HORROR MOVIE REVIEW: THE DARKNESS



It’s day twenty-seven of my HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE where I have to see a horror movie a day during the month of October and write a short review for each one.

THE DARKNESS is an American movie from Australian Greg McLean, the creator of Wolf Creek. Once again touching upon the travellers entering an uncharted territory, the movie sets the stage in a typical suburban America, with your "next door neighbours" type of characters in peril. When their autistic son picks up some weird artefacts during their vacation in Grand Canyon, he brings in the demonic presence into their everyday life.

THE DARKNESS boasts being based on real life story, but it tries to copy THE CONJURING and INSIDIOUS in a badly unsuspenseful way. The film is a misfire by an otherwise clever director, with a perfect sense of what horror should look like. It's always rewarding to watch Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell, but the script does not give them much to work with. THE DARKNESS is much more concerned about the family drama than horror, delivering in the end a rather mediocre result.

It's not exactly the time to dismiss McLean as an Australian pioneer of horror, but this is a definite diversion from his otherwise decent filmography.


SCORE OUT OF 5:

SCARY SCORE: NONE
GORE SCORE: NONE
FUN SCORE: 🎃

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