After forays into an intriguing paranoia thriller and a middling fantasy, the third "Darkroom" installment plants itself firmly in the realm of monster-horror, and does so reasonably well at that.
While spending the summer with her family in the sticks, monster-movie loving teen Hunt is horrified by the death of one of her friends who -- to Hunt's eyes -- was clearly the victim of a vampire. Although the police and her parents try to disavow her of such concerns, her suspicions are further stoked by her father's mysterious protégé (Powell), whose ambiguous behavior stirs not only unease, but romantic feelings as well.
Produced from a Robert Bloch teleplay, it's a pretty solid bet that the story will rest on the gruesome (be it human, animal, or superhuman). Several factors, however, lift this episode above the standard "monster-of-the-week" that might otherwise be expected. First, Bloch's script is careful to avoid the use of obvious shocks and red herrings, relying instead on the unease (believably) felt by the lead character to set the tone of the piece. Hunt's character is not a stick figure heroine from a slasher film, but instead an intelligent and thoughtful teenager who can't quite feel at ease with Powell's charming, but ambiguous graduate student. John McPherson's direction helps as well, shying away from "gotcha" moments, and instead using mood-inducing lighting and careful shot construction to sustain that ambiguity until the end -- as well as a marvelously semi-silhouetted shot at the end to frame the story twist.
Finally, there are the performances, and Hunt and Powell are very good in the leads. While Powell is intriguingly noncommittal as the ostensible vampire, Hunt is very believable as an intelligent teenager who is nonetheless credulous enough of the supernatural to give her character's quandary some real dramatic heft. The leads are supported nicely by Snyder and Armstrong as Hunt's father and a local lawman, both sympathetic, yet obviously dubious of her suspicions.
As for the ending, it plainly works on its own terms, and provides a solid shock true to Bloch's trademark.
While spending the summer with her family in the sticks, monster-movie loving teen Hunt is horrified by the death of one of her friends who -- to Hunt's eyes -- was clearly the victim of a vampire. Although the police and her parents try to disavow her of such concerns, her suspicions are further stoked by her father's mysterious protégé (Powell), whose ambiguous behavior stirs not only unease, but romantic feelings as well.
Produced from a Robert Bloch teleplay, it's a pretty solid bet that the story will rest on the gruesome (be it human, animal, or superhuman). Several factors, however, lift this episode above the standard "monster-of-the-week" that might otherwise be expected. First, Bloch's script is careful to avoid the use of obvious shocks and red herrings, relying instead on the unease (believably) felt by the lead character to set the tone of the piece. Hunt's character is not a stick figure heroine from a slasher film, but instead an intelligent and thoughtful teenager who can't quite feel at ease with Powell's charming, but ambiguous graduate student. John McPherson's direction helps as well, shying away from "gotcha" moments, and instead using mood-inducing lighting and careful shot construction to sustain that ambiguity until the end -- as well as a marvelously semi-silhouetted shot at the end to frame the story twist.
Finally, there are the performances, and Hunt and Powell are very good in the leads. While Powell is intriguingly noncommittal as the ostensible vampire, Hunt is very believable as an intelligent teenager who is nonetheless credulous enough of the supernatural to give her character's quandary some real dramatic heft. The leads are supported nicely by Snyder and Armstrong as Hunt's father and a local lawman, both sympathetic, yet obviously dubious of her suspicions.
As for the ending, it plainly works on its own terms, and provides a solid shock true to Bloch's trademark.