Darkness (2002)

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.

Director:

Jaume Balagueró

Writers:

Jaume Balagueró, Fernando de Felipe,

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen

2 wins & 3 nominations.

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 Pagès	...	Driver Traffic Jam
Craig Stevenson	...	Electrician
Paula Fernández	...	Girl 1
Gemma Lozano	...	Girl 2
Xavier Allepuz	...	Boy 1
Joseph Roberts	...	Boy 2
Marc Ferrando	...	Boy 3
Josh Gaeta	...	Boy 4

Storyline

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...

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Plot Keywords:

house | darkness | blood | children | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

A house. A past. A secret. Will you dare enter?

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for terror/violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dark

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$10,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£102,154 (UK) (18 March 2005)

Gross:

£102,154 (UK) (18 March 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castelao Producciones, Dimension Films, Filmax International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 88 min (PG-13)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jaume Balagueró attempted to recruit actress Natalie Portman to play the part of Regina, which eventually went to Anna Paquin.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Regina: Since when are you afraid of the dark?
Paul: Everything is different here.

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Connections

References Session 9 (2001)

User Reviews

A good, unusual, and challenging film

I was very pleasantly surprised upon seeing Catalan director Jaume Balagueró's «Darkness». Contemporary Hispanic cinema, especially Catalan cinema, has purposely taken specific film genres (mystery, thriller, noir, etc.) and given them a new twist. Another technique is to mix several genres and thus create something new or unexpected, like Guillermo del Toro's «Chronos» or «Blade II», which combine horror (a vampire story) with science fiction. In this respect, «Darkness» is a Gothic film (unusual for Spanish cinema) that has elements of mystery and horror. It is not, however, a horror film in the way a US movie might be. In fact, a better comparison may be made between this film and, for instance, «The Grudge», or, better yet, «Ju-on», the original Japanese horror film on which «The Grudge» was based. Unlike them, however, «Darkness» tells a coherent story and is very subtle in how it presents the mysterious slowly (day by day, literally). I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole film, for the hints were delivered slowly, which added to my state of tension or terror. The film also has several alternative sequences which seem to have confused the spectators. One might wish to be guided by Albert Rua (Giancarlo Giannini), who tells Regina (Anna Paquin) that the Darkness will take care of things. Hence, there is one sequence of events ruled by the Darkness, and another one which is independent of it. This practice, which is not that unusual (think of «Run Lola Run», with three alternative sequences, or even «Don Juan DeMarco», with two) may prove confusing to the spectator. However, it adds to the mystery and to the interest the movie presents. I would recommend at least two viewings. Iain Glen as Mark is absolutely superb, as are Lena Olin as Maria and Giancarlo Giannini as Albert Rua. I would recommend «Darkness» to anyone wanting to watch a good, unusual, and challenging film.