As Susan Hamilton sleeps, she dreams that she is another person in an alternative reality. As her greatest fears come to life, she is pursued by the notorious serial killer known as the Nigh... Read allAs Susan Hamilton sleeps, she dreams that she is another person in an alternative reality. As her greatest fears come to life, she is pursued by the notorious serial killer known as the Night Stalker.As Susan Hamilton sleeps, she dreams that she is another person in an alternative reality. As her greatest fears come to life, she is pursued by the notorious serial killer known as the Night Stalker.
- Priest 2
- (as Jonathan Coyne)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
If you enjoy odd, off-kilter movies that you can't figure out immediately, then give this one a try. It's macabre and weird, and the finale is a genuine grabber. Ms. Birch is very good in both of her personas...
Thora Birch stars as a young, blonde wife named Susan who suffers from terrifying nightmares prior to having IVF fertility treatment. In these vivid dreams, she sees herself as another person—a brunette named Karen (also Thora Birch)—who inhabits a hellish world where she repeatedly wakes from her sleep covered in blood and bruises.
In order to try and quell her night-time hallucinations, Sarah visits Dr. Woodleigh (Toby Stephens), a psycho-analyst who suggests hypnosis as a way of dealing with the problem. However, her appointment with Woodleigh proves to be the start of even more horror for poor Sarah, as her life gradually becomes more intertwined with that of her imaginary self, and she becomes a target of a knife wielding killer known as The Nightstalker.
There's a lot of conjecture on the Dark Corner message board about what is really supposed to be occurring, with some posters proposing that both Sarah and Karen are manifestations of Dr.Woodleigh (AKA The Nightstalker), who is reliving his sins endlessly in hell. Whilst this is certainly a possibility, quite how one reaches that conclusion based on the evidence offered in the film is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in being spoon-fed the answers, but in this case, a couple of satisfying morsels wouldn't have gone amiss.
Fortunately, although the story is a real head-scratcher, the quality of the acting prevents this film from being a total loss. Birch is great as both versions of her character (and also rather cute to boot, particularly as the brunette), and she is ably supported by Christien Anholt as Sarah's understanding hubby and Joanna Hole as best friend/work colleague Elaine Jordan. These solid performances, plus a fair bit of graphic nastiness, make the film a reasonably engaging and entertaining experience; just don't expect to understand all that you are seeing.
4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.
SHORT: Genuinely frightening and dark, as well as psychologically complex and chilling. If you can look past the non-linear plot and confusing pace of the film, then you will enjoy this addition to the horror movie genre. 6 out of 10.
LONG: This movie can be somewhat confusing and its direction takes a very schizophrenic approach to showing events in the movie. That can understandably be a turn off for some people, but the fact of the matter is that the direction is one of the elements that helps make Dark Corners a scary flick. From the get-go you have no idea if what the heroine is experiencing is real or imagined. The story follows the life of a woman who's trying to get pregnant; at night she has nightmares and cycles between her life and that of the woman in her dreams.
In the dark surrealistic world of her dreams, she sees people being violently murdered and is killed herself several times. The multiple cuts from fantasy to reality, as well as the camera angles help to unsettle the viewer and put them on edge, leaving them vulnerable to the movie's numerous scare scenes. And as much as they would cut from one scene to another, I never felt cheated or that it was over-done, because Karen's story with her pregnancy would always advance at an adequate pace. As for story, it cryptic all the way to the end, yet we are given small clues along the way. The ending itself is a little flat, yet creepy and appropriate.
The acting was awesome. I loved Karen's actress and that of her husband; they had great chemistry that made you want to watch their banter scenes. Supporting characters were okay. I felt their character parts were more of a draw than what the actual actors brought to the table.
Scares. This movie is genuinely scary! At times it is disgusting and disturbing, but does not have over-the-top gore. It doesn't rely on cheap jump-out scares too much, but instead relies on atmosphere and horrific situations. The two scenes in the mortuary were really what got me. You have to see them for yourself--classic, grade-A American horror. I was impressed.
So for its great scares, atmosphere, and good characters and acting, I give Dark Corners a 6 out of 10. Though the direction and pace of the film may be confusing and off-putting, the plot and story are there. This film is also more entertaining then a lot of other direct-to-DVD horror flicks that have more linear plots, yet look like they were made for the Sci-fi channel. *cough* Bottom Feeder *cough*
Did you know
- TriviaLorraine Bruce's debut.
- GoofsIn the scenes where someone is driving, take note that they're driving the British way (where this film was made) on the left side of the road. In the US (where this film takes place) driving is on the right, not the left.
- Quotes
Susan Hamilton: But I think that's what Hell is... It's having your sins pulled out from the dark corners of your soul and served up to you in this endless loop of torture.
- How long is Dark Corners?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Dark Corners
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 32m(92 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1