Dark Touch

Yet another supernatural kid horror that has an eye for atmosphere but the script is just nothing special.

Our main girl Niamh is a very sympathetic and adorable protagonist but we have just been here before and you need some kind of twist to make it interesting especially since this movie kind of blows its load very quickly, revealing the things we really should have just been guessing.

It's a vivid portrayal of the domination of adults in a child's life, even the well intentioned ones.

But I can barely even remember how this ended which is a pity from an Irish set movie with French people behind it.

**Spoilers ahead**

It's clear from many of the other reviews, as well as the film's unfairly low rating, that a good percentage of today's audiences remain uncomfortable with ambiguity and lack of closure. I for one think these qualities are sorely lacking in modern film, and desperately needed in greater abundance in the horror genre in particular. Yes, it might have been nice to get some "origin event" or background on/explanation of her powers (and what's the deal with that whistling trick?), but this is not a film concerned with plot. Instead it is much more focused on capturing the horror inherent in its primary POV--the paranoid, emotionally detached, and deeply disturbed perspective of an abused girl. Leaving the audience in the dark, so to speak, with regards to exactly what is going on and why is in perfect keeping with that aim. With that said, I did think it went overboard in the final scenes, and that the addition of her two sidekicks was unnecessary. Nevertheless, I still rate it a worthy addition to the sub-genre of horror ("Carrie", "May", "Alice, Sweet Alice", etc.) that successfully evokes extreme unease from the fragile and volatile psyche of a damaged little girl.

I am going to begin by stating that, while I am not an expert on film making, I think this is a very well directed and edited movie. The pacing was spot on. I was entertained from start to finish. Morally righteous audiences should be pleased by the lack of naked female breasts and naughty language. The story does deal with a very serious and disturbing subject however, so this movie may not be appropriate for everyone.

The main problem that I think some people will find with this movie is that the thing, or device, that drives almost all of the action sequences has already been dealt with in what is considered by many to be a classic horror film.

The "summary", refers to the film's weirdest line, at the climax of the film.

It goes something like this, " Education used to be easy, but these days everyone has an opinion." ???? Was that supposed to be a joke? The film- makers seemed to concentrate on the looks of the film and the actors, more than the story. All the actors were "pretty", as was the scenery. I liked listening to the rich Irish accents. Unfortunately, the story seemed quite amateurish, as it contained bits and pieces from other movies, stuck together haphazardly. It jumbled "Carrie", "Who can Kill a Child", "Village of the Damned" and another recent Irish horror story,"The Daisy Chain", in which a little girl/elf burns her parents to death. The imagery was well done, but the plot was basically incoherent, with very little real story.

There are worse ways to spend your time. 'Dark touch' maintains an unsettling atmosphere throughout its length, and is filled with intermittent moments of violence and blood. And... that's a movie!

Moments of acute fright for the characters are supposed to inspire the same in the audience, but we just don't feel it beyond the maintenance of the spooky-ooky atmosphere. It's just interesting enough to keep us watching, to see what happens, but it's not especially engaging.

The thing is that 'Dark touch' relies heavily on a trope we've seen many times before. For most of its length, that's about all there is to say. With about 15 minutes left it takes that familiar narrative thread in an extra dark, surprising direction - but then ends rather abruptly.

This isn't bad. But nor is it noteworthy enough to specifically recommend. 'Dark touch' is the sort of supernatural thriller to view if you can't decide on anything else, or want to watch something with limited time and aren't very particular.