IMDb > Darkness (2002)
Darkness
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Darkness (2002) -- US Home Video Trailer from Miramax
Darkness (2002) -- A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.
Darkness (2002) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
5.3/10   9,526 votes
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Director:
Writers:
Jaume Balagueró (written by) and
Fernando de Felipe (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Dark on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
Some secrets should never come to light more
Plot:
A teenage girl moves into a remote countryside house with her family, only to discover that their gloomy new home has a horrifying past that threatens to destroy the family. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Reviews:
Everything is pitch black. more (336 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anna Paquin ... Regina

Lena Olin ... Maria

Iain Glen ... Mark

Giancarlo Giannini ... Albert Rua
Fele Martínez ... Carlos
Stephan Enquist ... Paul
Fermí Reixach ... Villalobos (as Fermi Reixach)

Francesc Pagés ... Driver Traffic Jam

Craig Stevenson ... Electrician
Paula Fernández ... Girl 1
Gemma Lozano ... Girl 2
Xavier Allepuz ... Boy 3
Joseph Roberts ... Boy 4
Marc Ferrando ... Boy 5
Josh Gaeta ... Boy 6
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Darkness (Spain)
The Dark (USA)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for terror/violence and language. (original version); Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, intense terror sequences, thematic elements and language. (edited version)
Runtime:
102 min | USA:88 min (PG-13 version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director Jaume Balagueró attempted to recruit actress Natalie Portman to play the part of Regina, which eventually went to Anna Paquin. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: Twenty-three minutes into the movie, Regina comes down the stairs and sees that her dad has found a secret room under the stairs. Her father comes out holding a picture apparently very interested. Regina asks her father, "What's that?" looking at the space under the stairs. We then see a still frame where just barely, you can see Regina's father still in the space looking at the picture even though he had just stepped out of that area. more
Quotes:
Regina: Since when are you afraid of the dark?
Paul: Everything is different here.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006) more

FAQ

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful.
Everything is pitch black., 27 October 2007
5/10
Author: lost-in-limbo from the Mad Hatter's tea party.

I was quite impressed with Jaume Balaguero's first feature "The Nameless" which mightn't have been original, but it was coldly disturbing and effectively suspenseful. Now I heard and read nothing but poor things on his second feature "Darkness". I couldn't escape the negativity, and naturally I was expecting something very weak. However came away from it thinking what an interesting failure into supernatural/occult territory. The main problem is due the story's stale familiarity, which never really is given the chance to rise above its foreseeable hints, embarrassingly shallow script and ludicrously ragged framework. Talk about hazy, and I mean real hazy. It's cryptic, but extremely convoluted and mundane. Even with Balaguero's understated, glossed up icy direction, which works in some eerie, and jarring visuals that go a long way of building up a quiet intensity and dreary atmosphere.

Still everything about it is downright mechanical and probably a bit long in the tooth, but it didn't seem to bother me because I found it rather intriguing despite the muddled, paper-thin intentions. There's just something lurking behind this jilted mess that I found fascinating, but the narrative does get lost amongst the busy visual style. From the beginning, we learn it's all about the casually paced build-up, but the shocks are too clichéd (like creaky sounds, moving shadows) and the final pay-off doesn't have too much of a sting to it. Technically the film looks the part with its dark composition and sterile cinematography, and the weeping, otherworldly music score works a haunting tone. The sound devices are so old-hat and forced, but they're pinpoint, vitriolic and really do surround you. The characters don't fair any better, and I thought the performances from a solid cast were modest enough even with their flimsy characterisations. Anna Paquin was suitably appealing and maturely strong, but a awful Lena Olin looked quite uninterested and Iain Glen was terribly uneven. Giancarlo Giannini stays on cruise control, and Stephan Enquist turns in a fine performance.

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WTF is up with the grandpa? moviesrgreat89
People misunderstood the grandfather (spoilers!) jesper-thorndahl
Perfect movie for a sequel (spoilers) saladin-10
The Ending of Movie is not Typical tufreeh
My review (spoiler) lindorm-1
Voice actors at beginning of film not credited Carlo Houtkamp
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