Customer Reviews

Darkest Hour

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm not even planning to see any movies this year. I'm giving up reviewing movies, too. There are too many bad ones and it's just a waste of time anyway. We've been hammered with too many poop piles (Paranormal Activity) from producers who know that they'll make millions of dollars before anyone discovers how bad their works are (and they just keep getting worse). They can't write, they can't act, they can't make believabled special effects, they can't even cast the right actors in the right roles. Their only hope is to rape the glory days of the 70s and 80s with horrible remakes of former classic like The Thing (approaching its third version), Stepfather, Fright Night, and, oh my gosh, the list goes on. Give it up! Give it up! Please, please, I'm begging you, give it up!!!!

The peaceful town of North Bend, Washington is terrorized by a serial killer only known as "The North Bend Reaper." He was a hulking figure in a skull mask whom adorned himself in a cloak made from swatches of material taken from his victim's attire. In 1988 he killed multiple citizens in the area, before disappearing, apparently killed by three hunters out for revenge.

In present day, a troupe of actors, led by Ben Traimer (Todd Hann), is starting a murder mystery party company very near where the original tragedies of 1988 took place. The town is in an uproar because the murder mystery is going to be based on the local legend - the North Bend Reaper. Because of this, the location of the party is being kept top secret - a summer camp closed for the Fall.

Besides those involved in the company, the guests for the weekend include Therese and Tibor (Tristan Risk and Dave Cote), Joseph (Mike Coleman) an investigative reporter, Andrew (Steve McGowan) who thinks with his little head, and Rosemary (Patricia Nudd) and Lisa (Angie Zachary). Actor Drieghton (Benjamin Gutknecht), who wears Alice Cooper Makeup and dresses as a mod pallbearer, runs the weekend's events. The guest that solves the "Slasher-Flick" murder mystery by the end of the weekend wins a cash prize of $500.

The only problem is that this has all caught the attention of the original North Bend Reaper, and there are going to be some real murders at the Murder Mystery gathering...

So, I have watched this movie a few times, and I cannot understand why people are jumping all over it so negatively. It is actually a pretty well put together slasher - certainly more intelligent than most that I have seen. The story is very sound, and the actors do not embarrass themselves. If anything they look like they are having a tremendously good time. The character of Dreighton is a true stand out. The design on the North Bend Reaper costume is excellent. And, Lee Tomaschefski is drop dead gorgeous. I wish she had had a nude scene.

Are the murders themselves graphic? No, but there ARE brutal. This little indie film has a true professional sheen to it. The production value is tremendous for what must have been a very low budget. The writing suffers at times, there are a few logistical problems, but overal you can tell that those in charge cared and did their damndest to deliver entertainment - and they do.

Sure, some of the characters are a little cliched, but most are fleshed out a little more than is normal for this sort of fare. The murder "game" itself looks like a lot of fun, and I wish we had a little more of that on the screen; maybe an extra could have been the actual game. The ending - which I feel is an open ending - is well done. Not everything is wrapped into a neat package, but at the same time it MAKES SENSE. How many slashers can boast that?

This film has gotten good reviews as well. I would side with those as I think that if you give DARKEST HOUR a chance, you will enjoy it. I am happy that I own it, and it definately is worth a rental. Extras on the disc include outtakes and deleted scenes, as well as trailers. I truly wish it had come with a commentary track.

Check it out!

A "film" such as this has got to be worse than anyone's darkest hour though. I have seen many cheesy B-horror movies and really liked lots of them, and others are not so great. I don't know how anyone in their right mind would even produce something like this, period. I'll tell you exactly what this turkey is like viewing. It is like a bunch of gothic kids (and not any actors by any means!) went to wal mart and bought a generic home movie cam, splashed some paint on trying as much as possible to resemble the 80's rock band "Kiss" it seems, and then they found some trashed old campground or something to just walk around filming each other, just jumping from scene to scene. NO story, no scares, absolutely nothing but sheer trash ("bonus" feature is the exact same thing, same people). Hell, If trash like this actually sells whatsoever, I should get out my home movie cam and ask somebody to just jump around and act like an idiot, put it on Amazon and make a few bucks (yeah I'll just be the producer/director whatever). You would be more entertained. This is THE worst movie I've ever seen; second place would have to be "Boarding House"...yes, these rate even worse (far worse)than "Tower of Blood" and "Dark Fields", and the like, believe me!