Shadows of the Soul - Der Feind im Dunkeln

Please note: I already submitted a review, but I must have forgot to hit a button or something, so this is a rewrite. As such, it will be shorter.

A woman (Thora Birch) is trying to get pregnant but is haunted by mysterious and morbid dreams. At the same time, her dream self is haunted by the dreams of her waking self. Which is the real, and why is her unborn child at the heart of the battle? What role does the hypnotherapist play in all this? My primary motivation for picking up this film was Thora Birch. I loved her in "American Beauty" and even more so in "Ghost World". I am sorry to say she doesn't carry that same beauty here (I like her as the short, pudgy girl) but her acting remains unblemished. Being the main character and the lead supporting character puts a lot of weight on an actor's shoulders, and she carries it.

Unfortunately, she is left to do the work with a team that is unworthy of her. The writer-director is a newcomer, and not particularly skilled. I could give him the benefit of the doubt and say the budget wasn't there or he was strapped for time. But I think this still wouldn't explain the poorly constructed plot and the lack of any real direction. Too many holes remain throughout the film ,and the tone went from serious to humorous in a very disjointed fashion.

I liked some aspects of this film: the dark world was cool, especially if you grew up playing Legend of Zelda. Dark worlds in general are always nice (who doesn't like goth chicks?). The dark humor was also good, like the way the mortician solves the problem of the erect corpse.

Continuity and plot problems run amok, and I have one prime example: the therapist. As the movie goes on, we begin to suspect more and more that he is involved in the darker elements of the film. But we never really get the full story, and worst of all -- her problems begin before we even meet him, making the case for him as a suspect very hard to swallow. Maybe I missed something.

I didn't particularly enjoy this film, and I don't think my friend Hannah did either. You know, if we hadn't just seen "I Know Who Killed Me", this probably would have been the worst horror film we had seen in a long time. Especially after watching a quality film ("Vacancy") the night before. If you can't get enough of Thora Birch, check this one out. But that's the only reason I can think of to deal with this mess, and even that's a risky decision I probably wouldn't make the second time.

This dark thriller isn't bad, its not great, but certainly watchable and suspenseful. The acting is good. Thora Birch gave a pretty nice performance even though she sometimes didn't seem to really understand her character. the atmosphere is great. The dream was good, and the nightmare was dark and disturbing. and it had a morale to the story. Though a lot of people might not like it (which might contribute to the low rating). It will also please gorehounds, as there is plenty of brutality and blood. I think it should have a little higher rating. Its definitely worth the watch if you come across it. I rate it 6/10 Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images, terror, and brief nudity

Never heard of this flick and never red a review of it I was wondering what it could give to me. I found it just for 1 cent, the cover didn't attract me but somehow I thought, yep, I take it. And what a great surprise it was to watch it. I was never bored even that it isn't a real slasher or a gory movie. What it does deliver is some scary and suspense full moments. I was locked on the screen from frame one until the end credits. And you have too, it's about a girl having some weird dreams but when she wake up she is sometimes still in her dreams, sometimes she doesn't. To make it a bid easier for the viewer is that you will have her with blond hair and sometimes with black hair. But still you will be confused when going on the color of her hair. Some moments are really intense, so I guess that if you are a freak on ghost movies or stuff like that that this one is for you, sure, it has some dark corners.

I caught this movie several months ago, and it was only after happening to come across it in my collection recently that I realized it was really worth commenting on here. So here goes.

Firstly, my brief take on the plot: Karen Clarke lives in a city where dark and horrifying things exist just beyond the edge of her vision. Susan Hamilton is a happily married woman suffering from recurring nightmares. Each considers the other to be the person they become in their dreams. So who is real? Now, this is not one of those "are you sure this is low-budget?" productions. There are numerous qualities about this film which make it very clear to the viewer that we are, in fact, in the land of independent financing, ranging from certain scenes shot like they're using 1950s camera equipment to the typical "small roles filled by people with all the emotions of a cardboard box" syndrome. This even extends to one of the more significant minor roles, an older blond woman whose acting ability alternates between competent and "Plan 9 From Outer Space" depending on the scene.

With that said, there's still something to this film. It takes a bit to get going, with the first 30-40 minutes leaving the viewer with a lot of puzzle pieces and very few ways to connect them, but the pieces themselves are reasonably interesting. Once we hit the halfway mark, however, things begin to connect a bit more. Most of it is executed well, leaving the viewer feeling neither confused nor as though they've been led by the nose. A few times, however, clues are all but identified with bright neon signs, particularly a seemingly pointless conversation which suddenly draws attention to itself with a rather unorthodox camera pan. The presentation otherwise is excellent, with many of the scenes set in the "dark" city just about oozing a sense of corruption and decay. Much of the content is surprisingly robust as well, with a lot of allegory and outright symbolism present throughout. (Though the significance of it all isn't truly clear until the end of the film) While the smaller roles are filled with the typical low-budget riff-raff, the principals all do an excellent job in this film. Thora Birch is entertaining to watch and, as always, you can sympathize with her character(s) almost instantly. Toby Stephens gives a short, interesting, and dark performance which is perfect for the film, and in a pleasant surprise Alan Perrin makes a highly intriguing detective in both "sides" of the narrative.

However, the real winning part of this film is the final reveal, the "twist" if you will. While it isn't what I would call exactly genius, it's still pretty clever; even the most observant of viewers will at best be able to determine part of the twist, but not all. More importantly, the reveal is both creepy and satisfying, albeit in a Schadenfreude-y kind of way. It's a worthy payoff for 90 minutes of invested time.

BOTTOM LINE: It's not really award worthy and it's certainly not perfect, but it's entertaining and has a wonderfully satisfying-yet-creepy ending. If you're a fan of "twist" movies like Memento and Sixth Sense but prefer a "darker" feel this may be right up your alley.

To call this a movie a hidden gem, is not a hyperbole, but it reflects its quality.It is a dive into the darkness, in an unknown place that salvation seems so far away. I haven't seen a lot American horror movies which are more frightening than this. It's a shame that this movie didn't get the recognition it deserved. 5.1 is not a fair rate. I would give it a 7.5. I think that the reviewers should award efforts like that, for encouraging producers/directors/writers who don't have large budget in their movies, to keep their vision up. Finally, i must confess that i wouldn't have understood the meaning of the end if i had not read the interpretation here, in movie's page in IMDb. Maybe that was the only flaw, the end is a little confusing.