When the daughter Emma of the technical writer Allen Pyke (Greg Thompson) and the photographer Julie (Cheri Christian) is found slashed in the throat and wrists in their locked apartment, the couple decides to move to an isolated cabin in the mountains in Kingspike. Julie is very depressed and blames Allen for the death of Emma. Once in the new home, Julie sees the spirit of Emma in a photo she took in a nearby abandoned prison and she becomes obsessed shooting pictures of poltergeists. Allen is advised to move from the place by the local Jim Payne (Scott Hodges), and on May 21st, Allen finds that the former dwellers of the cabin have committed suicide, and he investigates the death in the spot and finds that many people died around May 22nd. He decides to move with Julie to a hotel, but she does not want to give up on Emma.
"Dark Remains" is a well constructed dark tale, with a great potential, but unfortunately awfully resolved. I did not like the flat performances of the Greg Thompson and Cheri Christian in the role of the lead characters. The makeup and special effects are good, considering that this is a low-budget movie, but the director uses too much the glances of spirits in the mirrors or on the back of the characters, and in the end they do not scary anymore. With some improvements in the screenplay and better performances specially of Greg Thompson this movie could be great, but my advice is to watch "Dark Remains" without great expectations, and the viewer that likes horror films might appreciate some good moments. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Espíritos do Mal" ("Evil Spirits")
"Dark Remains" is a well constructed dark tale, with a great potential, but unfortunately awfully resolved. I did not like the flat performances of the Greg Thompson and Cheri Christian in the role of the lead characters. The makeup and special effects are good, considering that this is a low-budget movie, but the director uses too much the glances of spirits in the mirrors or on the back of the characters, and in the end they do not scary anymore. With some improvements in the screenplay and better performances specially of Greg Thompson this movie could be great, but my advice is to watch "Dark Remains" without great expectations, and the viewer that likes horror films might appreciate some good moments. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Espíritos do Mal" ("Evil Spirits")