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The Control Group (2014) movie poster

Timeline

The Control Group (2014) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2014 · 84 mins · English
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Directed by
Peter Hurd
Starring
Brad Dourif, Larry Laverty, Monique Candelaria, Jerry G. Angelo, Justen Jones, Emily Soto

Five college students find themselves trapped within a derelict, locked-down insane asylum, with no memory of how they arrived. They soon realize they are unwilling subjects in clandestine experiments, which have unleashed an inexplicable supernatural force. Now, the group must confront both the sinister individuals behind the tests and the terrifying entity they’re inadvertently awakened, battling to survive and find a way out of their inescapable prison.

Horror Drama Crime Fantasy Cast, crew & box office
On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
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12 events in order · contains spoilers

The Control Group Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Control Group (2014) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Jack wakes in the abandoned asylum

    Jack wakes up in the old, deserted mental institution alongside four other students. Confusion and fear ripple through the group as they realize they are not alone. They soon sense they are part of a secret, controlled experiment.

    Where
    Abandoned mental institution

  2. Discovery of a hidden experiment

    The students realize they are part of a secret experiment conducted by Dr. Broward. They encounter eerie circumstances and begin to suspect the facility is intentionally manipulating their minds. The revelation sets the goal for uncovering the truth.

    Where
    Asylum corridors

  3. Split up to search for the Blank Slate files

    They divide to search the sprawling building for the 'Blank Slate' files rumored to hold the key to their predicament. The group experiences disturbing hallucinatory effects, blurring lines between reality and illusion. Anne's ghost appears to guide Jack at times.

    Where
    Asylum corridors

  4. Jack finds the 'Wiped' patient files

    Jack locates a cabinet in the archive that holds patient records. The files bear the label 'Wiped,' suggesting that certain memories have been erased or altered. This discovery implicates the experiment's true purpose.

    Where
    Archive room

  5. Grant captured and transformed into a zombie-like creature

    Grant is abducted by plague-doctor-like figures and subjected to a procedure. He emerges altered, showing traits of his former self and the creature created by the experiment. The transformation escalates the threat to the group's safety.

    Where
    Facility wing

  6. The experiment stores consciousness in a machine

    The group learns from the files that the experiment is designed to store consciousness rather than wipe it. They realize the last consciousness belongs to a dangerous patient and is now housed in the machine they're connected to. This revelation reframes the entire crisis.

    Where
    Data vault / machine chamber

  7. Group members fall to the horrors and dangers

    As the threats intensify—zombie-like creatures, hostile staff, and the patients' deteriorating sanity—several members, including Vanessa and Corey, are killed. The surviving group must cope with mounting losses and fear. Heather is also killed in a gruesome encounter.

    Where
    Various hospital areas

  8. Climax approaches: confrontation in the vault

    Jack and Dr. Broward confront each other deep inside the asylum's vault-like chamber. They prepare to access the skeleton-infested machine, ending with a clash that exposes the truth behind the consciousness transfer. The setting is tense and ominous.

    Where
    Asylum vault chamber

  9. The last consciousness revealed; skeleton and wires

    Inside the vault lies a mottled skeleton, the remnants of the last patient subjected to the procedure. They remove the wires from the skeleton, intending to power up the machine. The revelation confirms the haunting purpose of the facility.

    Where
    Vault room

  10. Grant resists Broward and triggers chaos

    Although subjected to the experiment, Grant resists Broward and fights back, adding to the chaos in the facility. The struggle ignites a broader rebellion among the survivors. The hospital's defenses start to crumble under pressure.

    Where
    Asylum interior

  11. Survivors escape the hospital

    The remaining group members manage to flee the collapsing facility, leaving Dr. Broward unconscious and behind. The escape marks a hard-won end to the immediate threat, though the fate of their consciousness remains unresolved.

    Where
    Hospital exterior / escape route

  12. Grant's fate remains uncertain

    The final moment hints that Grant is the last patient undergoing the same consciousness-storing procedure as Broward, and his fate remains uncertain. The ending leaves the broader impact of the experiment unresolved. This fuels lingering questions about what has happened to him.

    Where
    Unknown lab area

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:05

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Timeline questions answered

The Control Group Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Control Group (2014): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why were the college students selected for the experiment?

The students were specifically chosen because they were young, healthy subjects ideal for Dr. Broward's consciousness storage research. Their ages and physical conditions made them suitable candidates for the experimental procedure, though they were unaware they were being used as test subjects.

  • college students
  • dr broward
  • test subjects
  • experiment participants
Q2

What does the Blank Slate experiment actually do?

The experiment claims to erase memories, but the files reveal it actually stores consciousness rather than wiping it. Each patient was connected to a machine that transferred their consciousness, with the last and most dangerous patient's mind now housed in the system they're tethered to.

  • blank slate
  • consciousness storage
  • memory erase
  • dr broward
  • machine
Q3

What happened to Grant after he was captured by the doctors?

Grant was seized by plague-doctor-like figures and subjected to a procedure that transformed him into a zombie-like creature. However, fragments of his former self remained intertwined with the new form, making him a hybrid of his original consciousness and the experimental mutation.

  • grant
  • transformation
  • zombie
  • procedure
  • plague doctor
Q4

What do the Wiped patient files reveal about the experiment?

The files stamped "Wiped" show that the experiment did not actually erase memories as promised. Instead, it stored consciousness inside a machine, making the term "Wiped" a misleading label for what was essentially a consciousness transfer process.

Foreshadowing: Earlier references to the Blank Slate program hinted at memory erasure, but the files contradict this.

  • wiped files
  • patient records
  • consciousness
  • memory
  • archive
Q5

Whose consciousness was stored in the machine they were connected to?

The last consciousness stored belonged to a dangerous patient famous for horrific crimes. This patient's mind was the most recent addition to the consciousness storage system, and the group realized this sinister presence was now housed in the same machine connected to them.

  • dangerous patient
  • consciousness
  • dangerous criminal
  • machine
  • stored mind
Q6

Why did Anne's ghost help Jack find the files?

Anne's ghost appeared to guide Jack through the asylum, helping him locate the cabinet containing the Blank Slate files. Her spectral assistance suggests her consciousness may have been one of those previously stored and erased, making her presence an echo of the experiment's victims trying to expose the truth.

Foreshadowing: Anne's ghostly guidance appeared at key moments when Jack needed direction, hinting at lingering consciousness.

  • anne ghost
  • jack
  • guide
  • files
  • asylum
  • supernatural
Q7

What was the purpose of the machine in the vault?

The vault contained a large machine with wires connected to a mottled skeleton, the remains of the last patient who underwent the consciousness-storing procedure. The machine was designed to transfer and store human consciousness, effectively creating a digital archive of minds.

  • vault
  • machine
  • skeleton
  • wires
  • consciousness transfer
Q8

Why did Grant suddenly resist Dr. Broward at the end?

Despite being transformed and subjected to the experiment, Grant retained enough of his original consciousness to resist Dr. Broward's control. His act of lashing out added to the chaos and helped trigger the survivors' rebellion against the staff, accelerating their escape attempt.

Foreshadowing: Earlier moments showed Grant struggling against his transformation, foreshadowing his eventual resistance.

  • grant
  • resist
  • broward
  • rebellion
  • fight back
Q9

What happens to Grant at the end of the movie?

Grant is the last known subject still undergoing the consciousness-storing procedure when the survivors escape. He is left behind in the facility, and his fate remains completely unresolved. The ending implies the experiment could still continue with him, leaving a terrifying possibility for what might happen next.

  • grant
  • fate
  • ending
  • uncertain
  • experiment continues
Q10

How does the consciousness storage experiment work?

The experiment uses wires and a machine to transfer a person's consciousness rather than erase it. Subjects are connected to the system, which stores their minds digitally. The dangerous criminal's consciousness was the last one stored, and the process was designed to preserve consciousness indefinitely.

  • consciousness storage
  • transfer
  • machine
  • wires
  • digital storage
  • procedure
Q11

Why did the supernatural entity get unleashed in the asylum?

The experiment's consciousness storage process inadvertently awakened a terrifying supernatural force. As the group accessed the vault and prepared to power the machine again, they unleashed the entity that had been dormant within the stored consciousness, likely connected to the dangerous criminal's mind.

Foreshadowing: The escalating hallucinations and zombie-like creatures hinted at a growing supernatural presence tied to the experiment.

  • supernatural entity
  • awakened
  • dangerous criminal
  • machine
  • unleashed

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Control Group, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Control Group tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about sinister experiments like The Control Group

Stories where characters are trapped and tormented by unethical scientific forces. If you liked the psychological torment and unethical science in The Control Group, explore more movies like it. This list features similar horror and thriller stories where characters are trapped in terrifying experiments, battling for their sanity and survival against sinister forces.

  • claustrophobic
  • sinister
  • paranoid
  • desperate
  • psychological
  • unsettling
  • Tone: tense, sinister, paranoid
  • Pacing: steady, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically begin with characters being captured or confined, quickly establishing them as test subjects. The conflict escalates as they uncover the horrifying true purpose of the experiment, often involving psychological or supernatural elements, leading to a desperate struggle for escape amidst deteriorating reality.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared focus on the terror of human experimentation, creating a consistent mood of paranoia and helplessness. They blend psychological horror with physical confinement, often featuring unreliable realities and a high-stakes survival plot against a cold, scientific antagonist.

The Experiment movie poster

The Experiment

2010
The Experiment movie poster

The Experiment

2002
The Control Group movie poster

The Control Group

2014
The Experiment movie poster

The Experiment

2010
The Immaculate Room movie poster

The Immaculate Room

2022
Experiment in Terror movie poster

Experiment in Terror

1962
Trapped movie poster

Trapped

1989
Closet Land movie poster

Closet Land

1991

Trapped supernatural horror movies like The Control Group

Groups fight for survival against a supernatural threat in an inescapable location. Fans of The Control Group who enjoyed the claustrophobic survival story against a supernatural force will find more movies like it here. Discover similar horror films about groups trapped in haunted asylums, buildings, or remote locations, facing an ambiguous and terrifying entity.

  • claustrophobic
  • anxious
  • sinister
  • desperate
  • supernatural
  • bleak
  • Tone: tense, desperate, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a group being isolated in a single location, often with a dark history. A supernatural presence is awakened or discovered, forcing the characters to unravel the mystery of the threat while their numbers dwindle. The stories typically conclude with an ambiguous or bleak ending, suggesting the threat persists.

Why they belong together: These movies share a potent mix of a confined setting, a group dynamic under extreme stress, and a supernatural antagonist. The similarity is driven by the relentless, tense atmosphere, the mystery surrounding the threat, and the emotionally heavy journey that often concludes without a clear resolution.

The Endless movie poster

The Endless

2018
23:59 movie poster

23:59

2011
Almost Invisible movie poster

Almost Invisible

2010
Trapped movie poster

Trapped

1989
Hidden movie poster

Hidden

2015
Truth or Dare movie poster

Truth or Dare

2017
Big Legend movie poster

Big Legend

2018
13Hrs movie poster

13Hrs

2010

Every angle

The Control Group (2014) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Control Group in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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