Customer Reviews

The Dark (2005)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a very creepy horror film that deserves comparison with some of the best of the non-exploitation and non-slasher scary flicks like The Others. The approach of the film, especially to begin with, resembles that of classics like Don't Look Now, or Picnic at Hanging Rock -- above all, the strangeness of the circumstances and the fear they invoke mirror the psychological turmoil of the characters -- and, as with those films, the hints at a deeper supernatural mystery are nicely balanced with the growing anxiety of the characters. That is true, at least, until the latter quarter of the film when it gives in to the supernatural and to the twists and turns of more mainstream scary fare and begins to seem more like, say, The Skeleton Key. Maria Bello gives her usual strong performance and, while he has less to do, Sean Bean is convincing as a distraught and loving father and estranged husband. The real star of the film, though, is the cinematographer and crew: the colors of the Welch coast are both beautiful and evocative of a deep and mythical past; the anxiety of the characters and the power of the ocean when they are looking for a drowning girl is captured by the frantic, but not shaky, movements of the camera; the look of "the dark" (you'll know it when you see it), is both subtle and believable. A worthwhile and intriguing film, that has unfortunately not received the attention it clearly deserves.

That "The Dark" is largely unknown on this continent is a shame, because this is a movie that could have and should have enjoyed a vastly larger audience, and brought more mainstream viewers over into horror, without watering the film down to '97-style 'horror-lite'. The tagline is 'One Of The Living For One Of The Dead', referring to an old part of Welsh folklore where a death on this side could sometimes bring back someone from Anwyth, the afterlife in ancient Welsh beliefs. The family in "The Dark" consists of two parents who recently broke up (Sean Bean and Maria Bello) and their twelve-ish daugther Sarah, who lives with the mother in America while her father has relocated to his native Wales. During a mother-and-daughter trip to see the father, a terrible accident happens and Sarah is washed into the ocean. Not knowing if she's alive or dead, an extensive search is organized drawing on pretty well everyone from the nearby village. And as the search is ongoing, strange things start to appear and to happen, and the supernatural elements enter.

"The Dark" is well acted - with a standout performance from the perrennially under-rated Sean Bean -, well made with realistic effects and high production values, has an upper-level musical score, and is all played out against the magnificent vista of Wales's green fields, high rocky cliffs, and mighty crashing waves, the beauty of all of which can turn very threatening under the right conditions. With a powerful emotional punch on top of all that, this one's highly recommended.

I was amazed to see the 2 and a half overall rating this movie got here, when I reviewed it. It deserved more than that. This movie has a dream cast Maria Bello and Sean Bean, and the locale was stunning. Adele(Bello) is trying desperately to hang on to the idea that she can resurrect her daughter (from a drowning), and is determined to follow some folklore she discovers. Her husband tries his best to dissuade her from this obsession, but far too late for she is well on her way by this time. The movie creeped me out, I watched it late at night, and was pretty tired, but it had a sense of impending doom that made it really work.

What, something attached to Paul W.S. Anderson that doesn't suck? Oh wait, he only produced it Ha! Ha! Ha! Why this didn't get a wide theatrical release, I don't know. "The Dark" is probably the best ghost story to come around in a long time, probably not since "6th Sense". The movie stars Maria Bello(why isn't she getting bigger rolls, gotta be one of the best leading ladies around right now, absolutely the stand out performance in anything she's ever done)and Sean Bean(finally showing he can do more than just bit parts). Dark is directed by John Fawcett(Ginger Snaps, another cool horror pic, this guy knows what he's doing). The story is about a mother and daughter who go to visit the father over in Europe. Turns out in the past there was a cult and massive suicide that took place on the father's property. Anyway, the daughter eventually turns up missing, and the mother suspects the events from the past have something to do with it. I won't go anymore into detail, just watch this movie, it's seriously creepy. This movie is visually stunning(I know that sounds corny, but it's true)"The Dark" has some of the best cinematography I've ever scene in a horror movie, I hope more will follow in it's footsteps. Buy this movie, you won't be disapointed

overall this movie was pretty good. the whole idea, and the acting. i could watch this again and again. it wasn't perfect, a few flaws, like the ending, big one. didn't like it one bit. everything else was pretty much very good. it was creepy, suspensful, the things that you need to scare yourself. sarah, the mother, loses her daughter in a drowning accident, but is constantly hearing her daughters pleas for help. never having found the body, sarah is consumed by madness and is desperately trying to search for her beloved child. she seeks answers in an old legend, which only one rule applies: one of the living for one of the dead. while her husband has come to grips with the loss, she will stop at nothing until she gets some answers, even if she must stay in the dark. i thought this delivered as a whole. nice try. give it props for spooking a bit.

I picked up this horror film because it was filmed in Wales and I love looking at all the beautiful countryside. The plot is a fairly simple one: a mother(Ada) and her daughter Sara go to visit her estranged husband James (Sean Bean) in distant Wales. Bean owns a cottage by the sea formerly owned by a ruthless cult leader who instigated a mass suicide of his flock in the 50's. It comes as no surprise, that the home is haunted. When Sara turns up missing and a creepy girl Ebril shows up on the property Ada begins to search for her daughter which turns up some horrifying revelations.

Minor Spo1lers below:

At first I found The Dark very compelling. The inclusion of Welsh myth in the form of the underworld was fascinating. The girl Ebril's was intriguing. I felt the film lost steam and emotional integrity during the frequent unnecessary trepanning, and Sara's reaction to being slapped once by her mother seemed a little bit of an overreaction. Sara seemed a very level-headed girl. Also the afterlife was weird and I felt that the girl Ebril seemed hardly deserving of such punishment.

I found the ending stupid and a disappointment. It seemed almost like the filmaker had written 2 endings and couldn't decide which one he preferred.

3 stars. Good but flawed.

At first look, the title and the poster is reminiscent of B movie material....but noo was I wrong. The setting, the storyline, the sound effects and the directing was immaculate. Take it from me, I am a horror movie maniac, and I have disdainfully knighted myself as someone who is never really shocked anymore, but this movie was really a very disturbing surprise. Thats the right term, this movie was very disturbing for me.

Very moody bit of work for all concerned. The seacoast cliffs, deep blue-greenish water, and dark interiors are characters in this film as much as the actors. I had a feeling of dread from the getgo which built steadily throughout.
The damaged family dynamic informs the whole piece as well as the errie Celtic purgatory myth that we know will claim at least one of the already shattered family. Especially notable is Sean Bean, the artist/father who does his best to keep his family on good terms, despite separation for reasons we can only surmise. He is the kind of father little girls dream of---as surely as the mother is every little girl's nightmare. He does his best keep our feet on the ground with his restrained, rather guarded, insistence on facing realities.
THE DARK kept me in an anxious state throughout and curious to find out more about Celtic mythology. Since I don't dip into the genre unless enticed, I was glad it was a worthwhile, entertaining, thoughtful venture.

The Dark is one of the most creepy horror movies I have watched in quite some time. Mainly, it's because it has one of those endings that leaves you feeling like you've just been hit in the mouth with raw meat. Not only did I have this immediate reaction to the end of the movie but even after I was done watching it, the ending lingered with me for quite some time, sending chills down my spine.

There's more to the movie than just the end. In the beginning, places of the movie feel almost like Silent Hill, but once it starts going, it develops its own personality. In it, a troubled mother and daughter travel to Wales in order to visit the child's father. He is renovating a home, formerly occupied by a reverend who commanded his congregation to kill themselves. When the couple's daughter disappears, they will stop at nothing to get her back, even if that means unraveling the past, and learning why a girl that should have been dead more than 50 years ago has found a way to return.

Some of the plot is a bit contrived, and some of the suspense is odd instead of scary. However, most of the film is very well done, and on a psychological level it is utterly terrifying. In places, the special effects are visually delicious.

This is an excellent horror movie, sure to send chills up and down your back. Rent it, watch it on a dark, foggy night, and get ready to sleep with the lights on!

As a fan of the Horror genre, I am tired of the recent crop of non-scary horror films that hollywood has been throwing at us. The Dark should have been given a theatrical release rather than being rushed straight to DVD. The film is well done and truly creepy with a few good 'jumps'. This was put out by Sony Pictures- who brought us the new version of the Amityville Horror (which should have been rushed to the dumpster)- I'm not quite sure why they would have released that and not given this film to theatres. This is a scary-child-ghost movie that is actually a little different from the recent crop [...] of scary kid movies that have come out in the last few years. I'm not sure how the previous reviewer had problems following this movie- it's really not that hard to get. I was pleasantly surprised and would definately reccommend this film.