Dark Awakening (2014)

A thriller centered on a couple who makes an old estate their new home and soon begin to see the spirits of dead children.

Directors:

Dean Jones (as Dean C. Jones), Dean Jones

Writers:

Josh Edwards, Dean Jones (as Dean C. Jones)

Stars:

Lance Henriksen, Jason Cook, Valerie Azlynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lance Henriksen	...	Father Donovan O'Malley
Jason Cook	...	James Thomas
Valerie Azlynn	...	Jennifer Thomas
William Pifer	...	Danny
Lauren Sesselmann	...	Faith
Robert Crayton	...	Quentin
Tracey Coppedge	...	Mrs. Thomas
Gil Newsom	...	Henry Thomas
Viktor Hernandez	...	Garcia
R. Keith Harris	...	Mr. Korinthos
Karen Boles	...	Mrs. Korinthos
Vanelle	...	Marie Johnson
Dave Geddis	...	Old Man Jeeter
Cornelius Muller	...	Foreman
Marcella Rochelle	...	Old Woman Harris

Storyline

Terrifying experiences surround the Thomas family (James, Jennifer and little Danny) when temporally residing in an old family estate. They encounter the disturbing spirits of nine dead children, only to be compounded by something far more sinister and far more deadly.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost child | ghost | child | ghost girl | 

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Taglines:

When the dead come out to play.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nevermore

Filming Locations:

Graham, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlantic & Pacific Pictures, Cafe Oscuro Films, Nevermore Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene at the end of the credits.

User Reviews

Bland and wholly unenjoyable supernatural thriller

After inheriting his mother's house, a city attorney and his family living in her remote country house until it's sold find that the imaginary friends their son claim to see are really ghosts of children haunting the house for a past crime he committed and set out to prevent them from happening.

Frankly, this one wasn't all that interesting of an effort. Most of this one is based on the film not really being all that forthcoming with the supernatural antics which are quite expected when they occur. It's completely heavy reliance on the expected false scares from bumps in the night to the ghosts appearing in the background behind people which is rather lazy to be this heavily featured here. Likewise, this occurs in accordance with a slow, drawn-out pace that doesn't in the slightest generate any kind of suspense or thrilling action with the rather bland feeling here generated by the utterly slow start here. This isn't helped by the fact that the few events we do have here are brushed off without much care or concern, as the fact that these do happen but nothing much is done with them to show any kind of impact they have on the family makes them lose their power and intensity quite often when it's always moved aside to deal with something else. Whether it's the family dealing with the funeral arrangements, the slowly-dawning back-history they have with the area or the mounting frustration they have with the son's fascination with his imaginary friends which take up all the first half of the film that all hold back the supernatural action within here which is what really hurts this one overall. The other big issue is this one drops them for a bland realistic thriller finale which is seen coming from a mile away and comes off as redundant due to not surprising anyone while completely removing the ghosts from the equation. These here really hold this one down overall. One of the few positives is the fact that there's some solid work done through the frequent hauntings to give the idea that something's going on, as these do manage to feature the idea that the house has something going on with the idea of the different visions and encounters in the house. From the ghost in the bedroom, the incident in the bathroom where she gets pushed under in front of him and the different flash images around the room where the deformed ghosts are watching everyone are featured here to give a solid setup about the effects of the house and its history. That leads nicely into the backstory about the killing spree he undergoes as a kid which is rather dark and chilling for what's presented which does help this one out somewhat. As well, the creepy featured look of the ghosts manages to get a lot to like here, and along with the gory kills here gives this a lot to enjoy here. Otherwise, there's just a whole lot to like in the film.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, violence against animals and domestic violence.