Dark Encounter

This is what you get when the writer of the story is the editor of the story and the director and the producer. There's no one to tell him, "hey, this is not good. You need to fix that."

All around the movie is surprisingly good. The acting was believable, the characters and characterizations are good, the sets are good, the continuity was accurate, the music was extremely good, and the special effects were adequate to the job. Many bits and pieces are lifted from movies like Close Encounters and Signs, but that's ok too.

The first 3/4s of the movie are edge of the seat chills and thrills, but then the story shifts in a totally unexpected direction. This is considered "the unique twist." The 'twist' is something that modern scriptwriters seem desperate to pull off and almost none of them actually do it. The Sixth Sense may be the last movie where it really worked. In this particular movie, the writer/editor/director/producer throws in the monkey wrench without the slightest attempt to justify it except to offer a lame, "I don't know. We don't understand it. We may never understand it." It's Aliens, so sure, how could we understand it? But that's just not good enough. The motivation fails. Why the Aliens do what they do makes no sense unless you just accept "well, they are aliens, so their motivation is alien." That may be fine for people who shut off their brain to "enjoy the movie," but for people who enjoy the movie by thinking about it, it doesn't work.

The plot twist does not ruin the movie but it leaves an unsatisfied feeling that a good storyteller would not leave. If you don't mind being let down by the ending and being left scratching your head trying to make the nonsensical reasoning, it's worth a watch. There are a lot worse movies out there.

7/10 might not sound incredible but my expectations were very low. This film was much much more than I first thought it would be. Not your typical abduction tale. Very well made without feeling too obnoxious.

Dark Encounter Alien abduction film with a twist. Eight year old Maisie disappears from her home without trace,.A year later, a memorial meeting is held at her school. Afterwards an acrimonious extended family gathering takes place. Strange lights appear in the sky and some of the family go to investigate. In the woods other lights appear and have strange effects on people and birds, their truck loses power. Another member of the family vanishes.They return to the house where electric toys start working , ights, radio go on and off, lights shine through windows. The house is literally under siege, Tension and paranoia build as the narrative unfolds in this dark Close Encounter Of The Third Kind. The different shades and intensities of light are used to good effect, some just illuminating/dazzling,others imposing mind control on people as a mysterious mist also enters the house. There are time slips of the mental variety which allow secrets to be uncovered. An interesting plot twist sends one aspect of the plot off in an unexpected direction. An important lesson is imparted though: if you flee a house to get away from ETs then remember to drop your axe if you want passing cars to stop and help you. Written and directed by Carl Straithie. On All 4. 7/10.

For a film with a modest budget, it doesn't look it. The production value is excellent all around and nails the early 80's aesthetic without trying to be trendy. It has the look of Close Encounters but with more of a Fire In The Sky feel crossed with Shyamalan's Signs considering it's twisty and character driven plot that comes forth as the events move along. Highly recommend for fans of the films I mentioned above, or of The X-Files, though this film does bring something slightly new and different as a whole when it reaches its third act. Don't go in expecting a blockbuster, but an intimate, at times creepy, wholly entertaining film about a family and a dark encounter that almost tears them all apart. Worth your time in my books.

The production values of this film are 10 stars. But the story is utterly horrific. Average? 5 stars. The cinematography is great, the staging is great, the costume and set design are great, the makeup is great, the music is great, the story....... SERIOUSLY AWFUL. I could point out holes in it all day. It really is such.a shame... it looks to me like a film that was funded well, had a great team who did their absolute best but were let down by the person who mattered most.... what a shame....