This film falls into the tried and true warning — filmgoers beware of films released in the theaters in January, because they are often crud. Dimension tried to trick people and release this film last Christmas, but it smells like its right from the January dumping ground. Considering the film was made in 2002 and stat around for two years doesn’t build confidence as well.
Now I’ll admit that the film started out promising, especially with some great cinematography and production design. Teen Regina (Anna Paquin, FINDING FORRESTER) and her family have moved from the States to a European country where even electricians speak perfect English. Her father Mark (Iain Glen, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER) has had another episode and is becoming more and more angry. Regina’s little brother Paul (Stephan Enquist, film debut) begins to have bruises on his neck and starts drawing those cliché kids’ horror film drawings that creep people out. Well, they creep Regina out — her mother Maria (Lena Olin, MYSTERY MEN) is one of those movie moms who can’t see the bruises or unhinged husband before her eyes until it suits the plot. But we know something is up when the shadows under Paul’s bed keep stealing his colored pencils. I hate it when that happens.
Other “developed” characters include doctor grandpa Albert (Giancarlo Giannini, MAN ON FIRE), Regina’s artsy boyfriend Carlos (Fele Martinez, BAD EDUCATION) and eccentric architect Villalobos (Fermi Reixach, FAUST). Bet you can’t guess which one of those three is involved with the “Darkness” and which two get whacked. Hey, how did you know that? You must have seen at least one other supernatural thriller in your day.
The film is a can of mixed nuts, borrowing clichés from ghost, haunted house, crazy family member, satanic cults and slasher films. The film skirts by as an average genre offering until the end when it descends into such preposterousness that the film loses all credibility. This film doesn’t just have a bad talking villain at the end, but a rambling one. (A talking villain is a horror-thriller cliché of having the killer waste precious time explaining his plans to his victim instead of killing them.) The ending of a film, especially a thriller, should move; this film comes to a grinding halt. I actually yelled out — get on with it — while watching. So much coincidence is counted on to make the ending work that I laughed out loud more than once. If it wasn’t for an inkling of promise at the beginning that grabbed my attention, this film would be unwatchable. The ending is so bad it actually moves into the awful/good category. Stay away from DARKNESS, it’s a scary place.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
