Darkness (2002)
Some secrets should never come to light
Starring: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Giancarlo Giannini, Fele Martínez, Stephan Enquist, Fermín Reixach, Francesc Pagés, Craig Stevenson, Paula Fernández, Gemma Lozano, Xavier Allepuz, Joseph Roberts, Marc Ferrando, Josh Gaeta
Director: Jaume Balagueró
Running Time: 102 minutes
US MPAA rating: RUK BBFC rating: 15
Horror, Mystery
'Darkness' isn't just the title of this movie - it's also where it's been hiding for the last three years, tucked away at the back of a shelf somewhere, waiting for Miramax to somehow deem it worthy of a big screen release. And, having just sat through this laughable, hackneyed attempt at horror, I can only say it's little short of miraculous that 'Darkness' has managed to see the light of day at all. After all, it's not unknown for considerably better material to go straight to DVD.
It's the story of a family who move into a house where, unbeknownst to them, a gaggle of kiddies were murdered as part of a tenuous occult ritual 40 years previously. From the outset, it's obvious to both the audience and teenage daughter Regina (Anna Paquin) that all is not well at Creepy Mansion: sprog Paul (Stephan Enquist) keeps waking up with bruises all over his neck, mum Maria (Lena Olin) seems to think pills are the answer to every problem under the sun, and dad Mark (a painfully over-acting Iain Glen) is losing the plot completely, culminating in his declaration that he's being spied on by "whispering larvae" who apparently have their nest under the floorboards. Talking larvae?? Honestly, I ask you. Still, if you think that Dad sounds like he's a bit doolally, just wait until you meet Gramps...
Director Jaume Balaguero tries every trick in the book to make this one work, from excessive use of movement in the shadows to accompanying practically every scene change with an inexplicable crash of the soundtrack. Unfortunately, his mounting desperation to succeed in the chills department is never enough to conceal the blatant fact that this whole thing is about as scary as a trip to the swings. It's as if he watched an old copy of The Shining the night before going to the set, and thought to himself: "I can do that, no bother!" But, what he seemingly fails to realise, is that many of the elements which made The Shining great have long since become outright clichés of the genre, and it takes a special director indeed to wring any semblance of credibility out of them nowadays. Going by this showing, Balaguero is anything but special.
It's Got: A supposedly close-knit family who all act as if they'd never even clapped eyes on each other before being shoved in front of the camera.
It Needs: Someone to turn on the lights and bring this hokum to the premature end it deserves.
Alternatives: The Shining, Hide and Seek, Godsend, Darkness Falls
Summary: What lurks in the shadows may well be evil, but it's nowhere near as bad as the acting, dialogue and direction in this banal horror-plop.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 20th March 2005
External Links
Official Web Site
Darkness at the IMDB
Comments1 Comment |
| I've seen it twice. First time I watched it without enthusiasm. I thought I was just not in the mood. The second time was to make sure this dumb movie starts nowhere to lead the viewer to nothing. Why the hell are such films shot? |
| Comment by:- M.S. | stillife.ru | 23 March 2005 | ip: logged |
