The Dark Tapes

I love anthology films, especially when they are of the horror variety, but this one was just a complete failure from beginning to end. The acting was atrocious for most of the segments, the script was inane and poorly realized, and the way the film was edited was so amateurish, I wonder if the director hired one of his kids to do it. The only saving grace about this film was the SFX. Some of the creatures really did look frightening, and had the film focused more on them, it wouldn't have been so bad. Instead, we got a lot of crappy acting, a lot of simplified dialogue, and some horrendous pacing. Not a quality film in the slightest, anyone would do themselves a favor and avoid this travesty and never speak of it again.

I really didn't expect too much from this movie. I can honestly say that I have never seen an anthology horror movie that I like, and I can add this movie to that list. Not great acting, pretty cheesy dialogue, obviously a low budget, and costumes lacking imagination

HOWEVER, the stories had some potential! Given a better budget and more time (i.e. extending an individual story into a full length movie), and stop the stupid handi-cam/skype filming style, which has been done enough now movie creators, there could have been a half-way decent horror movie here! But they made terrible choices and it was bad.

The Dark Tapes is a four story horror anthology. I'm a big fan of horror anthologies and the stories in this one are all original and had surprise endings that I didn't see coming. There are a lot of found footage films out there, but The Dark Tapes felt fresh and was the most unique found footage film I've seen in a long time. The stories are well written and entertaining and I think this film proves that you don't have to have a big budget to make a good movie. There are some genuinely creepy moments and not a whole lot of blood and gore,so I would think this film would appeal to a wider audience than some of your "typical" horror films. This movie is anything but typical. If you like horror and want to see found footage presented in a new way, definitely check out this anthology. It's a lot of fun.

Paranormal Activity all over again with some bits shamelessly copied from other similar movies, but with a budget that makes the special effects look bad. Not that it matters, even if the special effects were good, it would still be pretty terrible. I've seen better acting in x-rated movies.

The point of having a small budget is to improvise and try to generate something new, not copy stuff other people have made and do it badly. Almost seems like it was done badly on purpose, as in to cater to the hipster judges at the awards.

Don't get fooled by the awards and nominations. This movie either had no competition in the awards or they were the kind of awards where "everyone is a winner".

'THE DARK TAPES': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

An indie anthology horror flick, which interlocks four different tales of creatures, demons, ghosts and other things in the paranormal world. The film runs 98 minutes long, and it was made on a budget of just $65,000. It also features an ensemble cast (of mostly unknown actors) lead by Cortney Palm. First time feature filmmakers Michael McQuown and Vincent J. Guastini directed and co-produced the flick. McQuown also wrote the script (he previously co-wrote 2005's 'THE PERFECT MAN') and he also served as the film's editor and cinematographer as well. I found it to be a mostly well made, and impressive little indie horror flick; highlighted by Cortney Palm's performance.

The movie contains four different chapters, each telling a different supernatural tale. One revolves around a couple experiencing paranormal activities in the house they recently moved in to. Another story tells the tale of two lesbian lovers, that make a living performing sexual activities online (for paying customers), and one begins blacking out and not remembering certain strange experiences. Another story involves a woman who's raped at a party, and she then becomes obsessed with stopping persistent unwanted paranormal intruders. A fourth story is intercut between the others, and it revolves around three paranormal investigators, that take their investigations into uncharted new dangerous territory.

The movie is a little too slow-paced, drawn-out, and a tad too over complicated in places. For a film made on just a $65,000 budget though, I think it's mostly impressive. I love indie horror flicks like this, especially well made anthologies. This one delivers some nice effects, some cool dark imagery, and some pretty clever twists; it just sometimes takes a little too long to get to them. The acting, with the exception of Palm, is pretty amateurish though. The film probably won't become a cult classic of any kind, but I think it's still definitely worth the rental price. I bought it on Amazon Video for $9.99, and I don't regret it.

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