Daughter of Darkness

Stuart Gordon was a busy man back in 1990. Aside from his surprisingly good retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and something called Robojox, he also made this little known TV movie, which like the Poe film; is surprisingly good! Given that the film was made for television, it's not surprising that it doesn't feature the blood and gore of Re-Animator, and overall it feels like a cheaper, more rushed production. These things don't matter, however, as Gordon makes good use of what he has here, and rather than bombard the audience with special effects, he sticks to the more difficult method of storytelling to keep the film alive; and while this story takes obvious influence from a range of earlier films, Gordon's vampire flick is an involving and entertaining little flick for the duration of it's running time. The plot follows a young woman who travels to Romania in order to find her father. It's not long before she realises that he was killed, but the story doesn't end there as new evidence turns up that links her father to a mysterious cult of vampires...

Stuart Gordon is undoubtedly one of the greatest horror directors of modern times, and one of the reasons for that is that he isn't willing to stick to conventions. Gordon is happy to take filming outside of the USA and risk making a film with a largely foreign cast and, just like it would in the later 'Castle Freak' and 'Dagon' - the alien European setting does the film no end of favours where mystery is concerned. The lead role is taken by Mia Sara, who manages to do three things with it. Her acting isn't bad at all, and she's rather nice to look at too; but perhaps the best thing about her role in this film is that her looks and persona perfectly suit the style and tone of the movie. Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins (complete with silly accent), gives a memorable central performance also, and the pair are backed up nicely by Robert Reynolds and Jack Coleman. The plot plays out nicely, and Gordon keeps things very much on the level. There isn't a great deal of 'bite' in the script, but it really doesn't need it as this film is all about mystery. There's a lot of very good ideas in this movie, and it's fair to say that the sum of the parts falls a little short of what could have been; but I really enjoyed Daughter of Darkness and give it warm recommendations.

It's been many years since I've seen this movie. I would love to watch it again. It's good for anyone who likes the Vampire lore. The acting is pretty good, and Mia Sara and Anthony Perkins are great! This movie shows another side to vampires.

Cathy Stevens has been suffering dark dreams, and believes they have something do with her father. After the death of her mother she travels to political-torn Romania to find her father. However her investigating gets the local police questioning her motives and gaining the interest of a mysterious cult that might be able to share her information about he father.

Director Stuart Gordon brings it home again. If there's a consistent director in the horror genre, Gordon's right up there. Even with the boundaries of a low-budget TV enterprise. Gordon's 'Daughter of Darkness' is an interestingly slow grinding story-driven outing that evokes sensual titillation, dreamy flickering and makes excellent use of the decoratively alienating European locations. The film authentically looks the part and is perfectly shot too. Action is limited and sees little daylight, so does any real sort of make-up FX and special effects. When the latter comes into play, there's quite an inventive inclusion to how these vampires feed on their victims. Nice touch. On the down side the story feels minor, and the developments are traditionally dry and foreseeable. However even if this the case, it's broodingly melancholy styling of such superstitious folklore manages to hold you there and lead actress Mia Sara's sensitive performance helps shape that moody allurement. Alongside her is a modest Anthony Perkins. Even with that wobbly accent, he injects some glassy intensity. Jack Coleman, Robert Reynolds and a scene-stealing Dezso Garas offered good support. Pacing can hit a few bumps, but Gordon's infectious imagery (some piercingly eerie dream scenes) and positional work is efficiently implemented. Colin Towns' music score was nothing you would expect, as I found it to be majestically layered.

A common storyline: young adult searches for their father in the "Old Country", who is elusive and given to certain noctural habits. Pacing for this made for TV "light" horror film wasn't terrible. Often there was something passably interesting and relevant happening, even if the individual acting skills by support cast were often stilted...honestly, that wasn't unexpected of this US/Hungary production. Creature make-up and effects was light, it was for TV after all, and maybe 6 star is a bit of a stretch but I thought Mia Sara and Anthony Perkins were good enough, though Mia often gives her known wrinkled brow agonized terror look. It's a solid one-watch, and I'm glad I found it for a mid-week time-passer.

Katherine Thatcher (Mia Sara) travels to Romania in search of her father. During her quest, Katherine is haunted by nightmares of a hooded, faceless man. Adding to her problems is the fact that she has arrived in Romania during the reign of Ceausescu, meaning that the country is a police state.

Katherine meets Anton (Anthony Perkins), who appears to have known her father. Running afoul of the government, Katherine attracts the attention of the secret police. At every turn, she finds her search thwarted by forces both earthly and otherwise.

Director Stuart Gordon has created a devilish supernatural thriller, complete with vampirism and other ghoulish goings-on. Ms. Sara is convincing in her harried role, and Perkins is as oddly twitchy as ever.

Though it suffers from a few dead spots and a bit of meandering, there's enough chilly atmosphere to make up for it...