A Criatura das Sombras

I think this movie is one in a million.. I watched it last night on BBC 1, obviously because Neve Campbell is in it. I think she is gorgeous and is a great young Actress in it.. I mean.. It's not every day you find a great Actress at such a young age.. I think Neve was 19 in it. I have to admit.. The Actors/Actresses wern't the best (An exception to Neve) of Actors and the Movie was a bit fake.. But I was kept entertained throughout the whole Movie! I loved it!

I sought out to see the handful of entries into the horror genre achieved by the late, great Brion James, which led me to check out "The Dark". It turned out to be an adequate late-night movie, owing a lot to the creature features from the 50s. The concept of the monster in this film is original and intriguing, and the thing itself is actually scary-looking, too. The triple conflict between the monster, the hero scientist who wants to preserve it, and the vengeful cop who wants to kill it adds to the story's effectiveness. A few contrivances and assumptions are forced on the viewer towards the start of the movie, especially how the hero survives his encounter with the creature in the opening sequence, and his initial 'adventure' with the waitress-cum-reluctant-sidekick, subsequently followed by their proper introduction at a nearby motel. But it's all worth it once the characters reach the cemetery under which the monster dwells. Most of the action takes place in a single night, which is always a plus for horror. And the whole picture has a very nice, um, 'dark' atmosphere to it.

I was surprised to see Neve Campbell's name appear in the opening credits, and although I was never a particular fan of her, she turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise in "The Dark". Brion James is excellent as the ruthless former detective hellbent on revenge against the creature at any cost. And Stephen MacHattie plays up his undeniable resemblance to Lance Henriksen by doing his best to act like LH, too. Worth watching as a late night rental. Though it never spawned a sequel, it probably deserved to, and I like to think it could still happen. Especially if they can get Neve to be in it! 5/10

This movie was pretty good overall with excellent performances from the cast except for Neve Campbell who had just an average performance at best in her big screen debut. The cinematography was excellent along with the creature and special effects plus the script was well written.

THE DARK is an ambitious film, really one of the more interesting horror premises in years. Not wholly original, but it's more of a 50's throwback with a fine sense of purpose which is just to have some fun. A giant rodent with a hankering for dead people digs tunnels under cemeteries to get at it's food source. An ex-FBI agent is out to kill it while a scientist wants to capture it for study. It seems some goop it excretes helps quickly regenerate tissue in humans for quick healing.

THE DARK is from Imperial Entertainment, who seemed to specialize in off-kilter genre product. Almost family films, until you're quickly jarred by some extreme violence or out of place profanity. They're pleasantly odd as is THE DARK. It's a little slow in places and I'd have to pin that on the director Pryce. He could've really moved this sucker along. Brion James (RIP) gives a really bad performance; he's just picking up a paycheck. McHattie's a likable non-actor, like Steve McQueen, and his MOVING VIOLATION from the 70's is one of my favorite drive-in films. Of course, Neve is in it, she looks great, but let's face it, she can't act. She's done alright though, a lot better than I, so more power to her. THE DARK is fun, worth seeing, but not if you have to go out of your way.

Strange tunnels beneath a cemetery lead monster hunters into a labyrinth where hides a corpse eating giant mutated rodent. Pretty ridiculous premise is somewhat saved by interesting characters. Stephen McHattie is the scientist wanting to keep the creature for science, while, the always evil, Brion James wants to kill it. The subterranean gut cruncher is well hidden for most of the film. This is a good thing, because it tends to mask it's low budget shortcomings. For me, "The Dark" is only kept from monster movie oblivion, by the presence of Brion James. Otherwise this film would be completely forgettable. - MERK