| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Horror |
There's something in this house... Something ancient and dark that remains still, hidden and silent. It can only wait, having been concealed in the shadows for years. In fact, its milieu is darkness. Only in it can it show itself and move. It even takes its name: DARKNESS. It's lived here since someone tried to call it, more than forty years ago. Because this house hides a secret, a terrible past, an inconceivably evil act... Seven children, faceless people, a circle that must be completed. And blood, lots of blood...
And this is the best that IMDB has to offer about this movie?
Ok. The real scoop on this movie is that it is very, very creepy. The director, Jaume Balaguero, absolutely nailed the use of darkness itself as a "ghostly" effect, something often attempted but rarely so expertly utilized. For some odd reason, this movie has flown somewhat under the radar - it was just released in the U.S. theatrically this year, but has been available online and in europe for at least 3 years. Now, it's out on DVD in a good widescreen edition. For some reason it's being touted as an "unrated" version, although having seen it, I have no idea what was added that was so horrifying it couldn't be run past the ratings board.
Anna Paquin does an excellent job in this film, never coming across as cheesy. The plot is quite involved, much more so than in a normal horror movie - not so much in terms of what is trying to happen, but more in terms of how it's going to take place.
Despite the comments on IMDB, this simply isn't a very bloody movie. There are a few bloody scenes, but they're more disturbing for the WAY they're bloody than for the amount of blood involved. I have no idea why the IMDB people called it loaded with blood, but it isn't true at all.
This movie is very sneaky about how it approaches its revelations - some of the things it tells you, you're not aware of until things come together at the end of the movie. This is a very good entry in the horror genre, and highly recommended for anyone who'd rather be scared than grossed out. Buy it!
