'The Dark'

[RobB]

Just finished watching 'The Dark'.....a supernatural thriller-chiller set in Wales ( but filmed in Devon and the Isle Of Man ) on dvd.

Beautifully filmed with some really nice atmospheric set pieces but the narative gets a bit confusing as a divorced couples daughter goes missing and is replaced by another girl who was sacrificed to the sea 50 years early.

Oh, and there's lots of sheep roaming around too.....that is when they're not chucking themselves off cliff tops.

Complete tosh of course but very entertaining tosh.
Anyone else seen it?

[wirbel]

i've seen it; didn't find it very original and a bit confusing storyline; also like a mix of several seen before flicks like The Ring and Poltergeist. But otherwise not too bad and in an interesting setting.

[d.a.walker]

Just lay on the sofa under a very warm quilt subdued with the flu and watched this this afternoon.

I came across it for $5 and was keen to see it as it's by the director of the awesome Ginger Snaps. While not in the same ball park as the stunning Ginger Snaps, I found it a rather effective supernatural thriller that made good use of old legends and myths. It's like The Ring meets Paperhouse meets Silent Hill, and I really enjoyed the twist at the end.

It is nice to see every now and then an original English language horror that isn't a bloody remake!! Europe of late has been spearheading the way forward with original horror with the likes of The Orphanage, Ils, Martyrs, Inside, Frontier(s), Sheitan, High Tension, The Ordeal, REC and Let The Right One In.

[blue]

I think I stumbled into this one on telly a few months ago - I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but it seemed to be about a couple who had lost their daughter, and another girl who had been drowned in the sea. I'm assuming it must be the same film. Very atmospheric and quite creepy, the bit I saw. I didn't get the name of it though! Ha. Now I know.

I'll look out for it, I'd like to see it properly from the start.

[blue]

I'd completely forgotten about this film, but happened to switch over to BBC1 a couple of nights ago as it was just about to be shown. It actually makes sense now I've seen it from the beginning! It's not really a horror film as such, I'd describe it as more like a dark fairytale - an interesting premise certainly, I hadn't heard this myth before. Is it an actual myth, or just made up for the film, I wonder? Anyway I enjoyed it, the little girl who played Ebrill (the girl thrown into the sea 50 years earlier by her religious fanatic father) was suitably creepy. Hints of 'Ring' as Wirbel commented. The twist was actually quite unexpected and rather great, kind of justifies the title of the film.

The actress who played the mother seemed very familiar to me, I'm sure I've seen her in something else but I can't think what ....

Interesting that this was made by the director of 'Ginger Snaps' - what a brilliant film that is, one of my favourite horror films ever. So witty.

[RobB]

The actress who played the mother seemed very familiar to me, I'm sure I've seen her in something else but I can't think what ....

Maria Bello ( i think she was the mother?) has been in quite a few films. I remember her from Secret Window & A History Of Violence but here's her full IMDB film list:

http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0004742/

[blue]

Ah yes, it was Secret Window - she played Johnny Depp's wife in that, didn't she? I've seen it a couple of times.

[RobB]

I only vaguely remember her from Secret Window.....it wasn't really a big part from her. You must have a better memory for faces than i have Beth, i'm hopeless at remembering people. The manager at work reckons i have a gene missing.

[blue]

I only vaguely remember her from Secret Window.....it wasn't really a big part from her.

No, the wife doesn't really come into it much until the end section, when she comes up to see what's going on with her ex-hubbie. Before that you only really hear his conversations with her on the phone.

I remember I was pretty scathing about that film first time I saw it, but I liked it better second time.

You must have a better memory for faces than i have Beth, i'm hopeless at remembering people. The manager at work reckons i have a gene missing.

I tend to remember faces, it's the names that go with them I can never recall, or where exactly I've seen them before.

[RobB]

You're almost as bad as me.

[RobB]

I watched the film again last night and my initial review basically still stands. The coastal photography is still wonderful (even more so now that my dvd has been upscaled by the blu-ray player and i'm viewing an LCD tv) but unfortunately the plot / narrative is rather muddled and the genuine scares were few and far between.
The Asian & Spanish 'horror' film makers are better at cranking up the tension i think.