scarecrow_n_tinman's reviews

AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman lead the cast in the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall. Based on a bestselling book, the story follows a rebellious teenage girl who's sent to a reform school for troubled youth called Blackwood, but she soon discovers that something strange is going on and begins to suspect that she and her fellow students are being used for some nefarious purpose. Robb gives a fairly good performance and director Rodrigo Cortes does an impressive job at creating an atmospheric mood. However, the storytelling is a little weak and lacks strong villains. Also, the supernatural isn't really played for scares, and the scares that are there seem a little out of place. Still, despite its problems, Down a Dark Hall is a creepy thriller full of mystery and intrigue.

Mara is a poorly made and uninspired rote horror film. The story follows a forensic psychologist named Kate Fuller who comes to believe that a sleep demon named Mara is responsible for a series of bizarre murders and begins to work with a former vet to find a way to stop her. Olga Kurylenko is horribly miscast and isn't the least bit believable as a forensic psychologist. And the director pulls out every hackney cliché and trope in the book, making the film look desperate. Completely ineffective, Mara isn't at all frightening and doesn't deliver any scares (even the jump scares are lame).