t appreciate their privilege to be able to afford cosmetic surgeries?

While there isn’t a strong sense of finger-pointing going on, there is enough to keep you interested in what the movie plans to deliver.

On The Fence

The Ending

“Sinister Surgeon” doesn’t have a definitive ending. It ends on an ellipsis, with no mid-credit or post-credit scene to wrap things up. You may appreciate this in some ways, because not every mystery deserves or should end with everything tied up.

Yet, knowing this won’t get a sequel, and this being pretty formulaic until the ending, suddenly trying to do something different or unique may disturb the Tubi loyalist. When it comes to our take on Tubi, what is likable about the platform is that it generally produces average TV movies that happen to be TV-MA. All of which are as reliable as a Hallmark Christmas movie.

So, while we like “Sinister Surgeon” wanting to mix things up, I’d rather it be in ways like “Sins of The Bride” did and mess with the formula than presenting something that leaves the story feeling incomplete.

General Information

Film Length	1 Hour 30 Minutes
Date Released	July 6, 2024
How To Watch	Tubi
Distributor	Tubi
Director(s)	Jonathan Louis Lewis
Writer(s)	James Quinn, Mary O’Neil
Genre(s)	Crime Horror Thriller Young Adult
Content Rating	Rated TV-MA