Customer Reviews

Darkroom

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The movie opens with a man (Reed Diamond) who had something horrible happen to him, he just doesn't know what, he cannot remember his name nor his past. After being a tester for a new drug, he starts having horrible visions of a mud-like monster. He meets a kid name Stanley, and they both become friends. The rest of the movie is about the man's, played by Reed Diamond, journey to recover his lost memories, and Stanley's quest to find out what his father is up too.

Lucy Lawless --everyones favorite warrior princess/Cylon -- plays the alcoholic mother, a victim of abuse, which is quite a different role than we are used to seeing from Lawless; she does it well. Greg Grunberg --Alias's Eric Weiss, and Heroes Matt Parkman, also plays a very good, and different role than he has played in the past. In this movie he is the sadistic husband of Lucy Lawless. The acting is great, the plot isn't the most original, nor all that scary, but is entertaining, and stays interesting throughout its length.


This is a straight to DVD release. As such it doesn't have that high of a budget, you should not be expecting a masterpiece, but this movie does deliver quite a bit. I'm giving this four stars because the actor's performances are great and the concept is intriguing. Fans of Lucy Lawless and Greg Grunberg should have no problems nor regrets buying this DVD.

I don't want to give to much away, but if you enjoyed films like "The Jacket", "The Butterfly Effect" or the directors other movie "Room 6" you should pick this up.

I purchased Darkroom anticipating another Boogeyman type movie, you know a horror, scary type movie with laughs. Well it's more a pyscho drama with a whodunit twist instead, even the title of the movie is a bit of a mystery. I did enjoy the movie, Michael does a good job with keeping you engaged in trying to figure out the mystery disappearances of several characters. Lucy does a very credible job of neglected wife considering this role is a huge departure from anything she's ever done. The main character has some major issues to resolve in his life and in the end I'm still not sure if he resolves them. Overall, good acting, a few scary moments, and a twist at the end to keep you guessing.

THE DARK ROOM is a stylish, brooding little thriller that is original and well performed. Even though the movie has a large gaping plot hole (e.g., how could someone at age 15 disappear and apparently no one searched for him?), it maintains its interest and has a surprising, although predictable, finish.
Reed Diamond stars as a man who has been institutionalized for 15 years and has no memory of his life up to that point. He is given a new experimental drug which apparently doesn't work so he escapes, desperate to find his identity.
He befriends a 15 year old boy named Stanley (Shawn Pyfrom) who lives with his mother (an unrecognizable Lucy Lawless) and her brutish husband (Greg Grunberg), who is the boy's stepfather. Grunberg seems to be a camera nut, very protective of his dark room. Stanley enlists Diamond's help in finding out where his stepfather goes at night.
The film has an eerie atmosphere and Diamond and Pyfrom are quite good. There is a frightening monster presence, and overall, THE DARK ROOM is refreshingly different in today's cookie cutter horror films.

When the movie stated, I thought ok, this is going to be a good movie. As it went on, I started to see "the creature from the black lagoon" image. I just rolled my eyes and went "oh boy". I continued to watch the movie "just for kicks" and was very pleasantly suprised when it ended with the ending. I started to think about the movie after seeing it and thought, "wow, that was a good movie". It was very well acted and the story was a unique one. What I do like to see in movies that are being made is the stories "a little different" from the rest of them. Yes, the movie is a little like the Sixth Sense but is just different enough to put an exciting twist to things. I highly recommend this movie to anyone that likes a "little twisted plot" to movies.

To start with it appears to be just another B-grade horror flick complete with a lame storyline. However as you progress through, the story becomes more twisted and strange until your just not quite sure what is going on. There isn't a lot of action and the movie has it's cheesy moments, but overall it's actually quite watch-able. There are a few actors some will notice from Heroes and Desperate Housewives along with the biggest name, the reason most likely that you looked at this movie in the first place, is Lucy Lawless aka Xena. Although her role isn't an important one, she is there quite often, more so than you would expect for a supporting actor role.

If you have a sharp eye and keen intuition, you'll follow the story and pick up on the clues as the movie progresses. And although the ending was lame, it was in all, necessary to complete the story and leave it somewhere where the audience would be happiest. This was a fairly decent movie, but definitely watch it if your a Lucy fan.

What we have here is the interesting story of a man who has been in a mental institution for the past 15 yeas after he was found on the side of the road covered in blood and no memory of who he was. He later escapes and befriends a young boy who needs help dealing with his problems with his step father (played by the mind reading cop from Heroes) and an alcoholic mother (played by Xena star Lucy Lawless who I barely recognized) ooh and there is that pesky mud covered monster that the guy keeps on seeing that is hacking everyone around him to death and a twist that you can really see coming.

The truth is I really liked this flick It has everything that I really enjoy. The main thing is the fact that there were no cheesy effects and they got aot on names to be in the flick that helped the movie and I likes seeing the cop from Heroes play a villain. Now the only drawback is the surprise ending let's face it we live in the era of flicks like the Sixth Sense and Fight Club where we see the shocking twist and when it is not built up we can see it from a mile away. they made one mistake that gave it away but if you're not looking at it as a critic you may miss it. Besides that it was a really good flick and I enjoyed it.

There are also some good features on the DVD for example the making of Featurette that does contain spoilers but they do give you a disclaimer before the DVD starts as well as some deleted scenes that made me wonder why they were cut from the film but they may have hurt the flow of he script.

I have to also mention that this flick was produced by Mind fire Entertainment that I am going to have to give a call about a job when I go out to LA this year. The company includes Ellie Cornell and yes she does have a small part in the film who are doing really well after the film Free Enterprise and House of the Dead...Ok that one wasn't too good but this one made up for it

4 Dead Bodies
3 Breasts
1 Beast
15 Gallons Blood
Throat Slashing
Throat Ripping
3 Stars
Check it out

The Darkroom begins as a monster movie, segues into an Identity-like psychological thriller, and then strives to become the next Sixth Sense.

It begins with a suspected murder (Reed Diamond) who's given an experimental drug...but never you mind that, because he flees the hospital and runs into a completely different movie. There, he inexplicably befriends Stanley (Shawn Pyfrom) who gloms onto him with a devotion that can only be described as puppy-like. Stanley decides that The Man is his ticket out of his hellhole life, which includes being robbed by bullies and threatened by his stepfather Bob (Greg Grunberg, recently of Heroes). Mysteries abound in Stanley's life. What is the slimy thing killing all the transients? What is in Bob's darkroom? And what was up with that experimental drug?

Like so many of these movies that want to have their horror cake and eat it too, The Darkroom substitutes flashbacks of disturbing scenes for dramatic narrative. The acting is atrocious - Pyfrom isn't very good, Diamond is a walking zombie, Grunberg is an over-the-top jerk, and Lucy Lawless has nothing to do as Stanley's mom except lounge around in lingerie. Which is really the only highlight.

The mystery, if you can call it that, deepens as Stanley and The Man decide to follow Bob to work. It turns out Bob hasn't been going to work for weeks, but he does go somewhere and it involves a camera. Three guesses as to who the slime monster is and what's in the darkroom and the first two don't count.

And that's the thing - as a mystery, The Darkroom fails because the flashbacks give it away. As a psychological thriller, The Darkroom resorts to cheap thrills of torture and nudity. The Darkroom's monster looks ridiculous. And the pat explanation for who The Man really is simply isn't airtight or interesting enough to warrant another viewing.

In short, we know what's precisely in The Darkroom: a scattered mess of blurry shots, flashbacks, drippy monsters, bad special effects, and wooden acting, all topped with a lame plot twist. It's best if we keep the lights off next time.

This was a nice surprise. I went in with little expectations and was immediately suprised by the coherency of the script, the above average acting, and the serpentine story line. There's certainly plenty to like here including a sufficient amount of bloodletting, some good suspense, and more than a few surprises. There's also plenty of story, and a satisfying resolution. It may be lowish budget, but it doesn't wear cheapness on it's sleeve which was such a relief.

This one might fall a tad into the "horror with a heart of gold" category. It's easy to see this playing in theaters in say, 1986, with Cory Haim as the young lead. I don't think one need be a die hard horror fan to find enjoyment here either. Bottom line? A nifty well done thriller deserving of an audience. Recommended.

This is one of the worst movies I've watched (it was amatuerish at best). The video teasers (showing Lucy's breast's almost falling out while bending over the kitchen counter)says 'everything' bad about this movie. When THAT is the highlight a viewer should be smart enough to know better than to buy it (However, I WASN'T). You were warned, this movie, if you are ONLY a Lucy Lawless FAN is at best worth a download, not even a rental). I know one man's treasure is another man's trash regarding value and opinions, but I cannot imagine how this movie got 4 stars (the reason I purchased it). I've seen other complaints about star ratings on Amazon, too. I've got a feeling that these ratings are coming from people tied in (royalty payments, etc.)in part. This isn't the only movie I've bought using the recommended 'star rating'. Very, very disappointing (the movie and the decision in my purchasing of it).

What the hell is wrong with all the people that gave this piece of cinematic retardation good reviews... It's like a bad student film. I'm forced to give it at least one star, but it deserves a negative five...