Creature in the Dark

I get it... keeping monsters hidden in the shadows saves on expensive special effects, but this film is ridiculous. Throughout the whole thing, we barely see what is menacing River Kern (Taylor Rhoades), survivor of an inexplicable worldwide blackout and an invasion by vicious creatures that are attracted to light. For most of the running time, Creature in the Dark is a slow-burn tale of a man struggling to raise a small child, Mya (Mya Rhoades), and it is incredibly boring. River reads Mya a book. River feeds Mya. River gives Mya a bath. Mya watches TV. All of this takes place in the one location and in the dark.

River's stupefyingly dull childcare routine is interrupted by a couple of intruders, and a visit by one of the creatures (so laughably bad, it's a wonder they chose to reveal it at all), but these scenes are brief and do little to alleviate the tedium. The acting and direction isn't terrible for what appears to be a 'family and friends' affair, but next time I suggest they rustle up a decent budget and write a script that amounts to a bit more than 'One Man and a Baby' (there's a thought... I bet Steve Guttenberg would be up for a gig).

See Cargo (2017) starring Martin Freeman for a similarly themed movie that is more successful (or the short film of the same name, which is even better).