Film Review: DARK WAS THE NIGHT (2014)

I love a good monster movie and when its well-executed with a good cast that makes the film even better which is what you get in the film Dark Was the Night (2014).  Kevin Durand (of TV’s The Strain and Lost) stars as Sheriff Paul Shields whose small town of Maiden Woods is suddenly assaulted by strange and unusual cattle and animal deaths that start to pop up.  When people start to disappear, Shields and his deputy Donny Saunders (Lukas Haas) starts to investigate but soon start to believe that an old Native American legend about what lives in the woods may be the culprit.

 Their investigation leads to a logging company that has been taking up residence North of their town but may be the cause of pushing an ancient predator closer to civilization in search of food.  Shields soon comes to the realization that the creature assaulting his town may now have acquired a taste for human flesh and he and Saunders must find a way to save the people of Maiden Woods before everyone is left of the creature’s menu.

The film itself may take a little time to get to the real action as it presents all its characters with deep psychological trauma that makes for interesting characters and character interactions but it is definitely worth the wait as when the monster kills, it really kills.  If there is any really problem it might be that the CGI for after when the monster is finally revealed may not live up to audience expectation (sometimes less is really more).  This being said, the film is actually quite good and will satisfy most horror fans due to the strong writing from Tyler Hisel and direction from Jack Heller.

MOTHMAN (2010)

MOTHMAN (2010) the familiar horror film story about a group of friends who when they were young did a horrible thing that led to the death one of the group.  Years later the group finds themselves all together again and something is killing them one-by-one.  This derivative horror film is led by the talented Jewel Staite (of TVs Firefly) who plays Katherine Grant, a reporter forced to return to her hometown for a story about the Mothman Festival.  Her return home triggers the arrival of the real Mothman that starts to kill Katherine’s friends in order to avenge the wrongful death that they covered up years before.

Unless you’re truly a fan of the Mothman legend and mythology then there will be little for you in this film despite the presence of Staite who does her very best with the material despite the bad CGI FX in regards to the Mothman himself.  Screenwriters Sung-Jin Lee and Patrick Walsh try to add flavor to the story by adding hints of the actual Mothman legend to the story but since it is all background info and nothing that really is pertinent to the actual story it all adds very little.

Once the Mothman makes itself known the action does kick into high gear with some sequences that feel out of place but they at least give the film a boost of much needed energy.  This Mothman film is not one that will either educate you about the nature of the myth or legend nor will this film entertain you enough to care.  There are other Mothman films that you can search out for if you need something to occupy your time.

Film Review: SLENDER MAN (2018)

I wish there was a way in which I can say that there is some way to craft a “good” film based on the urban legend of Slender Man but the film SLENDER MAN (2018) probably isn’t quite it.  Joey King stars a Wren who with her girlfriends set out to call the Slender Man but when one of her girlfriends goes missing, Wren realizes that maybe the urban legend is real.

The plot borrows from everything from Candyman to Urban Legends but has none of the spark of any of those.  It is no secret that the film under went forced re shoots due to some people claiming the film insensitive to the original case that inspired the film and that the film just didn’t test well in front of test audiences, but the final product is “dead on arrival.”  There is simply too much CGI (especially in the third act) and the logic for the film goes out the window somewhere at the half way point.

I actually like the more stylistic cinematography and editing (by Luca Del Puppo and Jake York, respectfully) and which is was more consistent throughout because the more artistic choices made the film more interesting.  The problem is that the final film relies on too many standard jump scares and follows too many horror tropes that are cliché.    I did love the score by Brandon Campbell and Ramin Djawadi which is the true highlight of the film.

Film Review: SMILEY (2012)

The exploration of urban legends is nothing new in horror films and is a fertile ground that has been mined many times so it comes as no surprise that the urban legend that is Bloody Mary is updated for a new audience in the film Smiley (2012).  Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) newly arrives at college to experience a new crazy way of life first hand but gets thrust within the mystery of the urban legend that is Smiley.  During a college party, Ashley and a group of her friends including her roommate Proxy (Melanie Papalla) engage in an internet based urban legend that calls for someone to type the phrase “I did it for the lulz” three times to an unsuspecting participate who is then killed by the applicably named Smiley in a violent and gruesome way online for everyone to see.  When Ashley does it to someone herself she suddenly starts seeing Smiley in the real world who comes after her.  Now, Ashley must discover whether or not she made the urban legend true or if it is all in her head before anyone else is killed. 

Sometimes urban legend based films can be good such as Candyman (1992), The Barrens (2012), or Urban Legend (1998) but more often than not they are a travesty such as Urban Legends 2: Final Cut (2000) and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005).  With this film the character of Smiley is just as interesting as that of Candyman and the rich history of the character is explored and part of the allure.  Urban legends make for an interesting look at how characters look at myths and how they can affect the psyche of those characters and this film is no exception.  The death of Ashley’s mother had a profound effect on her and it is at the heart of her dilemma  now which makes for an interesting character flaw that helps audiences identify with the her and her search for the truth about Smiley and whether it is real or all in her head.

Overall this is a better than expected film with enough suspense and blood to satisfy any horror fan especially those more prone to the Scream films.   It also helps that Smiley has a very distinct look that will help him become an icon of horror like Candyman or Ghostface.