Dark Rising (2009)

"Dark Rising" is a lot of fun if still plagued with a few minor flaws.**SPOILERS**Still upset over a break-up, Jason, (Landy Cannon) finds that his friends Renee, (Julia Schneider) Marlene, (Haley Shannon) and Jasmine, (Vanessa James) are coming along with him and Ritchie, (Jay Reso) on their camping trip, and uses that to try to get back together. Getting everything together, they start their outdoor activities only for him to keep throwing obstacles between them getting back together, and everything gets put on hold when they're attacked by a strange monster in the forest. Struggling to understand the situation, the group discovers Summer Vale, (Bridgette Kingsley) who they were initially trying to contact via séance, living in the forest and fighting the monsters that were unleashed from another dimension by their black magic book, forcing them to fend off the creature together to get out of the forest alive.The Good News: There was a lot here to really like in this one that really works. One of the best parts is that the film manages to include a lot of action in it that's a lot of fun and gives the film a large dose of excitement and enjoyment. The campsite ambush, beginning with the séance held between the girls surrounded by candles in the middle of the forest to the sounds it makes off in the distance and finally the shots of it stalking them, to the creature appearing at the campfire and chasing them around, leaving bodies in its wake amidst the chaos, is a lot of fun and definitely a highlight moment. The battles with the creature in the forest, from the quick ones with the battle axe to the hand-to-hand combat, are highly enjoyable and definitely add more action into the film, as do the multitude of different dreams that are brought into the fray. As there's several of them, each one has something different. The first is the most visually-arresting, with the different operating tools being laid out and the confusion over everything, while the second one is the tension-packed one with the chained-up women, the darkness around them and the siren as well as the victim being dragged into the darkness screaming uncontrollably with the inevitable awaiting them next. The third one is the action part, where it's a full-on, back-and-forth fist-fight and martial arts filled brawl between the two that is just over-the-top and extra enjoyable. Aside from this, the film also manages to include a few moments of suspense amongst the action, including the initial confrontation with the girl in the house, searching through the empty rooms before finally finding her and the struggle to figure out what's going on and the eventual finding of the bug in her back, cutting it out and the confrontation within all makes for a pretty thrilling sequence. The opening, where the demon is resurrected through the incantation of the spell, followed by the green light glaring through the night, causing the walk-through of the house to discover what's going on searching for her father and the eventual discovery that ensues, is another pretty suspenseful scene, and the later technique where they discover what's going on with her is also quite good. Another plus for the film is that it manages to work in the lesbian subplot and get some mileage out of it, delivery some comedy with them in the bookstore while on the phone to the oblivious boyfriend, a bit of sensuality with the whole group frolicking in bikinis at the camp, including several of them going topless, and finally the sleaze in the full-on sex scene between the two, which is really good. The monster design is quite good, with the skull-like head, horns, warrior helmet and huge spiked-hand, along with its outfit design make for a really memorable creature. The last plus here is the film's gore, which is quite nice. From slices across the chest, a splitting in half, amputation and a decapitation, this one certainly satisfies. These here are its' positives.The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot wrong here that holds it down. One of the biggest issues here is the fact that the film doesn't really manage to keep it's different story lines cohesive enough, as it tends to shift around between all of its different plot elements and never really makes sure it's important to the scene. It'll simply shift into one of its different stories in the middle of another one, going from the girl's childhood to her past battles with the demons as a warrior/barbarian and then back to the group's struggles in the present and then shifting back to the different dreams where they're fighting the others, are never really put into logical order and the constant shifting around is something that could've been fixed. Also what could've been fixed is the film's lack of explaining anything, since we don't know anything about the creatures other than they come from another dimension, but their purpose, motives or even what the thing is to begin with are all skipped over, as is the explanation of how she became the warrior/barbarian, all crucial items in here to understanding the film. The last flaw here is the rather quirky and utterly stupid music thrown in whenever the guy is failing to impress the girl. It's obvious the guy's a doofus, but to have the non-comedic music that's just plain irritating all the way through doesn't help matters. These here are the film's flaws.The Final Verdict: A whole lot of fun but still containing some flaws here and there, this one really doesn't have much of anything that will really turn off those looking for some fun. Give it a shot if you're into those types of films, a fan of the cast or just interested, while those that aren't into these should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a sex scene

Dark Rising is your typical bad, obviously quickly produced horror/sci-fi/fantasy movie. It has a strange, unexplained plot with holes so big you could fit an elephant through them. Most of the time I didn't know what the hell was going on but it didn't really matter, it was a simple demon hunter returns from hell dimension to save campers story with confusing stuff added on about witches and a book of evil with plot elements and characters who make no sense or disappear totally for no reason. The acting is bad but there honestly is not much they can do with this script I am guessing. There is a couple topless scenes which is probably the only reason this bad movie got made (like so many other bad movies). Give this one a pass unless there is nothing else on T.V.

This is one of those horror flicks where twenty-somethings fool around with the dark arts around a camp fire, getting into a heap of trouble for doing so. A portal was opened containing a world of demons known as the Kelippoth of the Sitra Achra by a man whose daughter, Summer, gets kidnapped by something, taken into it. Summer is trained by a mysterious group whose identities are never revealed to battle the demon monsters. This is a portion of the plot which lends itself to scrutiny. Anyway, three wannabee witches, who went to high school together, Renea, the most enthusiastic, serious practitioner in the dark arts, and her lesbian cohorts, Jasmine and Marlene(..it's more or less a passing fad with them, though..) join up with buddies, Jason and Ricky, on a trip in the wilderness where Summer vanished from her home ten years ago. Opening the portal through a spoken text written in an ancient book, a demon is set free, as is Summer, now a warrior babe whose training has led to a very fit and athletic body and skills that have been needed to ward off monsters in the other world.Low budget contains a loopy, but ambitious story, restraining it into a confined setting. These young adults spend a lot of time running around in the woods hoping not to be fodder for a beast. As can be the case in these movies, the demon stands on the sidelines while the story develops as Summer attempts to remember how everything came to pass, while befriending Jason who wishes to help her restore the lost time. The action is shot mostly in the dark, making any violence hard to decipher. Brigitte Kingsley(and the rest of the female cast for that matter), is some mighty nice eye candy, dressed scantily clad as a female Conan, a gorgeous body we have to pleasure to gaze upon from the moment she appears until the closing of the movie. Some lesbianism(..some kissing and fondling)and nudity spice things up nicely, and the cast seem to be having fun with the goofy plot..it's so preposterous that the silly tone is probably appropriate for the material.Might be of interest for co-starring World Wrestling Entertainment's "Captain Courageous" Christian(real name, Jason Reso)as one of the group, spoofing his alter ego, as a chicken, quivering at the sound of a snapping tree twig. Landy Cannon is likable as unlikely hero, Jason, a lovestruck, naive young man whose ex-fiancé, Jasmine(Vanessa James)is now bi-sexual and in love with Marlene(..Jasmine's cruelty is in toying with Jason's feelings by hiding her affair with Marlene from his knowledge), while Ricky and Renea attempt to steer him away from this idea that he can rekindle a dead flame that gone out, never to ignite again. The Kelippoth demon is mostly darkly lit, I guess to refrain from showing how ludicrous/laughable it looks if presented in full. The lesbian antics of Jasmine and Marlene(Haley Shannon) is mostly tame, their love making, once alone in the woods up against a tree, is toned down and also lighted using the blackness of night. My rating is a bit favorable towards it, almost solely because of Kingsley, for purely superficial reasons, rather than the plot or film-making. The movie aims to please and is marketed to the boys(and girls who love hot women). I think, though, for the most part, the humor falls a bit flat.

I really expected to dislike this movie. I bought it for $5 in the bargain bin. Surprisingly, I got into it and enjoyed the far majority of it. There were a few parts that were superfluous (a lesbian sex scene that served no plot purpose since we'd already been whacked over the head with the fact that two female characters were sleeping with each other) but overall the movie flowed quite nicely. Make no mistake, this is a comedy. Sometimes however, that sneaks up on you and you have to laugh out loud.The ending makes it absolutely clear...the director intended there to be a sequel. I'll be watching for it.