O Espírito das Trevas

I pride myself on being good at guessing the twists and turns of almost any film I watch. My husband gets annoyed that I guess the ending at only 15 minutes into the movie. However, this one got me. It subverted my expectations of the genre and made me think I knew what was coming. I did not know what was coming... at all.

Aside from the excellent story-telling, the cinematography was beautifully shot and the acting was honest and naturalistic. This was one of the more satisfying horror films I have seen in a good long while. I definitely recommend it for a weekend watch. Or weekdays, I don't dictate your movie-watching times!

While I enjoy reading film reviews, I am always cautious about putting my faith in another's opinion. Disclaimer noted, you can take mine for what it is worth. I am not a huge fan of the horror genre. (Stay with me) To me, there are common threads of cinematic elements often absent from this type of film. To the die-hard loyalists, this appears to be an acceptable part of the amalgamated enjoyment of the niche.

This is my second look at a Rea feature, ("I am Lisa") being the first. One of the primary reasons I gave "They Wait in the Dark" a take was due to Rea's simplistic approach in "Lisa". Sometimes less is more. One of the drawbacks for me in this realm is the gravitation toward over-the-top and gratuitously excessive gore. For others, this is part of the draw and appeal. To each their own.

I am looking at this film through a comparative lens. If you're expecting "Schindler's List" or "Shawshank Redemption", you're not going to find it. "They Wait" is a departure from the excessively gratuitous gore infused with a plot centered on human relationships. However, if you want to compare apples to apples and looking for horror, make sure to give "They Wait in the Dark" a chance.

I have no idea how this movie got decent ratings. I watch a ton of horror. For horror movies to be exciting and enthralling, you need to have good actors. That's why a lot of horror is trash: The acting is usually pretty terrible. This movie is a prime example. The forced, over-the-top acting took away from the storyline and the twist (which was actually pretty decent). The only thing I liked about this movie was the friend's one-liners in the car. I chuckled. The rest of the movie was bad. If you like true horror, do not... I repeat... do NOT waste your time on this. I did it for you. You're welcome.

Veteran Horror director Patrick Rea is back with a new film starring the Sarah Mcquire. This time the director brings in modern societal challenges to the movie world. The acting performances by Mcquire and her co star Lourie Catherine Winkle are loaded with intrigue. The audience discovers the dark pasts of each of these characters as the movie plays out. Each actress did an outstanding job in their portrayal of these rogue characters. Can you escape your past? Would you do anything to get what you want? Who are they? How long do they wait for us? As the audience these are the questions we must answer.

I had the pleasure of screening this at a movie theatre in Kansas City, where this film was made. I had the pleasure of meeting the director, Patrick Rhea and the lead actress, Sarah McGuire, both super nice people and did a q&a.

The ending of the film actually did shock me. It was a pleasant surprise.

For me, it was so cool seeing a film that was filmed in my area by local filmmakers.

As you can tell it's a low budget horror film, it didn't take away from the great performances and shock factor of the ending.

I would recommend giving it a shot with an open mind. You might be pleasantly surprised!