Beneath the Darkness (2011)

After watching their best friend get murdered, a group of teens struggle to expose a local hero as the vicious killer and keep from becoming his next victims.

Director:

Martin Guigui

Writer:

Bruce Wilkinson

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Aimee Teegarden, Tony Oller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Ely
Aimee Teegarden	...	Abby
Tony Oller	...	Travis
Stephen Lunsford	...	Brian
Devon Werkheiser	...	Danny
Brett Cullen	...	Sgt. Nickerson
Dahlia Waingort	...	Sylvia Moore
Conrad Gonzales	...	Officer Alvarez
Wilbur Penn	...	Officer Wainright
Amber Bartlett	...	Rosemary
Sydney Barrosse	...	Carolyn
David Christopher	...	Sovic
Gabriel Folse	...	Russell
Melody Chase	...	Elaine
Cameron Banfield	...	Collin

Storyline

After watching their best friend get murdered, a group of teens struggle to expose a local hero as the vicious killer and keep from becoming his next victims.

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Plot Keywords:

corpse | ceiling fan | thrown down stairs | teenage girl | psychopath | 

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Taglines:

Now I Lay You Down To Sleep.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 2012 (Kuwait)

Also Known As:

Além da Escuridão

Filming Locations:

Bastrop, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Raincreek Productions, Sunset Pictures, BTDARK

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce Wilkinson (the writer) first met Director Martin Guigui in Austin, Texas at the Austin Film Featival back in 2005 at a screening of Guigui's Swing. Little did they know they would find themselves filming "Beneath The Darkness" 5 years later right in the Austin area.

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Connections

References Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Love Me"
Performed and written by Tony Oller

User Reviews

Chill out people, it's just dumb fun.

Four high school kids come into some bother when they cross paths with the local Mortician/whack-job. When one of them gets murdered it's up to the others to prove the morticians guilt.

The movie follows a lot of the classic thriller trappings and pitfalls. No one believes the kids story despite the obvious weirdness of the mortician character played brilliantly by Dennis Quaid with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Useless cops neglecting to follow up any evidence and of course the kids parents not listening to anything they say. Despite all this it still manages to entertain. There are some very funny cheesy lines in there some quite tense moments too.

There are some pointless parts like the main teens back story which never really amounts to anything and the fact we never get to see the teachers reaction to one of the bits of story that is eventually revealed (one that if you're paying attention you'll know before any of the characters in the movie do). These small problems aren't really enough to ruin the movie. There are some great moments in there too. Like when you find out what the kids had seen going on through the window as well as Some of the morticians one-liners.

The main cast do a pretty good job, everyone is very capable. Obviously Dennis Quaid stands out. Finally embracing a role that revels in madness. I always thought that a lot of his characters had a kind of wild edge to them and it was great for me in this movie to see him let that edge take over.

The movie looks great and professionally filmed. Sound design is spot on. Technically you can't fault it.

Strangely there seems to be a lot of hate for Beneath the darkness but If you're willingly to let it, this movie can be an enjoyable ride.