The Darklings

Chris is confined to his bedroom with a nasty infection. He is convinced he has witnessed a murder in the house across the road after he struggles to sleep one night. He can't persuade his grandma (Tippi Hedren) and a detective (Martin Sheen) to believe him so he has to try and solve the crime himself. He enlists aid from his early teen/pre-teen friends Jessie and Josh. Slinky Clara Hagen who Chris believes he saw murdered starts to display a change in personality that convinces the young sleuths that something is wrong. With a few twists this is reminiscent of 'Rear Window' (1954) and perhaps even more to 'Disturbia' (2007). 'The Darklings' has gained some popularity on Fox Family and ABC Family TV over the years. It's main market is early teens but I think some older fans of thrillers will enjoy the 'Rear Window' identification in this. The couple across the road are played with psychotic menace in just the right amount of chill fashion for a family thriller. The atmospherics include whistling wind and thunderstorm scenes and neat mysterioso music from Ferocious Fish. The mystery builds up to a lively finale with some decent nail-biting moments.

This is a good entertaining movie with some excellent suspense moments. The three child actors & actresses did give a very appreciable performance. However the film could have been made a bit more gripping and at times it seemed that the plot was too simplified to save the children from being driven into greater trouble. However, a good film to see and enjoy.