All Dark Places

I saw the paltry 2.4/10 rating this movie has received and felt compelled to write a quick bit on it. I found this movie to be enjoyable on a mental level. The box art and the inclusion of a clown would make one stereotype this movie as a clown slasher flick which it most definitely is not. In fact, and heed this well, if you are solely looking for a splatter-fest including clowns, look elsewhere. You will be sorely disappointed. For anyone looking for a surreal portrayal of a man's madness and its impact on his family, I'd say you could do a lot worse.

There is a clown mixed into the proceedings and he is featured in a couple creepy scenes. The actor playing the clown oozes menace and does a good job portraying, well, a creepy, mean clown. The actors do an okay job, especially the little fellow. The wife's character is a little wanton with her accusations of lousiness towards her husband when she herself is no trophy wife (looks aside.) This is pretty mature subject matter for children (and nightmare inducing creepy clowns) so kudos to little man.

As for the ending, I find it intriguing and thought-provoking. One of those 'take it as you will' types of endings left open to interpretation.

All Dark Places is a psychological thriller that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat without the requisite blood and gore of typical horror movies.

The Clown played by Siede is exquisitely creepy as he rants and his way through the film. One never knows who he is, REALLY.

The movie is edgy with off beat music that perfectly fits the bizarre characters in the eerie, suburban enclave. The directing with its close ups also adds an eerie and surreal play-like ambiance.

Kudos to Reiner for his thriller debut!

We hope there is more to follow.

Namely because after sitting through a film listed as a Horror/Thriller that was boring and contained neither of the genres listed, I don't know where to file this. It's about a husband & wife with a 4y.o. son that have a rocky relationship due to the husbands drug habits & joblessness.They see a marriage counselor regularly but that doesn't help. Along the way the husband starts to lose his frail grip on reality & starts seeing a clown all over the place that obviously isn't there.

Sadly that is the plot in it's entirety, you have 80 minutes filled with no thrills,kills,blood or build up of tension or suspense, then a two minute conclusion I won't spoil. If you find yourself on the edge of your seat it's only because you are leaning for the remote to turn this mess off. I don't recommend paying to see this. I'm giving it a generous 3/10, the 4 year old son delivered his lines spot on.

Sure, you see a clown on the cover and think "killer clown". Well, the clown IS a killer but don't judge a book (or in this case a film) by its cover: All Dark Places has much more to offer than ordinary slasher fare.

This is a sharply executed tale of a father, mother and son trying to keep the family together. Whether the clown exists at all is the big question here. Is he a creation of the young child's imagination? Is he there to make sure dad does the right thing? Or maybe he represents the struggle and turmoil of a marriage on the brink.

The acting is top flight as is the cinematography, scoring and direction. With so many shaky-cam horror/thrillers out there with god-awful acting it is so refreshing to see a film in this genre where all the elements add up to a cohesive whole by the time the credits roll.

Some of the early ratings here seem impossible. This film is deserving of praise for it's originality. I suppose some viewers wanted a splatter-fest and were disappointed.

Look to the critics reviews for more balanced and intelligent insights.

All Dark Places stands on it's own as a thought provoking and chilling look at the modern family unit.

All Dark Places is a spooky, tense & terrifying horror film that explores a very dark side of the human condition. Nicholas Reiner uses his skills as a filmmaker to scare the audience with no gimmicks just straight up fear and terror diving straight into the mind of a man that has lost his grip on reality. Making the normal and mundane turn into a terrifying trill ride is not a easy task.

All Dark Places will make you terrified to jog in the woods alone.

WANT to watch something spooky, SCARY and very terrifying? ? Watch All Dark Places.

Jason Cusato Festival Director

The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival