Customer Reviews

Dark Chamber

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A young man leaves his mother to live with his ex-cop father. (His parents are divorced.) Outside the father's house, a hooker is murdered. The young man enlists two college mates to help him investigate the people renting rooms from his father -- is one of them the murderer?

(They investigate by installing video cameras into the walls, hence the alternate title: UNDER SURVEILLANCE.)

I'm being generous giving this film 3 stars. There's some decent acting (amid some poor acting), and the story held my interest.

But the photography, lighting, and sound looks like this was shot by hobbyists using a VHS camcorder. Probably not, but that's how it looks.

And while the story held my interest, the editing was choppy. The story jumped about incomplete vignettes, and felt like whole scenes were missing.

Contrary to one review, this is not a slasher film. No superhuman slasher (like Jason or Myers) stalking people. DARK CHAMBER tries more to be a suspense film -- it's marketed as Hitchcockian -- but that would be overly generous.

Probably the only reason this film is getting any attention is because of actresses Felissa Rose, Desiree Gould (both of SLEEPYAWAY CAMP) and Raine Brown. Rose has a significant supporting role, but Gould and Brown are barely in the film.

Raine Brown has only 1 or 2 minutes of screen time, playing a hooker (not the one who is killed).

Film also has bloopers. The father tells his son that the mother is threatening to go to court unless he sends the son back to the mother. HUH? The son is in college -- over 18! Parents don't have "custody" over kids once they turn 18. They become adults, and can live with whichever parent they like, or with no parent.

DARK CHAMBER really only deserves 2 stars. It meanders along in its choppy fashion, and isn't very scary. But I was in a "low-budget mood," and bought it cheap, so I enjoyed it.

Another plus: lots of special features, including "on set/behind the scenes" footage, interviews with Rose, Gould, and Brown, and more.

This is an awesome movie! I'm am a proud member of the Happy Evangelical Center of the Bar Park-n-Ride Living La Viva Mild Sauce Heavenly Bound Horror Film watchers and I've never seen anything better! This film is what makes the big time movies look totally stoopid. It's the best because of the way they made the design on her back look really really real.

Wow. I had some low expectations for this movie and was pleaseantly surprised with the Lead Actor's chops. I didn't think there would actually be a great actor in a slasher movie like this. I hope to see that guy in other stuff soon!!!

The old saying "You can't judge a book (or in this case a DVD) by its cover" could not be truer here. In the case of "Dark Chamber", written, directed and acted by Dave Campfield, this movie is much more than your typical slasher flick. The screenplay is well written with substantial character development, a fact that may be lost only upon one's first impression of the graphic on the DVD box.

Dark Chamber, Dave Campfield's first released film, offers many positives that are often absent in first-time horror productions. This piece is not the usual manipulative exploitation of blood and gore. The viewer senses a level of sophistication in spite of budgetary limitations. Campfield manages to get very solid performances throughout the movie with a relatively unknown cast. The excellent musical score works well to support the storyline of the movie, which builds and sustains suspense, reminiscent of the Hitchcockian style of intrigue.

In addition, there are several very creative shots throughout the film, demonstrating a strong awareness by the director of the importance of thinking outside the box and adding subtle nuances that catch the eye and keep the viewer interested.

For those into special features, "Dark Chamber" provides a complete package. The two commentaries offer insight into the creative process of making the movie, background on the true events that inspired the screenplay, as well as trivia about shoot locations and the actors themselves. There are several featurettes and interviews that are very interesting, providing hours of entertainment in one package.