From the Dark (2014)

Its hard to believe a film with only two characters could be THIS captivating! The acting was so realistic that I could actually feel what they were going through, especially Niamh Algar. This little Irish film was a huge surprise! There was a constant foreboding atmosphere and the monster was really creepy and scary. We don't learn anything about the monster and can only assume it is a vampire due to the 'symptoms'. The lack of 'jump scare music' made the film that much scarier. At times there were no music at all and only slight movement in the background. That freaked me out! It was brilliantly done, and nerve wrecking at times. The film is Jeepers Creepers-ish, only much better. Sarah (Niamh) is a very strong, likable character; a real fighter. Literally the last mili-second of the film makes you wonder what is going to happen next. 'From the Dark' is an instant classic!

Grumpy Mark (a solid and credible performance by Stephen Cromwell) and his spunky girlfriend Sarah (a winningly vibrant portrayal by Niamh Algar) are a young couple embarking on a road trip across Ireland. Things go awry after the pair experience car trouble in the middle of nowhere and subsequently run afoul of a vicious predatory vampire (Ged Murray in grotesque rat-like make-up) at an old farmhouse.Writer/director Conor McMahon ably crafts a strong grim'n'gloomy mood, relates the taut and gripping story at a steady pace, makes excellent use of the dreary and desolate countryside, takes time to develop the likable main characters, and generates plenty of nerve-rattling tension. Moreover, the remote rural location evokes a profoundly unsettling sense of isolation and vulnerability while the stark and straightforward simplicity of the tight narrative ensures that there are never any dull lulls. Both Michael Lavelle's sharp cinematography and Ray Harman's spirited shivery score are up to par. A nifty little frightfest.

Well, acted, taut and thoughtful, this Irish-made Nu-Horror piece has the makings of a ground-breaking entry into a tired and cynical field.The plot is largely told without dialogue which is a technique that should be used a lot more. The story revolves quite simply around a young Irish couple stranded and isolated as they are hunted by something hungry that rose from the peat bogs. Horror and pop-culture fans will recognize the antagonist instantly when seen in profile though in a Q&A, the director said he was only using portions of that trope despite the mimeographed physical resemblance.Both of the main actors give instinctual and layered performances particularly given the lack of substantive dialogue. This makes perfect sense as when one is running and hiding in fear for one's life, conversation might not be foremost on your mind. Grunts, groans screams and moans are used as often as words to convey their situation though I must admit it would have been more natural for one of them to freak out at the whole illogical and unnatural nature of their predicament. Think Blair Witch Project's many uses of hysterics in the face of an unseen, unknowable foe.Niamh Alger's turn as the can-do girl fighting for her and her boyfriend's life is a nice break from the standard male protagonist role, though in Horror, beautiful women DO seem to fare better than average in the post-Millennial world, still Algar's Sarah is a convincing and tenacious hero without the need to show us Sigourney Weaver levels of unstopability.Gore and cheap starts are not an issue here, though one of the characters does make a decision to hurt themselves for reasons which will be apparent once seen and while the idea is sound and shows the character to be quick-witted and tough, the special fx produced a pay off that was slightly Fangoria c.1975.The antagonist IS suitably mysterious and vague, avoiding the pitfall of the horror exposed to the light in all its tangible goriness and thus reduced to just another Saturday Matinée beastie.The movie does suffer from pacing problems as that much time without dialogue SHOULD give you some motion to the story rather than extended breaks of the characters catching their breath or tending to cuts, leaves one feeling the the director's choice to allow the scenes to breathe organically is less patience and more self-indulgent.Despite this, the film's great disappointment lies in its use of the camera. This is not like the aforementioned Blair Witch, wherein one gets Cops-style shaky cam on-the-run. Rather it seems to be quite infatuated by its own cleverness in creating claustrophobia even when outdoors or in large spaces, the camera is placed so close to the characters as to prevent you from seeing both sides of their face in some cases. The devotion to this sense of confusion and displacement carries through to wide-angle scenes where in many cases objects are left to intervene between viewer and subject. While the goal is clearly to leave the viewer unbalanced, the result is simply to leave one blinking and confused. Intended to be a mood-setter, the final product is instead the antithesis of film; it makes what you've seen LESS understandable and completely unrelatable. Add in the constant darkness from the title and your final product is more film strip than cinema. At no point was this author ever able to place himself into the scene and become a subject of the director's world, instead remaining in constant analysis mode which is just not that enjoyable and ultimately undoes all of the director's technique.Watching this movie is akin to buying a car with a bad transmission. All those wonderful parts that do work are completely over-matched by the nagging and constant problem that rides shotgun on every trip.

A couple is driving through the country when they get lost as their phone's GPS is "constantly recalculating". The wrong turn leads to the car getting stuck in the mud. At the beginning of the film before we meet the couple, a farmer is attacked by a vampire who had been buried in the earth with a stake in its heart as he was digging a hole. Pulling the stake out because his shovel had struck it, the farmer unknowingly releases the vampire from its "sleep". The vampire then does what is expected of it…it bites the farmer. The couple soon encounters the farmer, then the vampire."From the Dark" doesn't reinvent the wheel here, as the simplistic plot doesn't task the viewer. Instead this is about creeping you out and developing a dread over time. It keeps things small-scale in terms of storytelling but the superb photography and moody lensing of the location (particularly during the nighttime) itself really are what I think this film will bring in terms of appeal to a horror audience. The Irish countryside in the film is scary in the film because even though it is so rural, spacious, and dreary, it is yet on the outskirts of civilization, off the beaten path, and rather isolated. Turning onto a road that places him and/or her out of touch with any nearby city where technology is important, and a car stuck in the mud, the couple is then placed in a difficult situation regarding finding help. Help in the hopes that they can get off the wrong road and on the right one. Instead, the potential help is wounded by a vampire which will eventually turn him into a feral creature of the night.The camera ingeniously uses a method that keeps the vampire elusive from a total detail for us. It is developed as a type of specter, a figure that is very dangerous but not distinct or elaborate for us to see in complete form. The sound design is booming when need-be and vivid to depict the snarl and movements of the creature. Its ferocity is emphasized as are its actions when after the couple. The lighting is dutifully stunning to capture the surroundings and place. This a very competent and efficient little horror show.What might be held against it is the minute plotting. This wasn't developed to necessarily confront you with something that has you dwelling on the details of its plot. "From the Dark" is more about getting a reaction, a jolt, a mounting gulp in your throat, and to envelope you with its visual presentation. I think it succeeds as a bit of chiller theater, a film that keeps things simple and lean. It is damned good looking, quite attractive aesthetically. I'd like to see this director offer the horror genre future projects. He has some real talent. Perhaps Conor McMahon will give us something in the future that is cerebral to go along with his visual skills behind the camera.