The Dark (2005) User Reviews (117)

Stock scare horror for the first half, then a somewhat confused but clever psychological horror the second half.

[PyrolyticCarbon · 6/10 · 30 August 2005]

Sean Bean is such a lost talent, he's a great actor and never seems to be given a decent or lead role. Even in Lord of the Rings he was cast as the turncoat. So I was excited to hear that he was the lead man in this movie, although not the lead it was a good step. Plus it was a British film and a horror. These things all combined to make me think that this was a movie to see.

Both Bean and Maria Bello are very convincing in the movie. Bean plays the straight up man who is confused by the happenings around him and just wants to make the family happy again, he plays a super convincing Father. Bello gives a great performance as she is called upon to be a trying mother, confused, insane, panicked and totally distraught. Not that much of a range really! The interplay between these two actors is very good, and when Bean has scenes with the daughter, he's just superb.

Something that becomes quite annoying through the first half of the movie are the deliberate scare tactics used by the Director, they are exceedingly formulaic and you know when they are coming and even when the shock comes. Still, all credit to them, you still leap out of your chair even knowing when a scare is coming. The formula is pretty constant through the first half, slow music, a long single scene, slow movement and no action, usually in the darkness, then a few fast cuts together accompanied by a loud sound and a raise in the music tempo, and there you have the scare. During the screening people were leaping like mad! After a while following this formula the film does turn around on itself and become something different. It's here that it becomes a lot more psychological and indeed, clever. There was a big feeling in this half of Event Horizon, particularly the flashbacks to being strapped in the chair, fast, multiple cuts of horror.

However during the latter half it also becomes confusing and very weird, yet I wish the whole movie had been like this. It could have abandoned its standard scare tactics and concentrated on the plot in the latter half, and this would have provided for a much more psychologically scary movie.

There's a particular moment near the end of the movie when a door closes in front of the lead, and your emotions are totally with the character at this point. Confusion for a few seconds and then a slow building understanding. It's a very good moment.

Still, however clever the entire ending is, I still felt it lacked clarity and subtlety. Dropping the scare formula of the first half would have brought a much better movie, and getting rid of the premise of scary sheep would have helped too. Perhaps it's a British thing, but sheep are not in the least bit scary, in fact coming from a Northern Scottish town sheep are considered far from scary. It just seemed to be a plot device that was struggling not to be absurd.

That said, you'll still leap, you'll still be scared, and when the film finishes you'll still like the conclusion.

Had the potential to be much, much better.

[nessa_tulcakelume · 5/10 · 1 February 2006]

Okay, I know from the get-go that this was going to be a horror movie and they are going to apply the conventions that is so typical of the genre i.e.: scary music, mystery plot line, dodgy camera angles, scary make-up and screaming girls. I love horror movies and I was mentally prepared for this to just be another typical film.

My problem with it was it was TOO typical. You know that when the daughter sat too close to the edge of the water that she was going to fall in. You know that when the camera focuses on someone's back, something is going to creep up on them, making them squeal. You know that when the man follows the girl into the barn, he's going to get killed.

In short, it is just too predictable. The worst thing however, was the fact that the climaxes are too many and the twists and turns of the plot are too tedious to really leave an impact on me. The ending was disappointing and I felt that it would have left a bigger impact if without the entire "bad girl wins scenario". Pathos is a powerful theme in a horror movie, which was why I felt that movies such as The Exorcist, The Ring and Ju-On (Japanese version of The Grudge) excels in the genre that they represent. The Dark doesn't even manage to do that.

I think it would be better just to have Ebrill and her father in the realm of the dead, Adele stranded in the house while Sarah and her father reunited. The pathos would work very well here on various levels because 1) Ebrill's wish to have a loving father is unfulfilled, especially sad because she was cruelly tortured 2) Adele finally managed to do something right for her child at the price of her own life 3) Sarah, the victim throughout the show, is finally allowed that one bit of happiness and can think fondly of her mother at last.

Instead, they made Ebrill the "bad girl" like her father and that upsets me because I can't feel sorry for any of the characters now. Understanding her plight was the key I think, but since they made her "bad", it just ruined it for me. Plus, the whole issue with Sarah isn't resolved which leaves me thoroughly dissatisfied also.

In short, this had the potential to be a rather good film but falls short due to its too ambitious attempts at wanting to be different from the other movies of the same genre. Which is a shame, considering the excellent cast that they had working for them.

Could have been great, no answers and the ending disappoints!

[ceecat1 · 3/10 · 16 January 2007]

Starts off with a great story. Its suspenseful and shot very well. The acting is great. Then things just start to fall apart. The end of the movie makes it not worth watching. Writers try too hard to twist things one way and then twist things another way. How many time do we as movie watchers have to complain before someone listens? This movie would have been a 9 or 10 if they either, let the mother and the daughter live, or if the daughter lived and the mother died. This movie leave the mother dead(or trapped between worlds) and the daughter is completely missing. We don't know if she is dead and gone to heaven or if she is trapped with her mother. I know actors need to get paid like everyone else, but I really wish that someone somewhere would just say, enough. Can we please have a quality story. People like happy endings, people like sad endings. but most of all, people like endings. We have enough stray ends in our own lives. We watch movies to step away and have a mini break from reality. When movies end more frazzled that they began it is very unsatisfying. They could have changed the last 5 minutes of this movie and had something really good but, they gave us really bad.

Promising, But Very Confused in the End

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 2 September 2006]

While in Wales visiting her husband James (Sean Bean), Adele (Maria Bello) tries to fix her relationship with her teenager daughter Sarah (Sophie Stuckey). They see a weird memorial without the plate and with the name "Annwyn" marked, and the local Dafydd (Maurice Roëves) explains that this would be the place where people go after dying in accordance with the Welsh mythology. Later, Sarah vanishes on the beach and the daughter of the local fanatic shepherd, Ebrill (Abigail Stone), who died fifty years ago, appears in her place. Adele makes a research trying to find how to rescue her daughter from Annway.

"The Dark" begins as a promising suspenseful horror movie, but first of all, the mystery is disclosed too early. In accordance with the free encyclopedia Wikipedia:

quote

Annwn or Annwfn, ("under-world" or "un-world", sometimes inaccurately written Annwyn, Annwyfn or Annwfyn) was the Otherworld, the land of souls that had departed this world in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwynn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. Annwn was said to lie so far to the west that not even Manawydan ap Llyr had found it, for you could only reach Annwn by dying yourself. It was also said, though, that Annwn could be entered by those still living if they could find the door.

unquote

Although being based on a Welsh mythology that I am not familiarized, that is not the problem of this movie, but the confused screenplay after the plot point. It is never clear who came back in the end (Sarah, Ebrill or an evil entity?). Nevertheless the good performances of the cast, the very reasonable special effects, the beautiful landscapes, the conclusion spoils this promising good movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Escuridão" ("Darkness")

The Welsh Ring

[Legendllevo · 1/10 · 16 April 2006]

Upon first glance of "The Dark" the film seems rather disjointed, and in parts rather dull. But on taking the time to watch the film, you'll really wish you didn't bother. The film relies heavily on the theory that little girls in dirty clothes are scary. What worked for "The Ring" seems to have been the downfall of "The Dark". In fact to further draw on this, you'll find that the two are somewhat uncannily similar. In both films we see dead animals, scary little girls, a multitude of people jumping off cliffs and a young blonde distressed mother who simply won't leave things alone. So "The Dark" borrows a lot of its iconography from "The Ring" - that could be forgiven if it also borrowed a complex enigmatic storyline. Wishful thinking indeed. The plot is confusing, and wrapped in ancient Welsh mythology. The main plot focuses on the sea acting as a barrier (or gateway) to a sinister afterlife. Now one who hasn't had their daily dose of silly pills may already be questioning the narrative, but just wait till you get to the flash forwards. Yes you read correctly, flash FORWARDS. Our main character sees herself in states of peril, but doesn't think to avoid these premonitions until it is too late. A typical example of the narrative trying to be the clever one in the class, but getting all the answers wrong. Think I'm being too critical? The weak enigmas seem to back me up. One part of the film sees the main character finding her daughter's sweater in a piece of drywall, and exclaiming "It's a clue!". A clue to what? Nobody knows because the film never references to that ever again! The end is cringe-worthy to say the very least. A short while earlier in the film where Ebrill is recovering ( a little girl who died 50 years previously - don't ask) her makeshift father asks her to wish for something so hard until she gets it. This sticks out like a sore thumb because it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the girl's hospitalisation, and so is of no surprise that we find this to be the twist in the very limp plot line. Avoid at all costs.

Wasn't as scary as suggested but still pretty good!!

[billsvg3 · 7/10 · 7 April 2006]

The Dark shocked me really, after seeing the trailer on TV my initial thoughts were that it was going to be a genuinely scary film, however after watching it, it appears it is not as much scary as it is strange!

The concept of it will seem pretty weird to you but it actually works, however there are times in it where the acting is pretty sketchy. I think all in all this film will appeal to people who like a bit of the supernatural or spiritual stuff, and maybe not as much to the people who like a really scary horror flick.

Hat off to Sean Bean, i like most of the films he's in, and Maria Bello does make viewing slightly more pleasant. Some will like it, some won't. Would definitely watch again though.

Flat as a pancake

[cosmic_quest · 4/10 · 19 April 2006]

I can fully understand why this film went straight to DVD in the States because, after seeing it in the cinema, I came out wishing I could get my £3.75 back. 'The Dark' is centres on estranged couple Adele and James who are staying in a coastal Welsh town when their twelve-year-old daughter Sarah drowns. That night, a young girl named Ebrill mysteriously turns up at their house and seems to know there is more to Sarah's fate than meets the eye.

It sounds very interesting but what we get is a film that is trying too hard to be 'The Ring' and 'Sixth Sense' and just ends up a boring mess. Sean Bean, who plays James, does little more than stand around while Maria Bello as Adele just doesn't seem to have much of a rapport with her screen-daughter. It is also very hard to connect with any of the characters since we see little of James and Sarah, Adele is rather cold and scatty and Ebrill is quickly established to be yet another evil brat. It would have been far more effective to have seen her depicted as a damaged child who is deserves to be protected just as much as Sarah. As for the 'twist' ending, it is just utterly stupid and makes little sense, leaving viewers frustrated and puzzled. It was clearly a lame attempt to copy 'The Grudge' or 'Sixth Sense' but fell down flat.

The only thing that stands out in this film is perhaps young Abigail Stone, who plays Ebrill in a manner that vacillates between being vulnerable and lost to chilling and defiant. Also, those sheep were creepy in an almost ridiculous manner (they reminded me of the Cravendale advert about the cows wanting their milk back)! Roll on 'Silent Hill' where hopefully Sean Bean will deliver a more chilling, disturbing horror film.

Genre-by-numbers Saturday night shocker

[Chris_Docker · 6/10 · 25 August 2005]

Can a horror film be scary and boring at the same? The Dark has an extremely good effort – about equivalent to lifting one's little finger. The plot shows all the attention span of someone reading a Welsh mythology after smoking several reefers. Formulaic scare-mongering knocks you out of your seat at regular intervals, though without enlivening the story or characters much, the most interesting of which, a girl called Ebrill, is temporarily back from the dead after a number of misled churchgoers and nigh on a flock of sheep have been offered in her place.

Young Sarah arrives with her mum at a remote cottage on the Welsh coast where her dad is staying. Legends, hallucinations, nightmares of sheep and people going over a nasty bit of cliff abound and we hear of how it might be possible for some people to pop back and forth between this world and the next – at a price.

Director John Fawcett, who showed promise and originality with Ginger Snaps, has here gone for banality enlivened by the most unashamed editing. If you flash a very sudden, very bright image at someone, and simultaneously make a very loud noise, they will jump. Traditionally, filmmakers have used this technique to emphasise a plot turn – the appearance of the bogey-man, monster, serial killer. Fawcett doesn't bother, he just inserts it. One minute you're watching the sleep-inducing story and the next you are shocked awake by a loud crash together with a bright light. Explain it to yourself as a deep insight into the unsteady mind of one of the characters? Well if I was a character in such an insipidly put together movie I'd probably need to be deranged for fun too. The trouble with this technique is that there is no plot momentum to keep you excited until the next loud bang. After the first two, I started trying to predict the next one (wait for a false alarm, then a lull, then the bang) and with reasonable accuracy till I lost interest.

It picks up a bit towards the end, and the scares are scary, however contrived. All in all it's standard Saturday night horror fare, nothing that special. If you don't mind the clichés, sit back and go whaaaaaa (as I did!)

Destined to rot in a videostore near you.

[okami_ito · 1/10 · 19 December 2005]

False scares. Avid friends of cheap horrors are used to them: cats, squeaking doors, cars rushing into the frame. In every scary movie there is at least one false scare and you can judge the quality of the movie how sophisticated they are. "The Dark" consists entirely of false scares, unbelievably there isn't a real one in it. They are executed in two ways: Over- amplified Sounds (like doors slamming with the power of an h-bomb explosion) and by cutting together images machine-gun-like with no sense at all. At the beginning this, not very imaginative, technique succeeds but after about 15 Minutes you WILL get tired of it, believe me. Especially after realizing that the story won't lead anywhere. It's really hard to believe that cheap stuff like this is still produced in this century and there are people actually willing to pay for it. I mean you'll find everything here: annoying dialog, below-standard cinematography, a weak story (with an even weaker pay-off), boring direction and one- dimensional characters. I've haven't been bored like this for long time. Stay away from it. And don't even bother about the synopsis.

Surprisingly good except the sound work

[rust37 · 8/10 · 7 March 2006]

The most disappointing thing about this movie is sound FX work. While every other crew member tried to avoid clichés and worked minimalistic the sound operator did his best exactly in the opposite direction. Sure he was proud of himself - every possible library sample from "Horror FX" folder (squeaks, boos, bangs and so on) has been employed at times "to make it scarier".

Otherwise the movie is surprisingly good. Cold and dark Welsh mythology, no fun. Acting is full of nuances. Scares are delivering (reminded me feelings of "Ju-on" (Japanese original of "The Grudge")). No major holes in script, everything is logical, worked in great detail. The climax is overloaded a bit with twists, but except the last one (too confusing way of depicting it) is impressive anyway.

My deepest respect to the cameraman for that catch of the Northern landscapes beauty, for the tricks with focus, for many unusual angles and meaningful use of color FX. That chapter in Annuun treated in sepia is simple and convincing - bravo!

8 marks for the well-worked atmosphere, fresh scares, interesting story, eye pleasures, serious attitude and creativity.

THE DARK (John Fawcett, 2005) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 21 August 2006]

I had enjoyed Fawcett's knowing revision of the werewolf myth in GINGER SNAPS (2000), but wasn't really expecting much out of yet another ghost story (which, in recent years, have flooded the horror market from all over the world). Still, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise which, given my initial skepticism, managed to win me over with its intriguing - if highly derivative - plot line, good performances (by all five main actors but especially Maria Bello, in a difficult and rather unsympathetic role, and the two ill-treated girls) and the unfamiliar seaside Welsh setting.

As a matter of fact, the film borrows and mixes together elements from a wide variety of classic and cult horror/fantasy titles - ORPHEUS (1950), DON'T LOOK NOW (1973), THE WICKER MAN (1973) and THE BEYOND (1981) - and even features a Bernard Herrmannesque score! Unfortunately, it becomes confusing towards the end and the final twist feels rather like one too many trips to the well; actually, I much preferred the serene (and more balanced) alternate ending!

Despite some editorial flourishes throughout and the occasional cheap shock, the film's tone is generally low-key and introspective; far removed from the hipness of GINGER SNAPS, it's undeniably a more mature work.

One of the bored for one of the confused

[edpond · 2/10 · 2 October 2015]

This is generally overwrought and feels far too long in terms of the limited story it's telling. Despite this, it seems like a lot may have been left on the cutting room floor. There's a lot of darting around in the narrative between the flashbacks and present day, and on focus on certain characters and motifs. The result is a sense that the editors and director have lost control of the movie, and that they can't decide what they want to say or how.

A bit of discipline could have helped, maybe forcing out certain elements and stylistic flourishes to keep the narrative more streamlined. I'm thinking especially in the latter part of the film here. At this point I think it goes into too many horror film territories, as if deciding it has to appeal to more eclectic and contemporary tastes.

The acting is appalling from the three female characters, two of whom are children - though the worst is from Maria Bello. The fact there is the arbitrary American in order to boost the film's transatlantic profile we'll gloss over. Why does she have to scream, shout, and thrash around so much? You feel a lack of sympathy with her, and her daughter. When the film ramps up in the later stages the child actors really overact. Direction could be partly to blame on this front.

Sean Bean manages his usual capable and impassioned job, and is believable. Also good is the understated and studied handyman character.

In conclusion, this is a mess with a lot of shouting, running, swimming and smashing things. The rather underused Welsh mythology concept could have been developed better within the piece, making for a less generic horror film. Crucially it isn't scary, or interesting, or emotionally moving. You're soon looking to see how long is left and considering making a cup of tea.

Stupid movie

[nicedanceu · 1/10 · 14 June 2006]

It sucked. Nothing made sense and who has a stupid name like Ebrill. Sheep aren't scary, even if they trample you... they're just stupid. Why were all the people dressed like they were in the 1800's? It was like, 1955. Stupid people. Stupid movie. I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. What did the flashback with Adele smacking her daughter have to do with ANYTHING??? How did she get out of the stupid chair when her daughter/whats her face was torturing her? Maybe she's magical. That would go with the stupidness of the movie. Why was the movie called The Dark? That's stupid title for a stupid movie. What did the shepherd have to do with the movie? He was just a mean dude with no life so he lived with sheep and was stupid. Do I really have to write 10 lines about this stupid movie? It doesn't deserve 10 lines. It deserves ZERO. No joke. Nothing else to say.

I enjoyed it

[cheerleader122 · 7/10 · 22 April 2006]

As a huge fan of horror movies, I give pretty much everything in this category a chance. I had never heard of this movie before, just stumbled upon it at the video store. I know a lot of people think it was a stereotypical horror movie but I jumped A LOT. And to be honest, I didn't always see the frights coming. I do see similarity between The Ring and The Dark but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I am still a little unsure about the ending but I guess that happens sometimes in this category. The camera work made it a little difficult at times to see but I guess it is called The Dark for a reason. The little girl was creepy which seems to be a requirement for child roles in horror movies. All and all I would say it's worth a peek.

Allegedly set in Wales, not very entertaining, some good , some very poor performances.

[I_am_me_ok · 2/10 · 29 September 2006]

Despite having some gripping moments, I felt that it wasn't really worth watching. My friends and I realised there was going to be trouble when we discovered A: set in our home country of Wales and B:it was taken from a book entitled "Sheep". Determined to give it a chance, purely the support of an allegedly Welsh themed film, it was exceedingly disappointing to see it wasn't even filmed in Wales but on the Isle of Man (mainly noticed due to the non Welsh sheep, and diabolical landscape). The idea seemed OK, with Bello having problems with her daughter, and Bean having a better repertoire with her, but it all began to go downhill from there. Bean's performance was as good as it could be with the lack-lustre script, but the most irritating part was Bello's lack of respect for the Welsh Language.

Her pitiful attempts at avoiding pronunciation frustrated many in the cinema audience, as multiple groans of annoyance were heard with every mispronunciation of Ebrill (Ebrillch) or as Bello repeatedly called her Eb-rik, along with a fabulous performance of a character called Dai /Dafydd, a name brutally attacked by Bello as she called him persistently David and most entertainingly, and cringe worthy, in a tension scene "Daaaaave????".

If actors are meant to be in a certain place they should at least fork out of their millions for a couple of lessons from a native speaker. Or find a decent actress. The girl playing Ebrill was amazingly haunting and eerie in her manners and pulled the role off well. As did her American counterpart.

Almost believable sinister and scary moments became offset with the use of colour filters, tangled ending, and the poor attempts at the Welsh (there were literally Ebrill, Annwn, Dai, Dafydd not difficult to learn if you can be bothered) It was just a shame that the ending could have been tidied up (many people became confused by what happened) and more focus on accuracy would have made this film much better.

enjoyably suspenseful

[panda2k1uk · 7/10 · 3 April 2006]

OK while not a great film it is very suspenseful. i saw this movie almost 3 month's ago at the Cardiff film festival an i can tell u that the cinema was packed an at the end of the film it got a great applause because of the suspense it held throughout the film! on the whole a throughly enjoyable film i found this too be a film with a level of suspense that i have not seen in many supposed thrillers in a number of years. yes i'll agree that the film didn't have a storyline that truly linked together but this is becoming a much more common trend in many films now. Also the film is made all the more enjoyable because it is a British made film showing the quality of films that can come out of this country when we try to make a good film.

it's so bad.....

[Duirmuid · 1/10 · 30 October 2005]

I have to say that the two lead actors are very good with what they were given. but this is just so bad. when a film has to relay on loud music and flashy imagery to scare people then the film isn't scary. it also took too long to end and, i feel, had more endings than return of the king. the story didn't make sense and the mythology, being part welsh myself, didn't have much of a role except to provide a poor plot hook a poor story.

the placing of the film on the isle of man and not in wales itself also didn't make sense to me as i don't see why they made this choice.

I couldn't wait for this to end. i'm thankful for the passage of time to get me to the end and i'm glad that i can now put it behind me forever.

I liked it but.......

[ladyheba · 7/10 · 11 April 2006]

Well, the movie all in all was very nice. The scenery whether it be the real world or the annwn was very well pictured.

However, the ending was just waaay too confusing for me. First off, the mother was in the same world with them. and suddenly when she found out that her daughter is ebrill she suddenly went back to the parallel world... thats weird. And why didn't her daughter come back, wasn't it supposed to be one living for one dead? Where is SARAH?? and also... whats the significance of the fact that they showed us adelle and then rowan coming up the stairs to her? WHat did that mean!!? Actually i really need some answers with this! Some one help, coz i cant feel completely satisfied with the movie unless i get those 3 answers. Where is Sarah? Why isn't she back though the switch was made? and whats Rowan gonna do to Adelle! SOS!

Confused Narrative And Sheep Aren't Scary Either

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 30 October 2009]

THE DARK has a lot going for it . It's directed by John Fawcett the man who made cult werewolf movie GINGER SNAPS and stars Sean Bean . It also has an interesting premise of a couple who's young daughter has

drowned which while not original - Everyone remembers DON'T LOOK NOW - has a lot of potential . Unfortunately this is a film that proves unless you have a well structured and compelling screenplay then all the other aspects of movie making are redundant

The problem with THE DARK is the longer it continues the more confused everything becomes . According to the trivia section this is the first film in history to involve the concept of " Annwyn " an underworld from Welsh mythology . I'd certainly never heard of this legend and I doubt if many people watching the film had done so either . Worse still it becomes obvious that most people who made the film don't know either . To hide this fact Fawcett starts throwing every cliché he can think of to disguise this fact and the audience have to endure startling sound effects/ noises , dark interiors of houses , apparitions and < insert our own cliché here > , so much so that you'll be at a loss what's going on long before the end credits

There is another major flaw and that is the " monsters " in the movie are sheep ! No I'm not making this up , I'm being deadly serious . Some films have aliens as villains , or spiders , or rats or any other skin crawling creatures you can think of while THE DARK has fluffy , four legged mammals famous for chewing grass and running away when anyone goes near them as objects of terror . It might seem amusing to see people being trampled by sheep but everything about the movie is constructed , framed and written in overly dead pan dramatics that it's impossible to raise a smile at this ridiculous plot turn

To be fair THE DARK is a fairly good film on a technical level . Both the cinematography and editing are impressive as is the sound mix so I've awarded it 4/10 . The down side is that I'm probably giving it a higher mark than it deserves since the storyline incidents are incomprehensible and has been stated most of the audience will be totally confused as to what's going on . Let's hope this is the last film to revolve around Annwyn . To be blunt a film about Ann Robinson would be more interesting

Scary, and not all predictable.

[spooly_montana · 8/10 · 25 April 2006]

THE DARK is a horror/thriller, that stars Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Secret Window) and Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, National Treasure). James (Bean) and Adèle (Bello) have lost their daughter Sarah in a tragic drowning accident along the rocky shore of Wales. While James is out frantically looking for Sarah, Adèle spots a girl near the house that looks like Sarah, but it is not her. The girl runs and hides in the abattoir - the place where they slaughter sheep. She turns out to be Ebrill, the daughter of a former resident of the house, a long time ago. They do not find Sarah, and while James is struggling to come to terms with the loss of their daughter, Adèle is convinced she is alive somewhere, and they can save her. Adèle visits the library and finds out that Ebrill is a girl who has been dead for 50+ years! She is the daughter of "The Shepherd", a mad, selfish minister, who convinced his entire congregation to jump off the cliff nearby in a mass suicide to bring his daughter, Ebrill, back from the dead. Adèle digs deeper into this Welsh mythology, in an effort to bridge the gap between the living and the dead, to save her precious Sarah, and put the family back together. Part psychological thriller, and with some horror tactics up it's sleeve, The Dark is different. I was pleasantly surprised by it's ending, and even though some moments you think you know what will happen, you do not know what the outcome will be. Sean Bean and Maria Bello are a solid acting duo, treading some truly original territory in this story.

Not great, but it has not deserved the bad ratings

[flares · 7/10 · 14 February 2006]

I think it was an interesting movie. OK, it had some old-fashioned scares like clapping windows and loud blasts from the speakers in it, but I liked the story about the Walish Mythology. It would seem, that the movie could have been made quite a bit better though. What I really liked a lot was the fantastic Landscape and the atmosphere of the movie. The part where people where jumping off the cliff with their bags packed was spooky as was the light-effects of the world of the dead. I didn't quite get the ending, but I liked the idea that the mother was not aware of being dead. What I really disliked about the movie was its camera. Maybe it was just because I have a cold these days, but I was really getting sick from the shaky hand-held camera movements. But maybe it was the intention of the makers to let me feel seasick - fitting to the scenery ;-)

Basic questions

[wendy-45 · 3/10 · 30 December 2007]

What is with the mom and dad? Are they separated? Obvious tension, but would you stay somewhere with your soon-to-be ex? Although the mom is crazy over-protective, we are supposed to think she is Satan because she got some action one night and left a 13 year-old alone? Not good, but not unforgivable. So bad that Sarah tries to kill herself?! If it is a life for a life, why do a dozen people throw themselves off the rocks just to get Ebrill back? I think a good ending would be getting Sarah back, but not being able to come back herself - not happy, but good. Then Sarah would be messed up like Ebrill. Ebrill was sickly, but not evil until she came back. I guess I've thought too much about it. It just had potential! I liked the whole Annwyr premise. Why couldn't they make that work?

Ever seen a flock of Sheep commit ritual suicide?

[Coventry · 4/10 · 7 February 2009]

In spite of the tepid title, the involvement of some acclaimed Hollywood names and fancy production values, "The Dark" sounded like a potentially good and old-fashioned atmospheric horror/ghost thriller even for the more experienced and 'developed' horror buff to enjoy. To my knowledge, not too many genre movies deal with Welsh mythology and, since I'm a sucker for these ancient folklore tales, I thought this movie deserved a fair chance. Anyway, it couldn't possibly be worse than "Silent Hill"; that other recently released excuse for a horror flick with Sean Bean where his daughter goes missing. Well, it's not worse but definitely almost equally bad! Aside from the cool rudimentary folklore plot, "The Dark" is full of dreary clichés, false scares, confusing red herrings, tedious padding and wannabe suspenseful elements that are shamelessly stolen from other recent (Asian) ghost chillers such as "Dark Water" and particularly "The Ring". The script is adapted from a novel by Simon Maginn and – without even having read it – I already know for sure the book must be a dozen times better than the film. It is more than obvious that the producers wanted to cash in on the success of other films. There's basically nothing wrong with that, but they were naive enough to believe nobody would notice the blatant similarities. Some sequences, like the ones filmed outside and near the cliff, look exactly like the footage of "The Ring". The production seemingly never develops a personality and near the end director John Fawcett ("Ginger Snaps") loses complete grip and control over the subject matter, resulting in a needlessly convoluted and infuriatingly confusing climax.

Continuously bickering mother Adele (Maria Bello) and early teenage daughter Sarah (Sophie Stuckey) arrive in a really remote area in Wales to rejoin their estranged father James (Sean Bean). Sarah disrespects her mother and wants to stay with her dad, but the place literally bathes in an ominous aura and feels haunted with the tragic events of the past. After witnessing some sheep committing a strange and somewhat disturbing act of ritual suicide, Sarah disappears in the water. During her search for the girl, Adele learns more about the local legend of "Annwyn" – the place where people go to die – and about a priest who encouraged an entire town's community to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff in order to get back his own deceased daughter Ebril. All this happened more than 60 years ago, but Adele is convinced there's a connection with the vanishing of her daughter. She's proved right when the reincarnation of Ebril seeks contact with them. Admittedly the whole Annwyn myth itself is compelling and the few sequences with the sheep running amok are oddly unsettling (if you happen to have a phobia for sheep, avoid this film or nightmares are guaranteed!), but overall "The Dark" is just another lackluster horror accomplishment. Fawcett makes the terrible – and typically Asian ghost story - mistake of using an overload of eerie noises (opening doors, whispering child voices, distant Morse code…) without ever showing any actually bloody horror scenes or shocking imagery. After struggling through a couple of these repeated mistakes, the film becomes very boring and then the finale is just miserable beyond words. The acting performances are amiable – particularly Sean Bean impresses, playing the good guy for a change – and the location spotters did a tremendous job.

OK for its day but The Hallow and The Daisy Chain are better

[robertemerald · 6/10 · 8 March 2020]

The Dark is OK for its day but The Hallow (2015) and The Daisy Chain (2008) are much better Celtic movies dabbling in local myth. The Dark is a pretty ad hoc jumble of bits and pieces (past/present, real/dreaming, myth/crime, etc) strung together in what seems like, to me, an attempt to make a 90 minute movie out of only 60 minutes of material. In the last half a lot of sequences look very similar to previous sequences, although I admit the idea was torture and descent. Mind you, The Dark did try to make sheep seem spooky, and one has to admire the attempt. For looks it's very similar to The Daisy Chain, indeed, that movie may have seen what was working or not working in The Dark and proceeded appropriately. In the end the story does make sense, and it is a very chilly conclusion. I still enjoyed it, and it is original to a degree. My main criticism is that the filmmakers needed to make this a darker journey and not such an action movie for the Mum. It needed more pauses, more shocks, and better shocks, maybe a storm, the odd spider. The Dark, however, still tackles a difficult premise to pull off, and in this it has made an accomplishment.

horror?? yeah, in your dreams

[goodboy-2 · 1/10 · 25 March 2006]

This is the worst horror movie i've ever seen in my entire life!! i wouldn't consider it as a movie even, it's a collection of bad work. 1st of all the story is repeated, so many movies came out with the same idea...but sure this one was edited to the worst. The ending of the movie is not reasonable even according to the story PLUS it is a very lousy ending which really makes no sense or meaning. it was really wasting one and half hour not from ur time, but from ur LIFE, it's like dropping one and half our from ur life, like someone steal it from u. it was really a very strange movie, the acting was good, directing was good, BUT everything else was bad