Darkness (2002) Reviews

• Subtle yet truly frightening

  ailiaq2006-11-15

  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.

• An acquired taste

  mentalcritic2005-06-27

  Darkness was purchased for distribution in 2002 as what appears to be a tax write-off on the part of Dimension Films. It has yet to see so much as a straight-to-video release in Australia, and appearances suggest that in spite of Anna Paquin's minor stardom, it never will. This is a pity, because Jaume Balagueró's economical approach to making a horror film is something that we need more of in today's box office. Like Tobe Hooper before him, Balagueró gives the viewer short bursts of scenery for the imagination to use as a foundation. Everything that scares the viewer in this film is the product of their imagination, which might go some way to explain the poor reception it appears to have had on the IMDb. Trusting in the imagination of your audience is a risk, especially when a large part of that audience has been indoctrinated against using theirs by twenty or more years of eMpTyV. Put simply, the reception Darkness suffered in the US market can be attributed to a clash of cultures. This is not to say the film is not without flaws. The first half hour in particular comes across as a collection of scenes without transition. This is something that occurs often in British television, where people are shown doing things in different places with nothing to explain how they got there. Those who have seen Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels or any of the Law & Order series will have some idea of what I am talking about. In comedies, this can help reduce the lag time between laughs. It can also help dramas function effectively in scope. In the case of Darkness, unfortunately, it can leave the viewer in some state of confusion as to what is meant to be happening, or the chronology of events. Subtitles are occasionally flashed across the screen to indicate what day of the week it is, but this leaves the events of the film seeming to not fit. The acting, on the other hand, is top-notch. I am not ashamed to admit that the entire reason I bought the DVD is because of how prominently Anna Paquin was featured on the cover. The entire film rests on her slender shoulders, and she carries it heroically. Lena Olin and Iain Glen give Anna plenty to bounce off, and they all make it seem as though they thoroughly enjoyed working together. Stephan Enquist is, naturally, the weakest link in the main cast, but he holds up his end of the story with a grace you rarely see in one so young. Granted, the scenes he appears in are more or less specifically tailored to him, but this is only natural. This film is the only credit listed under his name on the IMDb, so it is possible that he never even had any plans to become an actor in the first place. He is more of a plot device than a character, but he fills that role very nicely. Giancarlo Giannini appears to have bounced back nicely from Hannibal, and proves that he can deliver a great performance when the script is right. Rather than cover up the holes in the story or its execution with a hodge-podge of computerised graphical effects. Darkness, on the other hand, relies upon practical effects in order to deliver what some might call the money shots. Lights flicker on and off in predetermined sequences, subliminal images rocket across the screen to disorient the viewer, and sound is effectively placed or mixed in order to place the viewer in the scene. The only practical effect here I can seriously object to is the manner in which Jaume Balagueró shakes the camera during some of the scenes that are meant to be high-tension. This is the first time I have seen this despicable move during a European film, and Darkness in particular reminds me of how the technique throws me out of the picture. It reminds me that I am watching a film or DVD, not a family acting out a crisis before me. It's a shame that I have to even mention this, because the other effects in the film deliver far more punch. As I tried to make clear, this film is very much an acquired taste. Fans of Paul Verhoeven's work in the Dutch film industry will have little trouble adjusting to the Spanish stylings of Darkness. Those who are only acquainted with the American film industry will have a little more trouble, in spite of the fact that in terms of content, Darkness differs little from most American fare. It is the little things, such as the casting or the ability to show things that America's attempts to appeal to everyone disallows, that make Darkness stand out. Sure, it is a standard horror formula, but the fact that it has not been attempted in this manner for some time is a bonus. The twist ending is hardly a surprise, but it does add an unusual edge to the proceedings. In spite of some very conventional material, the end result is anything but. In all, I gave Darkness an eight out of ten. There is plenty that it does wrong, but there is also so much that it does right. While I don't recommend it for a look at foreign film industry, I do recommend it if you need to see that an effective horror film can be made for less than a hundred million dollars.

• The Writer Needs To Take A Cooking Class

  Bjamin2004-12-27

  See.. I really wanted to enjoy this movie. There were moments when my heart beat faster, when the hair on my neck began to stand up, when my muscles began to tighten.. but just like a strip tease, I was left with no real action, no resolution, and money missing from my wallet. Jaume Balagueró and Miguel Tejada-Flores apparently don't know the correct recipe for making a Horror Movie, and as such, utilized the old amateur cook's method of throwing everything into the pot. This movie is really The Shining, Poltergeist, Amityville, and Hellraiser all rolled into one. Amazing, I know, but true. All the flavors are there, you can taste each of them, they just don't mix well. I'm not gonna go down the list of every thing wrong with this movie; in short, good cinematography, mediocre acting, worse dialogue. The -real- problem with stealing from so many movie plots and combining them into one movie, aside from the resulting confusion, is while you CAN have several plots running at one time, you can't have several endings. And what does Jaume do when he runs into this problem? Just like a Freshman in English 101, you end your story with ellipses, "The little car vanished into the darkness and ..... THE END" Oooh, spooky. Not really. And very anticlimactic. The ending left me confused and disappointed; almost empty. Take your $10, go rent The Shining, Poltergeist, and Hellraiser.. scare the pants off yourself, have a great time, and forget that The Darkness ever existed. -BJamin

• Do not go gently into that dark night

  dwperdue2005-06-19

  My friend Clio and I saw "Darkness" for the first time on DVD, and we both agreed that it's one of the more interesting entries in the horror/suspense genre in recent years. The lead actors - especially Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, and Giancarlo Gianinni - do stellar work, and the young boy who plays Paul could give Haley Joel Osment acting lessons. I found the movie suspenseful right from the beginning, never knew what was going to happen next, and thought throughout, "I don't know who to trust!" with my suspicions flying back & forth between the dad - someone presented to us a a father with a history of mental illness, the 'obvious'villain; his wife, played by Lena Olin, who has a built-in mistrust factor thanks to her chilling ice-in-her-veins portrayal of Sidney's mom on "Alias"; the grandfather, played smoothly and charmingly by Giancarlo Gianinni; and even the boy friend. This film was written and directed by an independent film-maker,and the combination of the suspenseful, tight script; the keen-edged performances by the actors; the director's use of editing within the camera, and using lighting, to achieve special effects;and his variable pacing, all contribute to make "Darkness" a worthy entry in the horror/suspense genre, and NOT AT ALL like the usual, big-budget American schlock. I highly recommend this film, available on DVD.

• Blimey! A film about TRUE evil. Fab!

  Hardylane2005-04-28

  It comes as no surprise to me that so many teenage Americans find this so unsatisfying. After all, some of the deeper meanings are NOT explained in a 5 minute commercial by Ronald McDonald. AND... to top it all off... a very dark ending. SPOILERS FOLLOW>>>>>>>>> A fairly clear plot..... Family move to Spain to old family house for various reasons, especially the father's instability. House has a history. House is haunted. House has secret rooms and odd things hidden. House is actually temple for Satanist troupe who plan to slaughter their kids (bred for the purpose one would imagine) and release hell on earth, at the exact point of a total eclipse of the sun. It goes wrong first time and they plan to complete the ritual at the next eclipse. Everything works towards this. The reasons they came back to the house, the manipulation of the father.etc. I'd like to explain a few rather obvious things to the Pepsi generation... 1. The secret room is to store the things needed for the next eclipse. 2. The picture of the ghouls is a storage medium. A resting place for the ghouls. They are servants of Satan, and exist to help his return to earth. Hence the reason they leave the picture. 3. The ghouls are shapeshifters and can manipulate matter at will. When the sacrifice is done, the deal is done and hell IS coming to earth.. from the house outwards. Hence the blood covered walls and cabbalistic symbols on the walls near the end. This is how the earth will look in a short time, I think. A superb European film that makes no concessions to Hershey bars or Gatorade.