Dark Reprieve (2008)

User Rating:

2.3/10   

Director:

Richard Boddington

Writer:

Katrina Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 2008 (Canada)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

At the edge of sanity, lies the beginning of fear.

Plot:

Two people Matt and Kate wake up in a closed down prison. They have no idea how they got there, or why they are there...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Homicide | Model | Future | Fiction

Cast

Janelle Bartosek	...	Kate
Liam Card	...	Detective Marks
John Cronk	...	Matt's Dad / Surgeon
Sarah Jackson	...	Raquel Lake
Shawn Storer	...	Matt
Ian Wisniewski	...	The Executioner

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent and disturbing content.

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Company:

Abyss Films

Good film for low budget class

I saw this film at a local film-fest sponsored screening last night. I was prepared to be disappointed, as I was by the last low-budget locally-filmed 'scary' movie I saw in the same situation, but was instead pleasantly surprised.

This film has fairly good acting & production values for something in this budget range. Most significantly, the director was willing to cut it down to 80 minutes to maintain pacing which shows a commitment to art over ego. The flashlight-lit scenes were particularly well done, compared to many scenes which I find too dark even in some Hollywood big-budget films, and the more active scenes didn't suffer from the ubiquitous modern trend of too-rapid cutting, although there was a bit too much use of 'recycled' shots and the forward-and-back jumps (non-linear plot) were sometimes unnecessarily confusing. The overall plot and theme, however, were fairly good and not predictable as one would usually see in this style of production. In fact, the final twist (and you know one will be coming) is essentially unpredictable yet not contrived.

The creepiness and scares build from setting (mostly shot on location in a real abandoned century-old jail) and plot, and there is little gore to speak of, unlike many films in this genre. This is a positive aspect, as the director is relying on story-telling instead of visceral or cringe-inducing effects. The extensive use of this location is one of the highlights of the film.

Overall I give it a only 6 out of 10 mainly because of the budget limitations. The score isn't bad, but I found the sound affects a bit lacking. The new, unknown actors give a good first feature film effort, and the plot and writing are very evocative of better Twilight Zone episodes.