Darkness

This movie is not your typical American horror flick (which makes sense since it's a Spanish film). It's a far cry from the gory, cliché-ridden and painfully explained horror movies that American audiences are used to.

Darkness disturbed me on different levels. One of them was the family dynamics (notably the father's mental issues), and the suggested potential for violence. The other was the supernatural element, which was used in a subtle and truly frightening manner.

I've seen thousands of horror movies in my lifetime, and this is one of the best. However, if you are not one for nuances and feel that gore is a requisite from a horror movie, then stay away from this one.

This has got to be the absolute worst of all of the Asian horror rip-off wannabees around. It is the least terrifying and most boring of all the horror films I've seen since the year 2000, and perhaps even earlier.

The whole plot idea is just another version of The Shining with some Poltergeist stuff mixed in for good measure. Every time the father goes wacko, I'm fully expecting him to pop his head through someplace and say, "Here's Johnny!" There's positively no suspense in this thing at all and the whole last half hour is completely obvious, so it's just a matter of, do you turn it off, or watch to see how right you are. Besides that, the story idea is beyond lame and without any depth or thoughtfulness. It's a exercise in pursuing filmic style over substance, yet here the substance is almost non-existent and the style is plagiarized.

To make matters worse, the acting is tepid at best. The actors portraying the mother and father turn in rudimentary performances without conviction, the son is also just there for the filling. The most terrifying moments of the whole film are when watching the performance of the daughter, basically a one-note deal, with every facial expression used for effect being about the same, and a monotone voice warbling in constant teenage angst. We have characters constantly whispering for no reason regardless of their setting.

Also, the daughter is just about the most obnoxious and bitchy teen girl ever, and attempts to present herself as the moral fascist in charge of the family. Viewers may find themselves hoping for her demise at the end just to be rid of her. And also hoping for the end to come as soon as possible so they can watch something else.

PS: I've read every HP Lovecraft story published, and I don't see this as being anywhere close to "Lovecraftian".

I had heard bad things from the few people I know who had seen this film. I was still curious though, I think Anna Paquin is a somewhat underestimated actress who is rarely given what you could call a leading roll. Other than that, I knew nothing that the back of the DVD case couldn't tell me. Anyways.

I really enjoyed this film. It was well made, it was tastefully done and yes I found it to be scarier than just about anything else I've seen lately. Plus it features a pretty good turn by Fele Martínez who also starred in 'Abre los ojos', the film Cameron Crowe dubbed in English and called Vanilla Sky.

Well, it is difficult for me to judge this movie. As a die-hard fan of dark moody films, like The Others, The Ring, Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Series, The Crow, etc. I set really high standards. I expect every scene to have a meaning - if something flickers in the background it has to come forward at some time, if there is a lot of references to something then it means it has to have a deeper meaning sooner or later, etc... but, alas, this movie tried to seem to be more than it was. It's enticing, thrilling and delightfully creepy in the beginning - but later it starts to get more and more repetitive and, frankly speaking, boring. How many times can one character ask another how they got some weird bruises and not get any answer at all? How many times can weird shadows appear in dark rooms, without even trying to mean anything?

In other words, if you're not a "horror connoisseur", and just enjoy a good scare that does not necessarily have to be a piece of art, and don't mind a banal plothole-ridden outcome, then you're going to like this movie a lot. But if you expect innovation, pieces perfectly fitting one another at the end, subtle innuendoes that converge in a final surprising climax - then, sorry, you're looking on the wrong shelf. 5/10.

I was quite impressed with Jaume Balaguero's first feature "The Nameless" which mightn't have been original, but it was coldly disturbing and effectively suspenseful. Now I heard and read nothing but poor things on his second feature "Darkness". I couldn't escape the negativity, and naturally I was expecting something very weak. However came away from it thinking what an interesting failure into supernatural/occult territory. The main problem is due the story's stale familiarity, which never really is given the chance to rise above its foreseeable hints, embarrassingly shallow script and ludicrously ragged framework. Talk about hazy, and I mean real hazy. It's cryptic, but extremely convoluted and mundane. Even with Balaguero's understated, glossed up icy direction, which works in some eerie, and jarring visuals that go a long way of building up a quiet intensity and dreary atmosphere.

Still everything about it is downright mechanical and probably a bit long in the tooth, but it didn't seem to bother me because I found it rather intriguing despite the muddled, paper-thin intentions. There's just something lurking behind this jilted mess that I found fascinating, but the narrative does get lost amongst the busy visual style. From the beginning, we learn it's all about the casually paced build-up, but the shocks are too clichéd (like creaky sounds, moving shadows) and the final pay-off doesn't have too much of a sting to it. Technically the film looks the part with its dark composition and sterile cinematography, and the weeping, otherworldly music score works a haunting tone. The sound devices are so old-hat and forced, but they're pinpoint, vitriolic and really do surround you. The characters don't fair any better, and I thought the performances from a solid cast were modest enough even with their flimsy characterisations. Anna Paquin was suitably appealing and maturely strong, but a awful Lena Olin looked quite uninterested and Iain Glen was terribly uneven. Giancarlo Giannini stays on cruise control, and Stephan Enquist turns in a fine performance.