A few years ago, a European group and BrianYuzna (RE-ANIMATOR creator) associated to create the FANTASTIC FACTORY; a project towards the creation of B-class horror flicks. The company produced a few average horror films and a disaster call ARACHNIC; all of them got limited release and success in certain countries and / or went directly to video in others (USA for example). Now, they came back with DARKNESS; the best horror film yet delivered by the FACTORY (they are in the works of BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR).
DARKNESS was directed by Jaime Baulaguero; Spanish director who's previous film THE SECT WITHOUT NAME was an interesting psychological horror film with good reception in Europe. It has an important budget for Spanish standards (twelve and a half million Euros) and an international decent cast (Lena Olin, Ana Paquin, Giancarlo Giannini).
The movie is a horror thriller in the line of ROSEMARY BABY or THE OTHERS. It also resembles THE SHINNING; but that is only a trick of the script. Like those movies, there is little gore or blood, a slow beginning and a very effective second half. As in most movies of this kind, you will enjoy it, get scared and forget after leaving the theatre.
The story is classic; a family moves to a house abandoned for forty years, where something evil is already living. The youngest kid is the most affected and the adolescent one tries to warn her parents without any result. A solar eclipse is coming.. By the end, there are some very smart twists, and nothing is exactly as you expected; which is good because during the first half the feeling is that you already saw this movie several times.
Bottom line; a good horror movie that will never become a classic but will give you the creeps for an hour an a half
DARKNESS was directed by Jaime Baulaguero; Spanish director who's previous film THE SECT WITHOUT NAME was an interesting psychological horror film with good reception in Europe. It has an important budget for Spanish standards (twelve and a half million Euros) and an international decent cast (Lena Olin, Ana Paquin, Giancarlo Giannini).
The movie is a horror thriller in the line of ROSEMARY BABY or THE OTHERS. It also resembles THE SHINNING; but that is only a trick of the script. Like those movies, there is little gore or blood, a slow beginning and a very effective second half. As in most movies of this kind, you will enjoy it, get scared and forget after leaving the theatre.
The story is classic; a family moves to a house abandoned for forty years, where something evil is already living. The youngest kid is the most affected and the adolescent one tries to warn her parents without any result. A solar eclipse is coming.. By the end, there are some very smart twists, and nothing is exactly as you expected; which is good because during the first half the feeling is that you already saw this movie several times.
Bottom line; a good horror movie that will never become a classic but will give you the creeps for an hour an a half