Darkness (2002)

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.

Director:

Jaume Balagueró

Writers:

Jaume Balagueró, Fernando de Felipe

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Pagès	...	Driver Traffic Jam
Craig Stevenson	...	Electrician
Paula Fernández	...	Girl 1
Gemma Lozano	...	Girl 2
Xavier Allepuz	...	Boy 1
Joseph Roberts	...	Boy 2
Marc Ferrando	...	Boy 3
Josh Gaeta	...	Boy 4

Storyline

There's something in this house... Something ancient and dark that remains still, hidden and silent. It can only wait, having been concealed in the shadows for years. In fact, its milieu is darkness. Only in it can it show itself and move. It even takes its name: DARKNESS. It's lived here since someone tried to call it, more than forty years ago. Because this house hides a secret, a terrible past, an inconceivably evil act... Seven children, faceless people, a circle that must be completed. And blood, lots of blood...

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Plot Keywords:

9 year old | gramophone | supernatural horror | dead child | missing child | 

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Taglines:

A house. A past. A secret. Will you dare enter?

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, intense terror sequences, thematic elements and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

(Around 23 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.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

US theatrical version was heavily edited to get PG-13 rating.

• the word "fuck" is changed to "freek/frick".
• the man slicing his finger happens offscreen
• the boy being attacked inside of his room by the six kids isn't shown
• the R-rated version shows more intense sequences of the satanic ritual which was preformed on the six kids.

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Connections

References The Others (2001)

User Reviews

Worth a watch

I knew nothing about this film until I stumbled across it while reading reviews for another movie. So, I checked out what people were saying, and having read so many mixed reviews on it, I had to see it for myself. I love scary movies...always have. And I'm a particular fan of any movie that can bring back that feeling of terror one experiences as a child...whether from watching movies, or fearing the ever-present monsters in the closet. At times, this movie was able to do that.

Darkness starts out strong, grabbing you in out of sheer morbid curiosity. Throughout, there are moments of profound creepiness quite similar to the flashes of the twin daughters in The Shining. Actually, this movie has some similarities to the old classic, although it falls far short of what the Shining was able to accomplish.

There are some drawbacks to this movie. The acting is, well, not entirely believable. And, in my opinion, Paquin is not at her best in this movie. Many of the lines fall flat and have you sitting there scratching your head goin "huh?" These moments come quite frequently when watching the dialogue between Mother and Daughter...it simply isn't believable. The other main drawback is the copout explanation of events. Like with many horror films, the movie starts out strong with an intriguing storyline, only to have the writers throw together a flittery, half-witted explanation to everything. Darkness follows that formula to a T, unfortunately.

However, amongst the drawbacks are moments of great potential and overall eeriness that is missing in many of today's films. Also, the ending in and of itself is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the stereotypical hollywood ending found in far too many movies.

Had I spent $8 on this film, I probably would have been disappointed and wanted my money back. However, this is definitely worth a rental cost...especially for a "horror movie night" or a teens sleepover. Don't expect a great one...but don't expect a dud either.

If you're looking for jumps and that creepy feeling reminiscent of a childhood fear of the dark, this is the movie for you.

Overall, I give this ***1/2 out of five.

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dark

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$10,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,400,000, 26 December 2004

Gross USA:

$22,163,442

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,988,736

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castelao Producciones, Dimension Films, Fantastic Factory (Filmax)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 103 min (Unrated Version)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1