... And then, act 3 sinks the ship. 'Dark House' is one of "those" horror films. If you're a die hard horror movie fan you know what I'm going on about. 'Dark House' is the kind of flick that gets all your horror juices flowing with sinister, intriguing plot, dark foreshadowing and characters you want to see solve the mystery and survive at the end. It's got a young male protagonist us guys can relate to whose shadowy past seems like it'd be cool to experience and get to the bottom of along with his "dark gift". There's a young female lead who meets the guy of her dreams only to realize there's much more to his past than she expected. And there's a well crafted mystery involving an inherited house that has somehow moved from its original location.
Tobin Bell comes in as a well acted, intimidating individual who issues a warning one cannot ignore. Essentially, by the end of the second act an amazing set up has been put into place and most horror fans will be popping popcorn in anticipation of the last thirty or so minutes till the credits roll.
Unfortunately, act three is where 'Dark House' makes its reveal. And, like so many other pieces of horror fiction with great potential for originality, the reveal foists upon the viewer such a worn plot device that at first one can hardly believe the film is actually going "there".
I personally wanted to praise this film, heck I did for the first two thirds. But, in the end 'Dark House' disappoints. All "logic" (as logical as horror films can be) is disposed of in exchange for a demand that we horror viewers put our mostly deep imaginations on screen saver mode and swallow the absolutely absurd conclusion.
Was the ruination of this film's ending a result of writer's block? Was it due to funding issues or a tight shooting schedule? We may never know. Overall, what a shame because 'Dark House' had amazing potential.
Watch at your risk. If you're a fan horror from the seventies on, the ending will disappoint you even though you'll enjoy most of the journey to reach it.
Tobin Bell comes in as a well acted, intimidating individual who issues a warning one cannot ignore. Essentially, by the end of the second act an amazing set up has been put into place and most horror fans will be popping popcorn in anticipation of the last thirty or so minutes till the credits roll.
Unfortunately, act three is where 'Dark House' makes its reveal. And, like so many other pieces of horror fiction with great potential for originality, the reveal foists upon the viewer such a worn plot device that at first one can hardly believe the film is actually going "there".
I personally wanted to praise this film, heck I did for the first two thirds. But, in the end 'Dark House' disappoints. All "logic" (as logical as horror films can be) is disposed of in exchange for a demand that we horror viewers put our mostly deep imaginations on screen saver mode and swallow the absolutely absurd conclusion.
Was the ruination of this film's ending a result of writer's block? Was it due to funding issues or a tight shooting schedule? We may never know. Overall, what a shame because 'Dark House' had amazing potential.
Watch at your risk. If you're a fan horror from the seventies on, the ending will disappoint you even though you'll enjoy most of the journey to reach it.