Beneath the Dark

It starts out the old cliché of a couple driving in the middle of no where. Of course something happens and they have to stay in a creepy hotel. Nothing original here even the big twist at the end is just sad you see it coming. The movie is not boring and you get to feel for the character Frank (played by Chris Browning). The only good thing about this title is that it doesn't try to be this big suspenseful movie it knows it is a B movie. But besides that there really is nothing good about this film. I can just know of so many better movies to see besides this, because this is just one big cliché in a 1 hr 42 min movie.

BENEATH THE DARK is a b-series mystery thriller that doesn't bring much novelties to the genre. It's an average movie, effective to create suspense and mystery, but it completely falls in all type of clichés! I knew from the beginning what kind of plot I would have, and many of the plot disclosures are predictable, but what I disliked the most was that pseudo morality about "sins which instigate other sins" (nice people die too if you know what I mean!); beside that it's an OK movie in its type. The acting could also be a little better, but it's not bad though. The setting is good, in spite of being one of the main clichés… I scored it 6/10, probably just because I'm fan of this type of cinema (mystery thrillers).

Wow, I just finished watching this and I cannot frigg'n believe that people only have rated it an average of 4.8. Geez... What the HELL do people wanna see these days anyway, I mean REALLY! I've commented on a few other Indie films recently where I felt they were rated way too low, but the average rating this one has REALLY burns my butt.

Okay, maybe the story is not completely original; and maybe people may be put off by the VERY MILD spiritual overtones. BUT... and it is a BIG BUT like Mariah Carey's... the film was very well directed and written, and it is one of the rare cases where it is acted even better. The main dude Josh was like a younger, milder version of Sean Pen; the guy was COOL personified. And the Black Dude, MAN! I don't know where they found him, but he was bloody PERFECT! The acting alone was so well done and blessedly NOT over the top or overdone in ANY way what so ever, that that alone merits a 7 or more. That is EXTREMELY rare these days; usually, the acting is one of THE worst parts of these kinds of films.

In my lowly and wretched opinion, many of these other Indie Horror films can be a bit rough and are DEEPLY into 'B' territory, but THIS baby here frigg'n ROCKED with much better quality than usual. I have to say that this is one particular case where I am truly disgusted with what people have rated this film; it really almost makes me lose total hope for the taste of the movie going / watching public. I'm not gonna add snide comments about how mindless people are who have rated this low or how horrible their taste is, etc., etc., like you usually hear all the time in cases like this. No... But, I WILL say that PLEASE remember that the purpose for reviewing and rating films here is NOT just to trash these films because of our individual little petty and pissy likes and dislikes. NO... The primary reason why I come here myself is to get an HONEST and OBJECTIVE view of the Quality of the film itself REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU COMPLETELY LIKED IT OR NOT. Man, it's like if a movie doesn't just make you explode in your pants, you're gonna give it a crap rating (of course, if a movie DOES indeed make you explode in your pants, that probably would merit a '10' : )

Let's remember here people that sometimes we may not personally like a film for one reason or another, but if it is well made and of high quality, it would really be appreciated if ones would temper their ratings and reviews and try to be a little more OBJECTIVE and include that information for those of us who just MIGHT damn well appreciate a movie that is well done like this, despite the fact that YOU didn't like it...

THAT is precisely why we come here...

While crossing the Mojave Desert to go to a wedding in Los Angeles, Paul (Josh Stewart) and his girlfriend Adrienne (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) have a car accident. They decide to spend for the night into the Roy's Motel and Cafe and they check-in with a man called Frank (Chris Browning). Paul is uncomfortable to disclose a secret to Adrienne while Frank's wife Sandy (Angela Featherstone) has a hidden past that affects their lives. Along the night, weird and surreal things happen to Paul until a stranger help him to discover the truth and make a choice.

"Beneath the Dark" is an engaging but predictable thriller. The story is unoriginal and the mystery is easily disclosed still in the beginning. But anyway it is entertaining. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Escolha" ("The Choice")

Beneath The Dark starts well enough. A young couple pull up into a hotel, looking for a place to stay for the night. As in so many hotel horrors that went before it, the place is deserted and what little people that are around are incredibly sinister. Sound familiar? That's because it is. Imagine Reeker, Vacancy and The Shining (try spot the references) thrown into a blender. That's the impression Beneath The Dark makes early on, and it's a good 'un.

Slowly the movie unfolds a series of flashbacks which give an insight into the past of a few of the characters we have seen throughout the movie and into the secrets that their past holds.

Paul and Adrienne are a run of the mill young couple experiencing a few relationship problems (Vacancy anyone?) and Frank is the lonely hotel owner who is sinister in his overt friendliness. All sounding pretty run of the mill so far? Here's where it veers off.

Through the pre-mentioned flashbacks, and also the bizarre reveals we begin to realise there's a lot more going on in Paul's life than meets the eye, and from some reason, the events of the night seem to be unfolding around the mysterious secrets of his past. As the intensity of these bizarre incidents is cranked up the viewer begins to feel increasingly unsettled and also engrossed. The slow burning build-up beats every last inch of possible tension out of what is, in all fairness, a very lame script. Slowly Beneath The Dark appears to be building to something magnificent, and then boom, the end has happened. Where was our sensational denouement? Nowhere to be seen. In a finish that's likely to leave more questions than answers, and not in the good David Lynchian way, the viewer is left feeling somewhat ripped off.

You put up with the bad acting and poor dialogue for what appears to be an interesting plot and quite decent direction to be left feeling somewhat dumbfounded as to how the writer felt that to be an acceptable finish to the movie. Beneath The Dark as a result, appears to be a case of a writer biting off more than he can chew, but with some very blatant signs of potential for the future. All in all I give it 6/10.