Círculos siniestros

If you are interested in seeing horror films that take a particular aspect of child-rearing, one that is fear-inducing for any parent or to anyone who has any experience in raising children, you may well enjoy this underplayed film. While watching it I became quickly convinced that it was a partner film to 'Grace' (2009). Although very contrasting aspects of child-rearing are turned inside-out as permitted within the possibilities offered by the horror genre, both are relatively underplayed and with small casts; the photography is subtle and although there are sudden jolts designed to shock, they really do resemble those moments when you're so tired you literally fall asleep while you're on your feet. Or at least that is what the victimised parents keep trying to convince themselves as they become more unhinged as every hour passes without rest. Grace, in its ambiguity and horrific content, is certainly a more interesting horror film. But the actresses who play the mothers in both films resemble one another not only in looks but in their obsession with taking care of their child. After checking the background info of both films, I was initially convinced they had the same director; but on closer observation I discovered that the names differ by one letter! Paul Soter directed Grace, whereas this film was directed by Paul Soler. Watching both parents gradually descend into madness as they become deprived of sleep is done hauntingly; you quickly realise where the title comes from; not crop circles or dark spirits but the lines that form under your eyes thanks to long-term weariness. The film makes use of three sets of possibilities, and thankfully doesn't reveal too quickly which one of them is true: are they hallucinating the spectre who seems to be appearing in their house, on cameras and in reflections, is their house haunted or is there a real person threatening them? Although I haven't raised a child or been kept awake by one, I certainly know how scary it can be when you lose track of time through lack of sleep and you're no longer sure which day it is, and this film milks that given for everything it's worth. It turns out that the director of Grace and Dark Circles are entirely unrelated, just as the tidy resolution presented in this film contrasts to the horrific and unexplained horrors of Grace. Still, this film was haunting, original, well-acted and is sufficiently under-played to be worthy of more than a single glance. It doesn't have a great deal to offer, but what it does present it presents in a sufficiently haunting package to give you food for thought, which as far as I'm concerned is the primary function of any truly good horror film.

First of all, I have to say I didn't expect much from Dark Circles. The poster looked OK, but you learn to be cautious with new horror films because under the cover often lies another boring and pretentious film with cheap scaring techniques and a predictable, derivative plot, and that's exactly the case here.

Johnathon Schaech and Pell James were good enough in their roles, even sympathetic, and the film had some nice ideas and scenes, like the one when Johnathon's character is dreaming. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was just plain bad. As I mentioned, you have a totally unoriginal story which tries to be a lot of things at once, and it never succeeds at being even remotely interesting. Then you have the same old jump scares which anyone can easily predict. The villain isn't scary at all, and looks like a woman with a bit of ugly make-up on (oh wait, that's what it actually is). Atmosphere was solid until the villain started showing up in brief glimpses, and that's when most of you will realize you will be wasting your time with this movie.

I'd say skip it, life is just too short.

From the outset this title had all the hallmarks of being a really eerie & atmospheric supernatural thriller/horror. The 'haunted house' has been done to death (pun intended), but the premise remains stalwart & dependable to fans of the genre. A couple move away from the city to the peaceful countryside with their newborn child. From there on in, this movie seemed like a gruesome analogy for parenthood. Sleepless nights; fractured relationships; paranoia; doubt; deceit. All this with a question of 'not knowing what is real & what is nether worldly' thrown in, makes this gripping viewing. Then comes the conclusion to this tale of marital strife... >>>IT RENDERED THE WHOLE MOVIE NONSENSICAL<<< I give this title a 5 because I did enjoy it right up to (well prior to) the end.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. I did not expect much, but did receive quite a lot. I gave it 6 out of 10, I could of given it 7 out of 10 as well, it is somewhere between those two grades.

Plot is very interesting, it connects with a problem which many young couples face and that is upbringing of a baby. Since I was stay at home dad, I know how hard it is to raise small baby. It constantly cries and it does not let sleep parents. Parents are usually exhausted ans sleep deprived. It sometimes creates a real horror in the homes of some families. Unfortenatelly it sometimes ends with a tragedy.

I like cinematography, camera moves are interesting and unusual.

Acting is very good, I especially like the character of the babysitter and the actress performing that role.

All in all if you like horror films, this is a film for you. Definatelly!

Starring an unknown cast, 'Dark Circles' treads familiar grounds, with a family moving away to the rural side of the USA in order to escape the hectic life in the city. From it's chilling 5 minute opening up to its eventual climax, 'Dark Circles' presents itself as a good start to this years run of 'After Dark Originals'. With the aforementioned opening 5 minutes effectively setting the tone for what's to come, I got the feeling that this could very well be a good horror movie.

With a movie like this, and a plot that has been used countless upon countless times it's quite hard to be original and I think the director (first time feature director Paul Soter) decided to sidestep that by just trying to give us as many creepy moments as possible. For the largest part he succeeds by giving us a rundown of the common and not so common tactics to scare us. Loud sounds, a point of view camera, shapes in the distance drawing near, and a very ominous soundtrack consisting of the same 4 tone piano medley all work together to give us the unsettling vibe that is so highly sought after in these types of movies.

What makes a movie great though, is its story.dark-circles-3 And while it sets out promising, with the main leads openly discussing the disturbing things they are witnessing, ultimately it degrades itself by falling back into the old habits of horror. They start to distrust one another (which only serves as a cheap setup to give us some more scary scenes) and the plot moves from one angle to the complete opposite without any clear given reason as to why.

It didn't manage to make me dislike the movie all together, but it took away from the experience I was having up until 50 minutes into its 86 minute total. The final resolve made me think of 'High Tension' a French horror movie which had an ending that totally ruined all that came before it.

While 'Dark Circles' doesn't tread the same grounds as that one, nor did it have as much impact as 'High Tension' had, its ending makes you wonder about the logic that's being used here.

Can a ghost be killed by a knife? Will it come back? What about the people who die over the course of the movie? and what about the marriage that was under huge pressure up until 2 minutes before the end of the movie? Ultimately, 'Dark Circles' is one of those movies that entertains, but doesn't manage to rear its head amongst the better horror movies. Being a virgin in this genre could benefit your experience as a viewer, but as a seasoned vet it's a case of been there, done that.

To summarize: some genuinely creepy scenes, an effective soundtrack, decent acting and a very well shot movie make this one of the better entries into the 'After Dark Originals' library. But that doesn't mean it's great.