Hello there fellow dabblers in death, it’s Thakgore and today I bring you a review of the 2015 anthology horror film “In the Dark”. While not well known, this movie caught my eye several years ago due to the unique masked figure on the poster for the film. I’m a big fan of slashers in creepy masks so I planned on watching the film but unfortunately lost track of it until recently after it was suggested to me on Amazon Prime. I indulged myself and afterward felt compelled to do a review for you malevolent malcontents. So sit back and let’s see what terrible things await us….
The Motel (dir. David Buchert) –
In the wraparound story two unnamed women played by Grace Kelly Mason and Natalie Ruffino, take refuge in a motel room after they’ve committed some kind of violent crime. While awaiting other members of their crew they find a plastic bag full of old VHS tapes and decide to watch them on the room’s horrendously outdated television set-up.
While I really enjoyed the care taken with making VHS covers for the various shorts and the aesthetics of it all, the acting of this segment is horrendous and the interludes come off as cheesy and boring. Not a good combination. Also, the ending is downright awful and it felt like maybe the director didn’t have an ending so he just tacked on something silly and nonsensical to wrap things up. Not good and certainly not up to the quality of the rest of the film. 1 out of 5
The Keeper (dir. Chris St.Croix) –
A violent gang hiding out in their lair are confronted with a harbinger of their own doom and find themselves hunted by an otherworldly creature bent on punishing them for their misdeeds. A girl, caught up with the gang but whose innocence is still intact, finds herself unwillingly swept up in the legacy of the demonic monster.
This segment was remarkable given the budget the filmmakers were undoubtedly working with. Impressive lighting, interesting angles and deliciously over-the-top performances not to mention the puppeteering of the monster, fill this atmospheric tale with layer upon layer of manic horror. I found myself loving the concept and hoping that director Chris St.Croix will one day follow this one up with a full length feature. Very cool short. 5 out of 5
The Dummy (dir. David Buchert) –
In a classic slasher set up this story begins with a little boy who, following a traumatic experience, will only speak through a ventriloquist’s dummy. Two brothers decide to play a cruel prank on the boy and he is killed in a tragic accident. Years later their sister, who tried to stop her brothers from playing the prank in the first place, is kidnapped and menaced by a killer in a hideous dummy mask.
This short is a mixed bag. I appreciate the structure of it, and while I find putting together a classic slasher film, with all the tropes, in such a short run time admirable, the rest of it is kind of a mess. The acting, in particular, is pretty bad across the board. The kids they used might have an excuse since they are so young, but the adult actors are almost as bad as the kids and that is a tough pill to swallow. It also isn’t terribly original and, in the end, I think the only thing I found really interesting was the killer’s awesome mask. As a send up of really bad slashers from the 80’s this works to perfection but if you try to take this one seriously in any way you’re going to have a bad time. 3 out of 5
To Be Loved (dir. Chris St.Croix) –
Following the death of his mother a young man named Marvin takes over the lease of her run down apartment. He discovers a sentient VCR with a sexy voice that tells him that it can deliver his true love to him if he only feeds it human flesh. Martin reluctantly agrees and bizarre hijinks ensue.
I LOVED this short, so much so that I honestly felt the need to capitalize it. From the set design and costuming that reminds me very much of a Wes Anderson film, to the camera work, and pitch perfect acting, everything about this one is amazing. If I wasn’t already in love with the work of Chris St.Croix after his first short in this film I definitely was after this. If you enjoyed the work of Frank Henenlotter, Stuart Gordon or even Peter Jackson’s earlier stuff then this one is for you. I can’t gush enough about how great it is. 5 out of 5
In conclusion I can say that I’d recommend “In the Dark”. The work of Chris St.Croix alone is worth the price of admission. While I found David Buchert’s shorts to be the weakest parts of the movie I still think there are things to love about “The Dummy” if you are a fan of the more exploitative slasher films of the 80’s. I’d give the overall film a 4 out of 5.
“In the Dark” is available through Amazon Prime and iTunes.
