Horas de Horror

I just saw this film at the FanTasia film festival in Montreal and was blown away by it. I really didn't expect anything and was more than surprised with the professional quality of it. High praises go to the DP for amazing lightings and colours. The filmmakers were not shy on using efficient camera movements reminiscent of Kubrick's works. The music was discreet and up to the point, no cheap tricks were used here to scare us with a sudden raise in volume or other easy silly tricks we see way too often in Hollywood movies in recent years. The acting was flawless which is not only a sign of a great scriptwriter but of good direction of actors on behalf of the filmmaker. I have seen some pretty awful dialogue in some horror films which the actors obviously couldn't say with a straight face, so it's nice to see some great dialogues in a horror film! But my appreciation didn't stop with the technical aspects of it. It was a very efficient horror film in the sense that it produced raw emotions for the audience. It doesn't make us jump up in our seats, but it makes us cringe. This is why i call this a REAL horror film as opposed to an easy-to-do thriller. The ideas were original, the cutting of the scenes led us to think of different possible ways the story could unfold, and kept us interested till the end.

Really this is a MUST SEE film. Being a Canadian film, I do hope they will get good distribution and that the world will be able to see this. This team of filmmakers and actors will go far. Keep their names in mind because I would bet that we'll be hearing them a lot in the future.

Dr Samantha Goodman(Kate Greenhouse),an attractive psychiatrist in her thirties joins her husband and sister for a weekend at a winter cottage when an unexpected guest arrives.Harlan Pyne(Aidan Devine),a violent sexual offender is convinced that Samantha conducted unethical experiments on him while she was his doctor.With the assistance of his troubled yet eager protégé Harlan forces Samantha and her family to participate in a series of nightmarish games."The Dark Hours" pleasantly surprised me.The script is tight and the violence is pretty brutal and ugly.Aiden Devine's portrayal of Harlan deserves special mention for being wickedly understated and menacing.The cinematography is dark and moody and the finale is surprising and thought-provoking.Give this harrowing film a look.9 out of 10.

Disclaimer: I am Canadian so I may have a slight bias to my comments on this film.

This is a very very entertaining film, as it has all of the facets that an entertaining film should have. Great believable acting, interesting, twisting story with well developed characters and some light humor, the direction effectively created a sense of tension and suspense that is rarely seen these days in horror films and thrillers. In the end a job well done by all. I remember seeing a similar film at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal two years ago, called Dead End with Ray Wise. If you have seen that one and liked it as much as I did, then you will surely like this one.

Not to be missed and I really hope that this one gets out there and is seen by as many people as possible!

To anyone wanting to watch this film I have the following suggestions:- 1. Watch it with friends....you'll be debating the ending afterwards.

2. Don't expect glossy effects or graphics....this is a true psychological thriller.

3. Pay Attention....The more you put into this the more you'll get out of it.

4. Have an open mind to where the film leads you.

Frankly I have to say I think this is a little unknown gem. It was done on a shoestring budget and I suspect not many have heard of it...it deserves wider release.

To anyone on the crew or cast who may read this can I offer my compliments. Well and believably acted, good lighting, good cinematography, appropriate score, well written and a Director who has pulled it all together to produce a great tight crafted product.

Good job guys.....you made my weekend.

P

I'm writing a horror screenplay. Until I saw The Dark Hours, I thought it was pretty decent. But this movie turned everything I thought I knew about horror on its head and made even some of my very favorite horror flicks seem superficial by comparison.

It's not that it's particularly original -- Chris Nolan could almost be listed in the credits for the cue that Paul Fox picks up from Memento and Following. What makes it stand out? It's damn scary -- it gave me the same visceral feeling of horror formerly reserved for classics like Halloween and Psycho. But even then it's like comparing apples to oranges because it's just as much a psychological thriller as it is a horror film. The Dark Hours takes the best from psychological thrillers, so-called "slasher flicks" and the lamentably-popular genre of torture horror and mixes them up in such a way that it seems fresh and original.

The film features a cast of talented unknowns, which works in its favor because there are no big egos drawing one's attention away from the story itself (and trust me -- you'll NEED to be paying attention to get the full effect).

Lopped off two stars for some unnecessary gore. Although it wasn't as extreme as many horror films, it didn't really add anything of value to the film -- gore doesn't produce scares, just shock.