Dark August

It comes as no surprise that "Dark August" turns out to be the only movie written by its lead actor...because surely no one else would have cast this guy in a lead role, let alone one where he's frequently shirtless in order to show off a body that really does not cry to be shown off. He plays a very Noo Yawk fella who's left the stressful city for a Vermont small town, only that isn't working out because he accidentally ran over a little girl (she ran out of a field in front of his car), and now the entire town hates him. Worse, the little girl's grandfather may have put some curse on him, which manifests itself in various boring ways here--glimpses of mysterious hooded figures, the hero having seizure-like episodes, etc. But basically very little of interest happens, then the movie just stops.

Despite the modest budget, it's not badly made, with relative polish if no great style. But the script is the kind you can tell is "horror" only because the writer knew that genre was marketable; it doesn't manifest any real knack for or interest in horror, let alone original ideas in that vein. What it's really interested in is providing a vanity showcase for an actor whom it doesn't flatter. J.J. Barry is the type who would have been fine as "Cop #3," "Pushy Neighbor" or some other stock supporting figure, but he is not appealing physically or as a personality; in fact his protagonist comes off as a blowhard, yet the film (and actor) still seem to mistakenly believe we're rooting for him. Not improving things is the heroine, who is an OK actress but has a pinched, beaky face and rather alarmingly bony figure--so of course they both get nude scenes that are presumably meant to be "sexy," and are anything but. Also off-key is the rather cheesy-sounding electronic score, which might have been apt if stereotypical for a sci-fi subject, but is just wrong for this supernatural tale, which needed something less shrill and more unsettling.

Worse movies have gotten distribution (and even been commercially successful), but you can see why this one completely disappeared. It's not technically incompetent, and some of the supporting actors are decent. Yet in terms of the most basic rewards--lead actors you enjoy watching, a plot that goes somewhere, providing any thrills or novelty--it has almost zilch to recommend it.

Psychological 'thriller' that makes an earnest effort at portraying an unending sense of gloom, but despite believable characters and visually evocative cinematography, 'Dark August' doesn't quite convey the living nightmare its characters endure after a child is killed in a road accident.

Kim Hunter's quirky appearance as an expert in the occult late in the film is a coup for a low-budget 'thriller', and the acting all round is consistent and generally very good. Real-life married couple and co-authors the Barry's create down to earth, sympathetic characters and their anguish is heartfelt, but the apparent hex placed on the husband is too loose and indirect to sustain tension.

Consequently there's a lot of threatening behaviour but comparatively little actual harm inflicted. Mysterious (and blurry) robed figures, haunting flashbacks and random hyperventilating signify a latent danger which promises shocks, but disappointingly rarely materialises.

Whilst it's technically attractive, intelligently scripted and basically well-constructed on a low budget, less talk and more action was desperately needed to awaken the sleeping thriller in this otherwise soporific soap-opera.

After killing a little girl in a car wash, Sal (J. J. Barry) is plagued by a series of "accidents", and stalked by a tall, dark figure. It seems that someone hasn't taken kindly to Sal's actions and is slowly destroying his life.

Enter Adrianna (Kim Hunter), a mystic who could be Sal's only hope.

DARK AUGUST is a somber tale of supernatural dread and doom, culminating in a final confrontation between good and eeevil.

Both Barry and Hunter are believable in their roles, which is essential in a film like this.

Recommended for fans of paranormal revenge...

I remember reading wonderful review of "Dark August" written by Stephen Thrower in "Nightmare USA" and I wanted to see the film so badly.It finally happened.A young girl is accidentally killed by a car driven by a careless city artist.The girl's grandfather curses the young man.His life is turned into nightmare as he sees a mysterious figure in black."Dark August" is well-made and captivating black magic terror tale set in a small American town.It has its share of gruesome surprises and is surprisingly well-acted.The climax is memorable and horrifying.It's a crying shame that "Dark August" is so criminally obscure.But I live and breathe such obscure horror.8 out of 10.

Obscure horror flick about a Mikhail Saakashvili lookalike stalked by the grandfather of girl whom he accidentally killed. There's certainly nothing significant about "Dark August", unless we interpret it as a '70s time capsule.* What I mean by a similarity to Robert Altman's movies is that one scene has two groups of people simultaneously carrying on conversations. Of course, I might be the only person who interpreted that. Otherwise, I would never think to equate this movie with Altman's films.

Anyway, this flick is just a way to pass time. Starring J.J. Barry, Carole Shelyne and Kim Hunter.

*In the past month, four 1970s icons have left this life: David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.