From the Dark

From the Dark does not adopt a new premise nor does it have a big budget and yet its still a darn good Irish scare fest.

The key characters are played with likable ease by Niamah Algar and Stephen Cromwell. Their natural genuineness in the opening scenes and the amusingly familiar predicament they find themselves in, heightens the sense of dread when things take a terrifying turn for the worse.

The setting is a suitably remote farmhouse miles from anywhere and anyone, where the couple are stalked by a creepy creature inadvertently exhumed by the farmhouses owner. The creature itself never quite comes into focus but what you do see and what is hinted at,actually makes the creature, for me at least, far more frightening.

All of these elements come together to give this film a pervading atmosphere of desperate isolation and an ever building sense of dread, in the form of something unspeakable lurking in the dark.

All in all a solid horror with a subtle and cleverly managed ending. A well deserved eight out of ten from me.

FROM THE DARK is an excellent low-budget creeper from Ireland. After opening with a hideous resurrection and a vicious attack, we are introduced to Sarah and Mark (Niamh Algar and Stephen Cromwell), who are just passing through the vast, mostly uninhabited countryside. Unfortunately, their car gets hopelessly stuck in the mud. The couple end up at a farmhouse where the farmer isn't quite... himself.

This movie builds tension slowly with some sudden jolts along the way. There's also a novel approach to the subject matter, adding to the sense of danger. Recommended for those looking for something a bit fresh in a well-worn sub-genre...

This movie looked great and the beginning setup was fairly standard but done well. The initial dialogue between the main characters wasn't cringeworthy... though it's pretty much the only dialogue in the entire movie. So there's that. There is great atmosphere throughout and the monster is creepy in it's vagueness and mystery. More of a phantom than a raving beast. Unfortunately, beyond those elements the story is just silly. The heroine is level-headed and stoic the whole time, she never panics or breaks down... and yet she keeps doing the most inane things and ignoring opportunities to fight back and keep herself alive. I know that's kind of normal for horror films, but this one goes to a new level of dumb as characters do stupid things solely because the plot demands they not figure this stuff out. For one thing, they never seriously looks for a weapon. They're on a farm and there must be all sorts of sharp pointy implements around... but except for one moment, where she stabs the creature in the foot, she goes about completely unarmed. Also, it's quickly made obvious that the creature avoids the light. The house is full of papers and rags and stuff they could set on fire... and they've got a lighter... but not until far into the movie does she ever try making anything like a torch to keep the thing away or use as a weapon... and even that's only done halfway. Once she gets the tractor she could easily have set the entire house on fire... creating a huge amount of light to cover her escape... and yeah, that tractor would have gone fast enough to get away in... but somehow that whole element is dropped as well. There are several times where she's sitting with a decent light source and could just wait for sunrise... but no, she keeps screwing with that obvious plan in favor of things that end up putting her in the darkness and into danger, again. It's just frustrating... aggravating even... especially when everything else about the movie is so well done. Really, it seems like the whole situation was not well thought out at all and it ruins a movie that otherwise could have been a whole lot more fun to watch.

I came across Niamh Algar a few weeks ago when I saw her in The Virtues so decided to check out her back catalogue.

This is the tenth film)series I have seen her in and one if my favourites with her being more feminine and vulnerable here but enjoyed her ballsy roles in Pure, Deceit and The Bisexual.

There is not much in the way of script here but the film with its small cast is much better than Niamh's later horror efforts in Without Name and Censor.

The cameraman seems to be besotted with her rear, taking shots of her from behind seemingly at every opportunity.

I know the film is set at night but it is very dark and difficult to see what is happening at times.

I am not a big horror fan but there were a few occasions that I did feel squeamish here so the director did his job well.

A great low budget film which has taken Niamh onto greater things but she does seem to have gone of the rails a bit with her performances in Wrath Of Man and Raised By Wolves but I am sure they will prove to be great vehicles for her future.

I know many have given this a low mark but I did really like it and would watch it again.

I am off for a bit of comedy now to see Niamh in The Last Right. A little less tense me thinks.

I'm not certain why the bad reviews. Yes, there are cliches, yes there are plot holes, yes there are some questionable choices made, but they are not Entirely stupid as in so many horror movies. I quite enjoyed it. And some of the cinematography was quite nice as well.