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Darkness

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Darkness (2003)

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Reviews Counted:52

Fresh:2

Rotten:50

Average Rating:2.7/10

Consensus: Yet another predictable variation on the hoary old haunted-house movie, Darkness is an illogical, portentous mess.

Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Talented Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balaguero's film DARKNESS is a movie in which an ordinary American family moves to a large, creaky Victorian home in the Spanish countryside that, unbeknownst to... Talented Spanish filmmaker Jaume Balaguero's film DARKNESS is a movie in which an ordinary American family moves to a large, creaky Victorian home in the Spanish countryside that, unbeknownst to them, was the scene of some awful experiments on the night of a total eclipse 40 years before. Teenage daughter Regina (Anna Paquin) decides to investigate after unexplained bruises show up on her younger brother (Stephen Enquist), and her father (Iain Glen) displays oddly enraged and erratic behavior. Although her mother (Lena Olin) and her grandfather (Giancarlo Giannini) refuse to believe her, Regina is convinced that something within their new home is the cause of the trouble. As another eclipse looms, Regina enlists the help of her new boyfriend (Fele Martinez) and uncovers truths that could literally destroy her family. Balaguero mixes tried and true cinematic scare devices with his own brand of macabre originality to bring a well-paced, ominous atmosphere to the supernatural ghost story genre. He drains the film of colorful hues and bright light, and effectively uses sound to paralyze and terrorize his viewers. Having thoroughly scared the daylights out of European audiences, DARKNESS is sure to do the same stateside. [More]

Starring: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Stephen Enquist

Starring: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Stephen Enquist, Giancarlo Giannini, Fele Martinez

Director: Jaume Balaguero

Director: Jaume Balaguero
Screenwriter: Fernando de Felipe
Producer: Julio Fernandez
Composer: Carles Casas
Studio: Dimension Films

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Reviews for Darkness

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Even as the darkness closes in, there is never any real sense of dread. The slow-burning terror soon fizzles out, as does the damp squib of an ending.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Back to horror school for you, Señor Balagueró.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

However, the fact that the creepy suspenseful atmosphere builds up to a risible climax where nothing remotely scary happens undermines all the good work that has gone before.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/02/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

There's the draw from the audience of potential scares and the good cast, but there's nothing ever delivered to us.

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

This baffling, unintentionally sidesplitting horror show has opened just in time to qualify as the worst film of the year.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

...ultimately comes off as nothing less than a total disaster.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
06/22/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

All of this, of course, would be forgivable if it added up to a scary movie or made even a lick of sense (chunks appear to have been cut out of a longer cut of the film), but Balaguero manages to disappoint on every possible front.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/08/07
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

As in most bad horror flicks, intimations of unspeakable evil are supposed to distract us from the yawning gaps in story logic and character motivation.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/08/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

A plodding, portentous horror thriller in which a spooky child figures prominently and people speak in hushed tones about sinister doings.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

There’s still a lot of European feel to Darkness, which can sometimes be off-putting to American audiences.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
09/02/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Too many plot and character lapses for comfort, even in the traditionally logic-flouting horror genre.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
07/07/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

It's unfortunate that the film is called Darkness because this means it will soon be relegated to the Wal Mart bargain bin next to 2003's stinker Darkness Falls.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/15/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

A good case of style over substance.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 1 Comment
06/10/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The film is dark, and a bit slowly paced in parts, but it’s worth watching.

Full Review Source: International Press Academy | comment Comment
06/01/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy

There’s nothing very frightening about this shallow, stupid spookfest.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
05/30/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

The movie finally degenerates into a hopeless mass of mumbo-jumbo, silliness, and incoherence.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/22/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Darkness is a ridiculous film choked with genre clichés and stolen scares, yet there’s something genuinely dark and nasty wrapped inside all that ridiculousness...

Full Review Source: Rue Morgue Magazine | comment Comment
03/23/05
Dave Alexander
Dave Alexander
Rue Morgue Magazine

incomprehensibly opaque and moronically over-projected

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/22/05
Robert Strohmeyer
Robert Strohmeyer
Filmcritic.com

Tries to survive on an aura of unknown creepiness, but that's really just a nice way of saying that very little happens of any interest during the film.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/16/05
Matt Caracappa
Matt Caracappa
Boxoffice Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
01/15/05
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Darkness

November 01, 2005: New Distributor Makes a "Fragile" Purchase
You might not be familiar with the name "Bauer Martinez" just yet, but if you're a frequent moviegoer, you'll know it soon enough. Bauer Martinez Distribution is a... More...

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