The title is clearly referencing the inciting action of the ghost story at the heart of this movie, as well as trying to be a pun about how the ghosts operate, but the reference does not make a strong enough connection to the content to be effective. Mostly it's just puzzling. Out of the Dark is about a woman (Julia Stiles) taking over a plant in Colombia and bringing her writer husband (Scott Speedman) and their young daughter with her. I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting a cheesefest like the scary doll factory movies with a similar premise, but that's not what I got. This movie tries very hard to be earnest, and the pace plods for that effort. The acting is above average for horror, though. Speedman acquits himself adroitly, and Stiles actually impresses, especially in a scene near the end where she is convincingly devastated when she thinks her daughter has died. Those kind of acting chops were not necessary for a horror movie, but I do thank her for them. Stephen Rea was also suitably creepy as her father who is clearly hiding something. The score is also very good for horror, and the supporting cast were all sympathetic. The story is fine for this kind of movie, because while it has been done before, it still works. The movie leads you to believe for most of its runtime that a 500 year old legend is responsible for the hauntings, only to find out that the haunting is a lot more recent and Sarah's family is directly involved. The special effects were okay, but what got old real fast was the jump scare tactic of having a face appear out of the dark accompanied by a child's high pitched scream. That doesn't stay scary beyond the first time, but this director used it time and time and time again. Still, the movie didn't stick the landing and I've got to give a horror movie its props when it manages to end on a satisfying note, because a lot of recent flicks don't.
Review of Out of the Dark
