You can pretty much sit this piece of crap out and rest assured that you're not missing anything of any importance. I couldn't even begin to tell you what happened in it, but I'll try.
Some family moves into this old house in Spain and weird shit starts happening. Dad has some kind of neurological disease that makes his behave strangely from time to time, son is getting beaten up in his room by the ghosts of children murdered in the house forty years earlier, Daughter attempts to figure out what is happening and even after the big revelation in the second act, it still doesn't make any sense.
On the way out of the theater, everyone seemed to agree that this was one awful movie. It had some good ideas, the design of the house is interesting and these three old women (featured prominently in the ads only to receive mere seconds of screen time) seemed like something they could build on but never did. Just avoid this one like the plague. Trust me.
Darkness
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Latte Thunder
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Darkness
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Well... I'd certainly tell you to avoid what's playing in theatres right now. However, I suspect that there's something much better lurking in the complete film.
This is a Spanish production that's been on Dimension's shelf for about two years. Initially it had an R rating--but you can thank THE RING, THE OTHERS, THE GRUDGE, etc. for making PG-13 the "in" thing. So--they cut DARKNESS to a PG-13 (and I was warned).
For the first half hour or so, it's all-too-typical. You hear the sonic "zing" sound effect every few minutes as a shapeless shadow flicks across the screen--daddy (who looks too much like the dad in "Malcolm in the Middle") has a seizure after a chant of "Get your ass out of my face," and so on.
But once you catch up to what's going on, you see the problem.
There's a really nasty concept at the heart of this film. I certainly don't mean something that shouldn't be used in horror films--but definitely something that doesn't lend itself to PG-13 presentation. DARKNESS was made by a director who either wanted or didn't care about getting an R.
Now, if you happen to have a twelve-year-old daughter, it's going to scare her--there's plenty of stuff here that does work well... but the core itself is more disturbing than anything you see on screen. As for the attempts to make it a PG-13? Well... the MPAA allowed a sinister whisper of "you fucked up," but the climax bows to a refrain of "OPEN THIS FREAKIN' DOOR!" Several bits are obviously glossed over, and several elements cease making sense.
It still freaked my daughter out but good, and I still maintain that there's a good film waiting to be discovered here. I can see why Dimension picked it up in the first place--but watering it down and hiding it from the critics was a bonehead plan of the first degree. Dismal box office and a bad reputation are sure to follow--and that's hardly fair to director Jaume Balaguero, whose THE NAMELESS is STILL sitting on Dimension's shelf. He's going to get trashed without people seeing the film he actually made!
If it weren't for Dimension, DARKNESS would probably be high on my list for 2004. I'll get back to you when I see the real thing.
This is a Spanish production that's been on Dimension's shelf for about two years. Initially it had an R rating--but you can thank THE RING, THE OTHERS, THE GRUDGE, etc. for making PG-13 the "in" thing. So--they cut DARKNESS to a PG-13 (and I was warned).
For the first half hour or so, it's all-too-typical. You hear the sonic "zing" sound effect every few minutes as a shapeless shadow flicks across the screen--daddy (who looks too much like the dad in "Malcolm in the Middle") has a seizure after a chant of "Get your ass out of my face," and so on.
But once you catch up to what's going on, you see the problem.
There's a really nasty concept at the heart of this film. I certainly don't mean something that shouldn't be used in horror films--but definitely something that doesn't lend itself to PG-13 presentation. DARKNESS was made by a director who either wanted or didn't care about getting an R.
Now, if you happen to have a twelve-year-old daughter, it's going to scare her--there's plenty of stuff here that does work well... but the core itself is more disturbing than anything you see on screen. As for the attempts to make it a PG-13? Well... the MPAA allowed a sinister whisper of "you fucked up," but the climax bows to a refrain of "OPEN THIS FREAKIN' DOOR!" Several bits are obviously glossed over, and several elements cease making sense.
It still freaked my daughter out but good, and I still maintain that there's a good film waiting to be discovered here. I can see why Dimension picked it up in the first place--but watering it down and hiding it from the critics was a bonehead plan of the first degree. Dismal box office and a bad reputation are sure to follow--and that's hardly fair to director Jaume Balaguero, whose THE NAMELESS is STILL sitting on Dimension's shelf. He's going to get trashed without people seeing the film he actually made!
If it weren't for Dimension, DARKNESS would probably be high on my list for 2004. I'll get back to you when I see the real thing.
My dog's breath smells like peanut butter...
...and I don't even have a dog!
...and I don't even have a dog!
Okay... so now I'm wondering if the copy I watched this evening was infact the uncut one... because the F-Bomb was CLEARLY dropped 9 times (that I counted)...
I'm gonna have say that....
I liked it!
Dark subject matter, some creepy visuals... it was pretty to look at and at times reminded me of Suspiria in its look/music... especially one shot of the house and this Goblinesque music that went on during this part...
I'm gonna have say that....
I liked it!
Dark subject matter, some creepy visuals... it was pretty to look at and at times reminded me of Suspiria in its look/music... especially one shot of the house and this Goblinesque music that went on during this part...
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Latte Thunder
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If you've seen a DVD of this, Kimberly, you've probably seen the original cut of the movie. I remember Poker Industries and HKFlix selling this on their sites before Dimension scooped up the US distribution rights.
I haven't seen it, but I'd imagine that the original cut leaves in enough of the plot that the MPAA thought too hard for a PG-13. I'd really like to know more about the original, but I'm not sure if I could sit through it again.
I haven't seen it, but I'd imagine that the original cut leaves in enough of the plot that the MPAA thought too hard for a PG-13. I'd really like to know more about the original, but I'm not sure if I could sit through it again.
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Okay... so let's assume it was the original cut of the film... bear with me as it's my birfday and 5+ sake bombs later...Latte Thunder wrote:If you've seen a DVD of this, Kimberly, you've probably seen the original cut of the movie. I remember Poker Industries and HKFlix selling this on their sites before Dimension scooped up the US distribution rights.
I haven't seen it, but I'd imagine that the original cut leaves in enough of the plot that the MPAA thought too hard for a PG-13. I'd really like to know more about the original, but I'm not sure if I could sit through it again.
They didn't get into the three old women... which to me looked alot like men... at least that's what they looked like in the picture they had hanging up...
******KINDA SPOILER SPACE******
While they didn't expand on their story I just assumed that they had something to do with the occult that was going on...
I should clear up my saying it reminded me of Suspiria... there was this one shot of the house that reminded me of the school in Suspiria... and it had this Goblin type music going on in the background. As well as with some of the color schemes used... reminded me alot of the color use in Suspiria... which we can all throw back to Bava films...
All I know is what I saw last night I liked... ALOT...
I am really interested in seeing The Nameless now...
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AllocesThroat
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Dimension sucks!!!
I left the theatre after seeing Darkness thinking what could've been. Dimension has made an ugly habit of opting for the PG-13 rating to make the extra buck. As a result, they ruined the film.
Dimension is apparently cutting Wes Craven's newest flick, Cursed, down to PG-13 also. Hey Wes, here's some advice, get away from Dimension. Take up residence with Lion's Gate.
Dimension is apparently cutting Wes Craven's newest flick, Cursed, down to PG-13 also. Hey Wes, here's some advice, get away from Dimension. Take up residence with Lion's Gate.