Between the Darkness

I hate It when a movie is described as a horror movie when it's really not. It's more like a psychological thriller. I knew I was in trouble watching this when I kept checking to see how much time was left. Completely disappointed and wouldn't recommend it to any true horror fan.

In what may first seem to a be a horror with an unseen horrific beast haunting the periphery of proceedings, Come, Said the Night slowly but surely morphs into more of a horror of the mind and a terror of a closer kind, as 13 year old Sprout uncovers life-changing truths about the seemingly idealistic upbringing she's been a part of.

Removed from everyday society by her religiously zealous father Roy (played impressively by recognisable character actor Lew Temple), Sprout finds her coming of age journey an anything but a by the numbers affair as she is convinced there's a terror lurking in the woods near her families remote wilderness retreat, a fear heightened by the recent death of her older sister, who by all accounts shunned her families stringently held beliefs.

Director Andres Rovira does a great job at slowly but steadily building up this odd world that Sprout inhabits, one where Roy has indoctrinated his children in a world of Greek mythology and lore, encouraging them to pick and choose a Greek god/goddess to dedicate their lives to as Sprout becomes to see herself as more of a warrior woman, charged with finding and destroying the "gorgon" that threatens her families very existence.

Those seeking an out and out horror experience will be left sorely disappointed by Night as Rovira very early on establishes that his film is drenched in drama more than cheap scares and frights, using this unique concept to explore a transition of age and family dynamics instead of the stereotypical generic horror surrounds.

By doing so there's tension and intrigue laying around every corner of Sprout's journey as we begin to understand more about her family's history, unlock the mystery behind her night terrors, learn what happened to her older sister Magda and begin to understand who the real monster is that threatens her and her younger sister Percy.

Unfortunately for Night, a film that looks and feels more polished than its low budget conception would otherwise suggest thanks to some great camera work, sound design and editing, Rovira's film does at times suffer from some its independent roots that's mostly evident in Nicole Moorea Sherman's lead turn as Sprout.

Asked to do a lot for a film that requires a range of emotions and skill sets as an actress, the young performer doesn't always nail the often heavy and complicated material at the core of Night's being and sometimes the films otherwise nicely established mood and setting is undone by some out of place or misjudged acting movements, something that will be ironed out with future development.

Final Say -

Pushed forward by a unique and intriguing concept, Come, Said the Night is an un-typical horror offering, more concerned with the horrors of the everyday than the horrors of the far flung realms and an independent offering that shows much promise for its up and coming director.

3 pairs of long-johns out of 5

Started out as a psychological drama about an isolated family with some very strange religious beliefs but has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end. Are monsters real, or are humans the real monsters. I was expecting a little more horror but over all it was an excellent movie. Awesome cinematography, good cast and a pretty decent ending.

Thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Loved the characters. and great story. Unexpected ending. Great work!!

*Synopsis*

A girl, Sprout, wakes up with a bad dream.

Roll Credits.

The film begins as the family is in the car,driving to their home out in the woods. They all sit down to dinner and pray to Hippocrates. It's one year today since one of the daughters, Magda, died. We get scenes of the father and two remaining daughters playing together as they commemorate the anniversary. The father, or maybe all of them, seem inordinately obsessed with Greek mythology; for example, the son's name is Perseus, Percy for short.

Finally, the night is over, and Sprout heads to bed. She has the nightmare again, and she sees her dead sister coming for her, but wakes up before anything bad happens. *Was* there someone in her room?

The young brother, Percy, seems to be traumatized. He doesn't talk, he wears plastic film or gloves continually, and he has really girlish long hair. The park ranger and her son come for a visit. Sprout gets a glimpse of what appears to be a monster in the woods. She calls it a Gorgon.

The father seems to be an aging hippy, warning that the outside world is chaos. He prays to strange gods and expects answers from them. He says his patron god is Hippocrates, and that Sprout will find her own patron god when she's ready. She asks about Magda, and he explains that Magda was *confused* about the gods (so was I by this point).

Sprout continues to have night terrors every time she goes to sleep. She and Percy go "monster hunting" the next day and find a bunch of dead animals. Sprout falls down and has some kind of seizure. She claims the Gorgon froze her like Medusa. Her father warns her not to go back into those woods.

The father says he believes Sprout about the Gorgon, and then he goes outside to run through the woods naked in the dark.

Things start getting *really* weird from there...

*Commentary*

"There are no gods. Only Monsters"

The scenes of the thing creeping around outside Sprout's bed are genuinely well done. Who hasn't experienced night terrors at least once?

The coming-of-age part of the film obviously revolves around Sprout hitting puberty, as she starts getting interested in Max and dressing in a more adult style. Growing up is about setting aside childish things, and we definitely see that here. Parents are rarely what we think growing up, and, as we see here, sometimes they are not even close.

Still, does anyone in the modern age, even crazy people, really believe in the Greek gods and monsters? This belief is such an integral part of the movie, but it just seems like a bit much of a stretch to just accept this.

The acting is impressive all around. Lew Temple changes significantly from what we see initially by the conclusion of the movie, and it all seems a more-or-less "natural" progression. Nicole Moorea Sherman as Sprout is fascinating to watch as she finally starts to realize her world makes no sense. The actor who played Percy was fine in the role, but I couldn't help thinking I was watching the annoying little girl from "Hereditary" several times; there's a real resemblance.

Overall, I liked it. I'm probably not really the demographic for a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, but once the strangeness began, I was thoroughly hooked.