The Dark

OK while not a great film it is very suspenseful. i saw this movie almost 3 month's ago at the Cardiff film festival an i can tell u that the cinema was packed an at the end of the film it got a great applause because of the suspense it held throughout the film! on the whole a throughly enjoyable film i found this too be a film with a level of suspense that i have not seen in many supposed thrillers in a number of years. yes i'll agree that the film didn't have a storyline that truly linked together but this is becoming a much more common trend in many films now. Also the film is made all the more enjoyable because it is a British made film showing the quality of films that can come out of this country when we try to make a good film.

This movie was pretty good. The acting was very good since they had a good cast. I enjoyed the girl playing the daughter and the other girl that comes later in the flick. We got a chance to see this movie for free, so no worries. It's worth renting if your in the mood for a suspenseful flick. It goes along with movies like half-light where a mother is stressing over their child for some reason or another. It could have been a lot better. The script was lacking in some parts, and the end was somewhat lackluster and confusing. I like it, nonetheless, but probably wouldn't watch it again. I'd suggest renting it though if your in the mood for a suspense flick.

Sean Bean is such a lost talent, he's a great actor and never seems to be given a decent or lead role. Even in Lord of the Rings he was cast as the turncoat. So I was excited to hear that he was the lead man in this movie, although not the lead it was a good step. Plus it was a British film and a horror. These things all combined to make me think that this was a movie to see.

Both Bean and Maria Bello are very convincing in the movie. Bean plays the straight up man who is confused by the happenings around him and just wants to make the family happy again, he plays a super convincing Father. Bello gives a great performance as she is called upon to be a trying mother, confused, insane, panicked and totally distraught. Not that much of a range really! The interplay between these two actors is very good, and when Bean has scenes with the daughter, he's just superb.

Something that becomes quite annoying through the first half of the movie are the deliberate scare tactics used by the Director, they are exceedingly formulaic and you know when they are coming and even when the shock comes. Still, all credit to them, you still leap out of your chair even knowing when a scare is coming. The formula is pretty constant through the first half, slow music, a long single scene, slow movement and no action, usually in the darkness, then a few fast cuts together accompanied by a loud sound and a raise in the music tempo, and there you have the scare. During the screening people were leaping like mad! After a while following this formula the film does turn around on itself and become something different. It's here that it becomes a lot more psychological and indeed, clever. There was a big feeling in this half of Event Horizon, particularly the flashbacks to being strapped in the chair, fast, multiple cuts of horror.

However during the latter half it also becomes confusing and very weird, yet I wish the whole movie had been like this. It could have abandoned its standard scare tactics and concentrated on the plot in the latter half, and this would have provided for a much more psychologically scary movie.

There's a particular moment near the end of the movie when a door closes in front of the lead, and your emotions are totally with the character at this point. Confusion for a few seconds and then a slow building understanding. It's a very good moment.

Still, however clever the entire ending is, I still felt it lacked clarity and subtlety. Dropping the scare formula of the first half would have brought a much better movie, and getting rid of the premise of scary sheep would have helped too. Perhaps it's a British thing, but sheep are not in the least bit scary, in fact coming from a Northern Scottish town sheep are considered far from scary. It just seemed to be a plot device that was struggling not to be absurd.

That said, you'll still leap, you'll still be scared, and when the film finishes you'll still like the conclusion.

The most disappointing thing about this movie is sound FX work. While every other crew member tried to avoid clichés and worked minimalistic the sound operator did his best exactly in the opposite direction. Sure he was proud of himself - every possible library sample from "Horror FX" folder (squeaks, boos, bangs and so on) has been employed at times "to make it scarier".

Otherwise the movie is surprisingly good. Cold and dark Welsh mythology, no fun. Acting is full of nuances. Scares are delivering (reminded me feelings of "Ju-on" (Japanese original of "The Grudge")). No major holes in script, everything is logical, worked in great detail. The climax is overloaded a bit with twists, but except the last one (too confusing way of depicting it) is impressive anyway.

My deepest respect to the cameraman for that catch of the Northern landscapes beauty, for the tricks with focus, for many unusual angles and meaningful use of color FX. That chapter in Annuun treated in sepia is simple and convincing - bravo!

8 marks for the well-worked atmosphere, fresh scares, interesting story, eye pleasures, serious attitude and creativity.

The Dark shocked me really, after seeing the trailer on TV my initial thoughts were that it was going to be a genuinely scary film, however after watching it, it appears it is not as much scary as it is strange!

The concept of it will seem pretty weird to you but it actually works, however there are times in it where the acting is pretty sketchy. I think all in all this film will appeal to people who like a bit of the supernatural or spiritual stuff, and maybe not as much to the people who like a really scary horror flick.

Hat off to Sean Bean, i like most of the films he's in, and Maria Bello does make viewing slightly more pleasant. Some will like it, some won't. Would definitely watch again though.