Darkness (2002)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Jaume Balagueró

Writers:

Jaume Balagueró (written by) and
Fernando de Felipe (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Some secrets should never come to light

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.

Plot Keywords:

House | Darkness | Blood | Children | Teenage Girl

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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
Mattew Dixon	...	Boy 7
Carlos Castañón	...	Friend 1
Carles Punyet	...	Friend 2
Reg Wilson	...	Librarian
Ferran Lahoz	...	Taxi Driver Regina
Pedro Antonio Segura	...	Patient Traffic Jam
Astrid Fenollar	...	Old Woman 1
Lidia Dorado	...	Old Woman 2
Clara Manguillot	...	Old Woman 3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miquel Bordoy
David Martí	...	Man sleeping on bus (uncredited)

Directed by
Jaume Balagueró

Writing credits
Jaume Balagueró		(written by) and
Fernando de Felipe		(written by)
Miguel Tejada-Flores		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Carlos Fernández	....	executive producer
Julio Fernández	....	producer
Teresa Gefaell	....	line producer
Guy J. Louthan	....	executive producer
Bea Morillas	....	secretary of production
Antonia Nava	....	co-executive producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer
Brian Yuzna	....	creative producer
Brian Yuzna	....	producer

Original Music by
Carles Cases

Cinematography by
Xavi Giménez

Film Editing by
Luis de la Madrid

Casting by
Elena Arnao
Matt Western

Production Design by
Llorenç Miquel

Set Decoration by
Deborah Chambers

Costume Design by
Eva Arretxe

Makeup Department
Alma Casal	....	makeup designer
Nieves Martin	....	hair stylist
Satur Merino	....	hair stylist (as Saturnino Merino)
Brad Wilder	....	makeup artist: Anna Paquin

Production Management
Jake Myers	....	executive in charge of production: Dimension Films
Carla Pérez de Albéniz	....	unit manager
Jesús L. Pérez Villar	....	production manager
Nick Phillips	....	executive in charge of production: Dimension films

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luis de la Madrid	....	second unit director (credited only as editor)
Anna Rua	....	second assistant director
Rita Rubio	....	third assistant director
Iñaki Sanchez	....	second second assistant director
Fernando Sánchez-Izquierdo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Félix Álvarez	....	painter
Pedro Jesús De la Fuente	....	construction coordinator
Paco Escofet	....	assistant set decorator
Mani Martínez	....	set construction assistant (as Mariano Martinez)
Ramón Moya	....	construction manager
Joan Sabaté	....	property master
Antonio Sánchez	....	supervising carpenter
Silvia Steinbrecht	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Manuel Carrión	....	foley artist
Dani Fontrodona	....	sound
Salva Mayolas	....	sound
Ferran Mengod	....	sound editor
Marc Orts	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Xavi Bastida	....	special effects makeup
Daniel Izar de la Fuente	....	special effects technician
Daniel Izar de la Fuente	....	special liquid effects assistant
Taller Maravillas	....	special effects
David Martí	....	special effects
José M. Meneses	....	special effects technician: DDT
Amador Rehak	....	special effects
Juan Serrano	....	special effects technician: DDT SFX

Visual Effects by
Gloria Bernabeu	....	digital compositor
Martin Contel	....	CG artist
Luis de la Madrid	....	visual effects editor
Laura Maynadé	....	digital effects coordinator
Quico Noizeux	....	scanner/recorder
Quico Noizeux	....	title graphics
Jaume Vilaseca	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Mónica Consuegra	....	stunts
Ángel Plana	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ferrán Calvo	....	second assistant camera
Albert Carreras	....	camera operator
Francesc Carreras	....	first assistant camera
Óscar Faura	....	director of photography: second unit
Marc Gómez del Moral	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Juan Carlos Gómez	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Carles Guerrero	....	grip (as Charly Guerrero)
Sebastián Hernandis	....	underwater camera operator
José Manuel Herrero	....	underwater camera operator
Gonzalez Leonardo Javier	....	grip
Gonzalez Leonardo Javier	....	key grip
Roger Martínez	....	first assistant camera
Diego Moyano	....	electrician
José Luis Rodríguez	....	gaffer
Ramón Sánchez	....	Steadicam operator
Manuel Zambrana	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Matt Western	....	casting: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
María Engo	....	additional wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
José Calderón	....	negative cutter
Sean Hubbert	....	additional editorial assistant
Bernat Vilapana	....	first assistant editor
Oskar Pérez	....	post-production coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Allan Baker	....	story editor
Ingrid Fernández de Castro	....	production assistant
Mariana Gironella	....	script supervisor
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	dialect coach: Ms. Paquin
Richard Hyland	....	production accountant
Alberto Marini	....	development executive
Alberto Marini	....	director's creative assistant
Mary Kay McCoy	....	dialogue coach
Manuel Monzón Fueyo	....	development executive
Helena Moreno Núñez	....	development executive
Martin Samper	....	making-of
Elena Serra	....	development executive
Elisa Sirvent	....	location manager
Elisa Sirvent	....	production assistant
Ursi Van der Herten	....	assistant: Brian Yuzna
Matt Western	....	director: UK

Production Companies

• Castelao Producciones
• Dimension Films
• Filmax International
• Vía Digital

Distributors

• Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales (SOGEDASA) (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Communications (2004) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• CDI Films (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Dimension Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Eagle Pictures
• GAGA Communications
• Humax Pictures
• Miramax Films (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Splendid Film (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Filmtel S.A.

Also Known As:

Darkness (Spain)
The Dark (USA)

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:

USA | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15A (cut) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

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

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.

Quotes:

Paul: I don't like the dark here, it keeps eating my pencils.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

The Unbearable Being of 'Darkness' ...

Spain continues with the revival of atmospheric, story-driven horror but this film is definitely a lot less impressive or memorable than for example "The Others", "The Devil's Backbone" or Balaguero's own "The Nameless". Well actually, I'm being too polite here... "Darkness", despite featuring some good ideas, is a dull and overly confusing haunted house/ restless ghosts story. Admittedly, it all looks beautiful and scary at first, but it doesn't take long before you realize that the shock-moments are the same old clichéd and meaningless tricks (sudden appearances, toys that start to function by themselves, slamming doors...) and that the premise actually doesn't make the slightest bit of sense, albeit smoothly presented. We follow a rather dysfunctional family that recently moved from the US to Spain, where the father has his roots and granddaddy still is a prominent doctor. Their giant house is very isolated and hides many old secrets and it's unhappy teenage daughter Regina who senses the danger first. Soon after, father Mark re-develops the disease everyone thought he was cured of and the young son Paul starts to behave mysteriously. Maybe it's because I lost interest pretty quick, but eventually I didn't understand one iota about the connection between an old dark house, a solar eclipse, a chronic illness and the sacrificial murders of seven young children. To make it all a little worse, there are numerous illogical aspects in the script that annoyed the hell out of me. What caring mother would simply ignore strangulation marks on her son's neck and say they're accidental bruises? Or what male adolescent would spend all his time and even risk his life for a girl he never even received a kiss from? Moreover, it's never made clear in which era "Darkness" is set! There's no reason to assume it's not set in present day, yet the cars and even the telephones look prehistoric. And in case you're wondering: no, it's not always raining cats and dogs in Spain, in fact, I always presumed it's Europe's sunniest country! However, it helps that this poor movie is blessed with a great cast and the cinematography is often very enchanting. The obligatory twist in the end is entirely implausible and proves all the more that "Darkness" is a beautifully decorated but empty package. Avoid!