The Darkroom (2006)

A teenage boy befriends an escapee from a mental institution who sees visions of horrible murders being committed.

Director:

Michael Hurst

Writers:

Michael Hurst, Mark A. Altman

Stars:

Shawn Pyfrom, Reed Diamond, Greg Grunberg

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shawn Pyfrom	...	Stanley
Reed Diamond	...	The Man
Greg Grunberg	...	Bob
Lucy Lawless	...	Cheryl
Erin Foster	...	Kimberly
Jesse James	...	J-Dawg
Kyle Swann	...	Kid #2
Ellie Cornell	...	Dr. Allen
Damian Young	...	Dr. Freeman
Melissa Marsala	...	Kristy
Richard Riehle	...	Emilio
Cristin Michele	...	Janet (as Cristin Michelle)
Julian Berlin	...	Loretta
Chris Ellis	...	Jackson
David Reynolds	...	Shaven Headed Patient

Storyline

A teenage boy befriends an escapee from a mental institution who sees visions of horrible murders being committed.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | topless female nudity | chained to a wall | amnesia | nudity | 

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Taglines:

See what evil develops....

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Darkroom

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CFQ Films, IDT Entertainment, Mindfire Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When 'The Man' is giving Stan advice on how to pick the lock he mentions "pins", and Stan is using two tools to pick the lock. However, it is a warded lock, a type that contains no pins and is picked with a single tool.

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Connections

References The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

User Reviews

Typical Michael Hurst....awful

That might be a bit harsh for me saying that, but sadly so far in his directing career its true. Just have a look at what he as done so far. They barely make it past the 3 star mark.

Why did I watch this movie? 2 reasons. Lucy Lawless and Heroes star Greg Grunberg. Lucy was outstanding in this movie, her performance carries the whole movie. I do hope she gets a "blockbuster" and breaks into the bigger league of actors, she clearly has the skills. Greg was not so impressive, typical TV acting style.

The movie is oddly categorized as a horror. The only "horror" is short flashbacks, and they last a max of 2-5 seconds with a little blood in them. I personally would call this more a "drama/thriller".

But no matter how interesting the story actually is, bad directing, editing and acting (appart from Lucy) destroys it. You get no real connection to the actors, something which is very important in a story like this one. You just sit there watching feeling nothing. Its like watching a bad TV soap....actually I think the TV soap would be more interesting.

My advice: Stay away from this movie...or better yet just stay away from anything Michael Hurst is involved with.