Dark Was the Night (2014) User Reviews (167)

Decent film well worth a watch.

[johnbkaramazov · 7/10 · 2 August 2015]

This is the kind of film you flick on at 12.30am when you really should be thinking about bed, but instead you find yourself sitting there wrapped up in the story telling yourself '5 more minutes...just 5 more minutes.'

There's very little original or inventive about this movie. On paper it's a decent horror-suspense the like of which you will have seen many times before. It's strengths are in the restrained, yet engaging pacing, but most especially the subtle but powerful performance of lead actor Kevin Durand.

Durand plays small town Sheriff Paul Shields, a man seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown after the tragic death of his son and the breakdown of his marriage to his wife Susan, played with depth and compassion by Bianca Kajlich. It is this human element to the story that elevates it beyond your typical creature-feature mystery-suspense.

The premise has been used countless times before, but rarely acted so adroitly. You really feel for Durand, he practically exudes pain in every scene without ever overstating the case. I always liked him as an actor, but after this performance I would rate him as a potential great. I sincerely hope that on the back of this performance he gets more sympathetic, serious roles away from the unhinged baddies he usually plays (albeit excellently).

I don't like to spoil the content of movies in my reviews, so I'll just conclude that this film is good but nothing special. It's well worth a watch for fans of horror and/or suspense, just don't expect a reinvention of the wheel, because you'll have seen most if not all of this before elsewhere.

Fun Movie

[chrismackey1972 · 7/10 · 24 July 2015]

I often watch indie horror/slasher films, but they usually suck. This one, thankfully, did not. They say you have to watch a ton of bad horror films to find a good one. I guess I'll be watching a lot more bad ones to find one to stand up to this one.

The screenwriter actually gave these characters a background and a reason to care about them, rather than letting them only be known for getting chewed up and spit out. The storyline wasn't flooded with action to make you forget the screenwriter(s) didn't put anytime into developing the characters Kevin Durant (Lost, The Strain, I Am Number 4, etc.,) is a good actor. I never saw him as the lead actor before, but I hope they take advantage of his talent. He was believable in the role.

The creature was only fully shown towards the end of the movie. They should've shown it more, because it didn't look stupid. It was actually rather inventive how they made it look.

The storyline was fun. The atmosphere of a small town miles away from anyplace is always a turn on for me, but many horror movies don't do a good job with that. This one did.

I approve of this movie. I recommend it to anyone who likes creature features. It's not Jaws, but what is? One thing I didn't like was the lack of consistency with the monster towards the sheriff as opposed to how it behaved with others. It had no problem attacking people in daylight or night. However, the sheriff came across it a few times, and it played hide-and-seek with him, not killing the guy when it had a clear shot of doing it every time.

I gave this a 7-star rating. Enjoy! I did :)

Could Have Been Great

[wewatchedamovie1 · 6/10 · 26 July 2015]

Directed by a man from Kentucky, a monster/horror film and starring one of my personal favorite underrated actors (Kevin Durand) I was intrigued to check out Dark Was the Night despite the name. It sounds kinda cool but once thought about you half expect it to be directed by Captain Obvious. (Because no crap, it's dark at night)

Bright Was The Day still brings the good stuff for at-least the first 2.5 acts. A nice, slow burn, mysterious story about a Father (Durand) with a painful past trying to prove to himself he's capable of keeping his family safe. Then something screwed up comes to town and gives him the chance to x 5000.

The tension builds in an already paranoid small town when animals start to go missing and freaky hoof prints are found all over the place (No really, but they pull it off nicely). Things feel less dumb horror movie and more J.J. Abrams style Monster Mystery at this point as we slowly unravel the menace along with Sheriff Shields (Durand).

Director Jack Heller does a great job of using atmosphere & slowly delving out creepy hints rather than throwing out empty jump scares. Also working for him is Durand who overcomes a done-a-thousand-times back story and manages to deliver his heartache & intention with sincerity. Plus the dude just looks and acts like a leading man. He's a kick-butt Schwarzenegger type believable hero who can also act. He's usually the best part of everything he's in & it's nice to see him get to keep the cameras attention throughout.

Remember those few episodes of Lost when we didn't know the monster was just a stupid cloud of black smoke? They do almost as good of a job hiding their perpetrator here, just showing us enough to keep us scared. Maybe they knew that once we saw the evil full form, we would lose interest.

Just as things are reaching peak intensity and they create a killer moment for us to chew on everything goes flat. Mainly the special effects kill all the momentum and end our hopes of scary time goodness. The tension is literally sucked out of the film in a single ugly moment. The shock and horror instead comes from just how bad the special effects look and I think the film makers knew it because they go for a really stupid final horror moment that undermines its best character arc and renders it useless. But damn, they started off really nicely.

6.5/10 Dark Was the Night is watchable because of the well crafted pacing by Jack Heller & Kevin Durand. Damn that final act though. This is a film worthy of a re-make with a better budget for better special effects and Cinematography. As long as they could keep the same players! Just give them the money to make this look the way it should.

Decent suspenseful horror

[s3276169 · 7/10 · 26 July 2015]

Up until the closing scenes Dark Was the Night is reminiscent of any number of films by director M. Night Shyamalan.

A strong sense of foreboding and tension is established early in this film. The source of the terror that infects a US country town is hinted at and glimpsed but never fully revealed, until the final scenes.

As a result, Dark Was the Night could be described as somewhat slow by some but that was not what I took away from this story. Its well acted, with a solid sub plot and good character development, that moves the story forward.

The ending is somewhat predictable, as is the final twist but that really doesn't detract greatly from what is a worth while watch. Seven out of ten from me.

Kevin Durand rocks

[eireseacht · 7/10 · 22 November 2015]

I'm very critical of horror movies. Few impress me because I think blood, guts & torture are not scary, just gross. I can watch the news for those. Give me atmosphere & suspense. Dark Was the Night had good atmosphere & great cinematography. I liked the "washed out, almost colorless" look of the film. Kevin Durand was really good. His emotional portrayal was totally believable. He's a very underrated actor. I also liked Lukas Haas' character's & his loyalty to the sheriff. I have to agree with other reviewers that the ending was ...not on par with the rest of the film. This was sad because of the strong acting. I would definitely watch anything else with Kevin Durand, as he greatly impressed me.

pretty superb ... and then the last 10 minutes happened

[glennbecker · 4/10 · 24 October 2015]

Wow, this film made me want to kick someone ... mainly whatever douche in a suit insisted on a) showing the monster at the end and then b) tacking a cheap "teaser" ending onto the whole thing, just in case you had missed the fact that you had just been insulted with bad CGI.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this film LOOKS great. The cinematography is top-notch and the limited color palette underscores both the creepiness of the story, and the emotional troubles of the main characters. The performances are surprisingly heart-felt and subtle for a "horror movie," especially that of Kevin Durand, who sometimes comes off like Christopher Walken's sensitive (and less drop-dead weird) younger brother.

Finally, I must say that the Wendigo legend is a favorite of mine, especially via Algernon Blackwood's clunky but creepy-as-hell short story.

... and up until the end, Dark Was the Night is a GREAT telling of the Wendigo tale. The early not-even-glimpses of the creature are unsettling. The film has pretty much everything going for it, and then ...

... in the climactic battle at the end, we see the monster, dead on. And it is lousy. I reeled from its CGI crumminess. I think I may have gasped. I felt ripped off, fooled, violated and insulted. But that producer in a suit (see above) wasn't done with me yet. The very last thing HAD to be the equivalent of the giant quivering "?" at the end of so many B movies in the 50s. And all that subtlety is flushed straight down the crapper for the sake of a cheap shot.

I'd love to talk to the director and find out what happened. Given the quality of the bulk of this film, the ending CANNOT have been his idea.

Cool and mysterious atmosphere overcome some of the generic themes

[quincytheodore · 6/10 · 25 July 2015]

Predominantly set in chilly blue tint, Dark Was the Night has quaint and also eerie ambiance fitting for a mystery thriller. The wintry set-up is convincingly effective on creating a sense of isolation, which keeps the suspense going even though it slightly stumbles at midway point. It's troubled by relatively bland acting and repetitive developments at some points, yet it still looks and feels refined.

Several odd occurrences have happened in isolated town of Maiden Woods. The small town has small population and the anomalies understandably disturb its occupants. What may seem like a prank eventually escalates as the beastly sightings become more malicious. For a straightforward theme, it maintains the thrill well without straying too far into campy monster flick.

Its biggest asset is the cinematography. Visually the movie has just the appropriate outlook for mystery horror. Details of the town and its surrounding produce morbid effect on its own. However, it may take the title too seriously. A couple of scenes in night time look overly bleak and vague. Choppy editing and jittery camera unfortunately hamper some of the intense sequences.

Acting is also a bit imbalance. The sheriff looks ridden with guilt and anguish, while it may work with his sad backstory, the excessive lamentation proves to be tiresome in the long run. Several other cast deliver better performance, more emotionally involved than most horror movies have to offer. Yet, the subplots and monotonous investigation plod the pace significantly in second half before reaching its climax.

There are a few inconsistencies on the presentation, it's not overly innovative either, however the solid atmosphere is primed for mystery horror. It's polished cleverly, and will most likely please fans of the genre or audience looking for light thrill.

Dull Was The Film (2014)

[Seth_Rogue_One · 3/10 · 26 June 2016]

Not much to say about this movie, it's one of those movies where mysterious things are going on but the "action" doesn't really start until the last 20 minutes.

And for those sort of movies to work they need to have interesting enough characters etc, and a good pay off which unfortunately this does not.

Kevin Durant and Lucas Haas are both reasonably good actors usually but it was kinda like the director told them to downplay every emotion as much as possible... that or they just didn't care too much to deliver the wooden dialogue they were given.

Also a very ugly looking movie due to a constant blue filter which is some attempt to make the movie even more moody than it already is, and tbh moody horrors aren't really my favorites... Although I'd barely call this a horror.

More suspenseful than the usual creature feature.

[suite92 · 7/10 · 3 October 2016]

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: The very beginning of the film is consists of archival footage of logging backed up with atonal, jump-out-of-your-skin music. Trees are ripped apart, with chunks of them turned to chips by automatic machinery. Tree trunks are dumped skinned (figuratively speaking) of their bark, separated from limbs and roots, on the ground for future pickup.

Next we switch to a staged logging site with modern photography, no current tree destruction, and next to no sound. The site is closing down for the weekend; a winter storm is coming in. The foreman checks up on the last crew still on the (moderately) secure and closed site. This does not go well. The early splatter set my expectations going in the wrong direction for a moment. This is more of a suspenseful film.

Delineation of conflicts: Near the town of Tanner, the logging company cuts down trees to produce lumber to sell. Creatures in that wooded area are forced to move to find a new habitat. In Maiden Woods, to the south of Tanner, the local animal owners would like their animals to be safe, while the new creatures in the woods are hungry. Hunters would like to shoot deer as usual, and wonder about the migration of animals.

The local Sheriff, Paul Shields, his wife Susan, and their remaining son Adam are separated after the death of their other son, Tim. Everyone in town wants the sheriff to heal from this, but he is wallowing in it. Various religious themes are batted about with little consensus. Is the creature the devil, or some animal thought extinct? Does the Sheriff need to reconnect to the deity, or is he just lost in sorrow? Was the deputy from New York City 'meant' to have moved to the film's small town, or was this just a single workaholic man drifting through life?

While dealing with his emotional issues, Paul has to help out the town, the horse owners, the hunters, and the Sheriff's department by figuring out what's going on.

Resolution: The Sheriff, Deputy Saunders, the forest rangers, and local hunters get closer to understanding the threat to Maiden Woods. Is there a workable solution?

30 seconds!!!!...thats all it took to ruin it.

[johnny-bev · 25 July 2015]

well i'll keep this short and sweet. I thought the film was a pretty good b movie horror which was well written and acted by all, the only let down from this feature was the poor cgi and the last 1 minute or so in which the director or script writer had quite clearly ran away with him/herself which leaves us with a sour taste in the mouth with what could otherwise be considered a good film and in my opinion completely trashed the overall feel within seconds, you'll know what I mean when you watch it as it had managed to avoid the clichés the whole way but just gave in right at the end....such a shame!

.

This movie is so bad its rating makes me believe in fake reviews

[Laiath · 3/10 · 25 December 2020]

Don't believe the 10-star reviews! This movie is just incredibly badly made. The first 40 minutes or so all we get is villagers fearing a supernatural entity and the sheriff scoffing at them. Then the next 40 minutes is more nothing. Just when they finally start to make a point (however badly), the last 10 minutes turn just ridiculous.

Then there's the general freaking blueness of the movie, ugh.

So I'd normally wanna give this boring time thief zero stars but I'm giving it three stars because yes, deforestation is bad, Kevin Durand is awesome, and I feel for the family's problems.

Solid creature-feature with strong acting.

[johannes2000-1 · 8/10 · 26 October 2018]

Actually, for a creature-feature is wasn't that bad at all! There's a nice slow building-up of the tension and the makers were wise enough to let the creature for most of the movie stay out of full vision, this way we are spared the usually preposterous man-in-furry-suit wannabe Bigfoot. And in the last shot (that's really quite surprising and bloodchilling), they used convincing CGI. What lifts this movie further above the regular horror-flick is the strong acting of both sherrif (Kevin Durand) and deputy (Lukas Haas), helped by a good storyline for each of them, so that both characters gained some extra depth. It isn't really functional in such a movie, but provides a nice counter-balance to all the creature-turmoils.

Good for Kevin Durand

[Easygoer10 · 6/10 · 29 May 2019]

Although there are no truly new or astonishing things done in this film, it is good to see Kevin Durand in a lead role. He has played all kinds of characters, which are typically antagonists, he is a very talented actor. So, I tip my cap to him in this thriller.

I'm blue da-ba-dee-da-ba-daa

[Coventry · 4/10 · 21 January 2020]

I really wanted to like "Dark was the Night". Partially because it was recommended to me by a regular horror buddy whose opinions rarely ever differ from mine, and partially because you can easily tell that everyone involved in this production had the very best of intentions. Director Jack Heller clearly wanted to make an old-fashioned and atmosphere-driven monster movie; - one set in a sleepy little town full of fatigued and mentally tormented inhabitants, and with a monster that remains unseen and enigmatic until the climax. I admire that, honestly, and to a certain degree it works effectively well, too. I'm definitely giving points to "Dark was the Night" for the moody atmosphere and the integer acting performances, notably of Kevin Durand. Heck, I was even amused at how the script shamelessly makes use of all the most ancient and overused clichés in the book. The Sheriff is wrapped in self-pity and torn apart by guilt over the accidental death of his son, the amiable deputy returned from the big city with a trauma, 5th generation descendants mumbling about ancient Indian folklore legends, farm animals mysteriously vanish ... I mean, wow, who knew scriptwriters still dared to put that derivative stuff in horror films released after 2010? But then, there's the inevitable moment when you realize "Dark was the Night" keeps on building up and building up, yet nothing actually happens. Instead of putting so much effort in creating atmosphere, Heller and his crew ought to have focused more on action. Especially the exaggeratedly bleak blue colors quickly began to bother me. In order to make the forest, the town and its people look moodier and more depressed, a type of blue filter must have been placed over the camera lenses, or something. Everything looks blue in order to make you feel blue! Oh, and many reviewers around here keep raving about the fabulous end shot, but it's honestly nothing special (if you are familiar with cheap B-horror, that is)

The Unexpected Final Twist Surprises any Viewer

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 3 October 2015]

In Madden Woods, Sheriff Paul Shields (Kevin Durand) is passing a difficult period of his life and is divorcing from his wife Susan (Bianca Kajlich) after the accidental death of their son Tim. Susan has moved to the house of her mother with their son Adam (Ethan Khusidman) that wants his parents together. When Paul and his partner Sheriff Donny Saunders (Lukas Haas), who has come from New York, are summoned by a horse breeder to investigate the disappearance of one horse, they believe that the man has forgotten the gate open. Soon they find strange footprints and they believe it is a prankster playing a prank on the population. But soon Paul realizes that something weird is unleashed in the town and the Indian bartender believes it is a Wendigo. Sheriff Shiels asks from support from the National Guard but a storm is coming and the troop will only arrive later. Will he be capable to protect the inhabitants with Donny from the evil that is coming?

"Dark Was the Night" is a suspenseful horror film, with good story and well developed characters. The story seems to be the conventional movie with happy ending until the unexpected final plot point that surprises any viewer. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not available on DVD or Blu-Ray

Very cool title for a good monster movie

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 25 July 2015]

Yeah, I went to go see the movie because it has a cool sounding title.

Overall, it was a good monster movie about a small town being hunted by a mystical creature the sheriff is discovering is real. The whole layout of the movie of was quite interesting. I like how they explained how the myth became real and why it's never been seen before.

Ironically, one of things I dislike about the flick is the amount of talking done in the film. Sometimes I felt in their effort to use the conceal the monster bit, they manage to conceal the fright of the monster. I was not scared, I did not jump so if at any point that was their content, if failed.

Lead actor, Kevin Durand got to show his acting chops in the movie as a Sheriff grieving over the lost of a son, but this seemed like a large focus in what should have been a sub-plot. it's not as cleaver as when it was done in From Dust till Dawn, which also had two distinguishably different but equal plots. All it really did was take away from the primary goal of the picture. It's good for Durand cause his performance was great but help the picture it did not.

The monster that they did create for this movie was well played out both in story and in visual effects, it does not disappoint at all.

Dark was the night gets some brownie points for the title alone. It was a fun quiet movie that moved slowly towards an awesome built up that pays off, but gets sidetrack when it tries to be more than a monster flick. Worth checking out.

Tense thriller with good acting.

[paulclaassen · 5/10 · 5 June 2018]

This is one of those films that you're either going to love or hate, as it had mixed reactions upon release. I absolutely loved this film. It gave me goose flesh! I thought Kevin Durand's acting was very natural, and I could almost feel his emotions and thoughts. The acting in general was good, and I liked the characters, as well. The back story added significantly to the depth of the emotion, making me root for the characters even more. The story was great. It was subtle, yet so scary and effective. In fact, this was one of the classiest, scariest and most effective horror films I've seen in a while. It was creepy and mysterious. The film triggered every sense - it was awesome! Oh, and what an ending!!

Deadly was the Creature

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 21 January 2016]

A creature is terrorizing the small town of Maiden Woods. Animals are coming up missing, strange footprints and claw marks are everywhere. The town is unnerved and it's up to one stoic sheriff to keep everyone calm.

The movie is more of a drama with a horror story as the occasional distraction. What did that mean? It meant witnessing Sheriff Paul (Kevin Durand) deal with the loss of his son and the painful conversations he would have with his estranged wife--then a blur of a creature. In essence they were able to maintain the mysterious and ominous entity that was upsetting the town because it was almost secondary to Paul and his issues.

One could say it made the movie better and one could say it made it worse. For those looking for a scary drama, they got what they wanted. For those looking for a horror with little to no drama, they were somewhat disappointed. I, for one, was looking for a pure, unadulterated scary movie. The drama detracted from that, but because it was done well and they didn't make it too sappy and over-the-top I was able to satisfyingly watch it.

Director Jack Heller's film may take the notion of implication over illustration a bit too far.

[punch87 · 3/10 · 19 April 2019]

As generic as its title, Jack Heller's monster-in-the-woods horror film aspires to be the stuff of nightmares but instead merely lulls the viewer into an untroubled sleep.

Not Sure About The Ending

[Evey88 · 7/10 · 1 February 2020]

The suspense build was great and the acting great as well. I don't feel like there was enough resolution at the end. I don't even know if there was any lol. I felt more explanation was needed. Interesting ending but it kind of left me unsatisfied, and saying "What?!"

A Disappointment ! (Contains Spoilers)

[AhmedElzubi · 4/10 · 24 July 2019]

It could have been better. The story should have started a year before. Then should show the lives of the people of the town today. This way we can understand the emotional depression of Paul because he lost his son Tim. It talks about evil coming in the dark, but more than 60% of the movie happens at daylight. CGI is used and hence the disappointment. A lot of the dialogues are not related to the movie's idea. It is shorter than it should have been. The evil thing is moving and running very fast however it doesn't make enough noise which doesn't make sense. It could have been better.

Good Atmosphere, good characters, and a satisfying scare...

[Rabh17 · 8/10 · 1 January 2016]

This is equal parts Drama and Horror.

The Beginning seems kind of slow and tedious, but if you're patient and in the right mood, then you settle in. Durand plays the Sheriff with deep emotional background, although it can seem a little heavy at first. And his deputy is a good balance of a lighter character with an Outside-Of-Town perspective. And the Monster is all in the build-up.

In some ways, this movie starts with the usual horror formula...except it's not a screamer/splatter. The Townspeople aren't a forgettable list of cardboard a-holes just lining up to be dragged off. It's ordinary people coming to realize that something dangerous has moved in with them...and now they're scared...and as a viewer, I found myself scared for them.

This ain't a blockbuster movie...but I rate it above the generic B-Grade cable fare because when you parse the plot, there's a lot of common sense logic involved in the sheriff and the town trying to figure out what's happening. And the acting is solid and believable all around.

This one is best for classic After-12 Midnight viewing on a Saturday night. Even better if it's raining or snowing outside.

Kevin Durand Carries It

[captainpass · 7/10 · 21 January 2020]

For a no-budget movie (the only real disappointment here is the CGI creature), this one is quite good. No, there is no real new story here (premise: creature pushed towards civilization by logging company exacts revenge on humans); but the acting is uniformly very good, with Kevin Durand being a real stand-out. There are a lot of recycled cliches here (town folk vs. city folk; the troubled marriage of the small-town lawman, etc), but they never really overwhelm an otherwise well-told and well-paced story. In short, this is a horror movie where (shock) the actors save the day.

Blue was the night

[brittanyjanous · 4/10 · 7 August 2020]

I really wanted to like this movie. The acting was good. The storyline was interesting enough, but my god the blue overlay killed the whole thing. It was so distracting, it made it possibly to actually enjoy the film. The scenes with the yellow overlay weren't great either, but I much prefer that over the obnoxious blue. Editors must have been mad at someone when doing this film.

Excellent performances, good suspense and decent creatures

[strngneck1 · 7/10 · 2 February 2020]

Hats off to Kevin Durand whose dramatic portrayal of the troubled small town sheriff is worth watching the movie for on its own. I believe his performance elevated the performances of the rest of the cast and it is this sole reason this movie is worth experiencing. Nothing new as far as the story, but thrilling and suspenseful enough to not waste the fine acting jobs put in by everyone.