The Haunter of the Dark II is an independent supernatural horror and mystery film made in Russia. In recent years, the underground movie scene in Russia has been growing and gaining much attention in its native land, and rightfully so, it's a great chance for many aspiring directors to have their moment to shine and see their dreams of making movies come true. Many have emerged, bringing with them weird, crazy, and imaginative films along with them, and one genre in particular to come from then underground movie scene in Russia are horror films. And The Haunter of the Dark II is one of those potential cult classics to come out from this wonderful indie cinema revolution.
The Haunter of the Dark II was written and directed by Dmitriy Khmelyov, a gifted young filmmaker who is showing that he is a growing talent, there is much potential in him. The film is based on the classic story by the master of the occult and horror, H.P. Lovecraft. And you can tell, right from the start that the director has a passion for Lovecraft's work and understands the style of the author's writings. The movie is clearly a labour of love dedicated to one of the most influential writers of the century.
At times, it reminded me of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985), in that it takes a classic Lovecraftian tale and reworks it in a contemporary setting, doing some creative and original things with the source material along the way, and all through the film you can feel the respect the filmmakers have for Lovecraft.
The Haunter of the Dark II tells the story of an author investigating a mysterious phenomenon that has be accruing recently, a weird bat- like monster with three eyes that flies through the night has been frequently seen, and it brings madness and doom along with it. One town seems to be under its influence, there is no police, crime and death are increasing, people are afraid to step outside, something strange is happening. That's not all, a serial killer has recently arrived on the scene, dressed in a green cloak and a steel mask with three eyes, he is murdering victims and taking blood and body parts for a sacrifice to unleash destruction upon the mortal world. The investigation takes the author into the very mouth of madness itself as he is thrust into a strange series of events involving murder, rituals, and The Great Old Ones themselves. It becomes a race against time as the author must stop the mysterious masked killer from completing the means of triggering the apocalypse.
The investigation angle of the film is genuinely interesting, I was intrigued from beginning to end to see how the story would unravel and what would happen next. The movie's pace allows plenty of time for the mystery to play out and be solved, it builds a lot of atmosphere and really makes you feel that the end of the world is slowly approaching, there's an underlining feeling of dread during the film, it's like a destructive power is watching and waiting, it adds to the unnerving tone. The killer himself is a cool looking character and his appearance reminded me a lot of Doctor Doom from the Fantastic 4 comics, he actually looked more like the iconic super villain than the actual Doctor Doom character in the 2005 and 2015 Fantastic 4 films. Who and what this killer is adds to the mystique and intrigue of the film, and gives the movie its scenes of blood and gore which many Russian horror films are becoming famous for having, good old fashioned practical horror FX, the best kind, it is always a million times better to see fake blood and limbs than CGI in a horror movie. That being said, this movie does have some CG scenes for the more supernatural side of the story, and while rough around the edges, it gives the film an otherworldly feel, these monsters and strange supernatural things aren't part of our reality and so it feels like something that doesn't belong in our world, it creates a sensation that you are looking at something that's not of this earth.
If you are familiar with the Russian underground horror scene, you will notice two particular directors, who are also actors, having guest cameos in this film. Alex Wesley, famous for directing Russian splatter films such as "Zombie Infection" (2011) and "Demon Mind" (2017), and Viktor Murzikov, another director famous for making short horror films like "Last Summer: Zombie Town" and "Elmer's Justice". I'm sure there are other Russian directors and actors of the underground scene there too, but Alex Wesley and Viktor Murzikov are the two stand out ones for me, both with their films and with their cameos in this. Alex Wesley plays an eye-patch wearing corrupt politician whose performance is spot on, he plays villains well, and while Viktor's part is very small during the end credits, it's quite a funny little moment where he is being interviewed about the final events of the film on a news report.
The music by Dmitriy Khmelyov is really effective, it creates an unsettling mood and gives the atmosphere more weight, it has that 70s, 80s horror movie score feel about it.
The Haunter of the Dark II is another example why the Russian underground scene needs more support and recognition outside of Russia, it's gritty, charming, and has plenty of passion behind the camera. It's creative and original, as well as a homage to the good old days of horror movies. If you are a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, 70s and 80s horror, and Russian independent horror films, then give this one a watch.
Dmitriy Khmelyov is a promising young director with a love for filmmaking and an eye for horror, I can see a good future for him, he has the skill.
