Dawning

Based on the trailer, I was concerned that this film would be pretentious and boring; I am happy to be wrong! The story is compelling and the characters are believable, which is crucial to the horror genre. There are no cheap quick scares; instead the film is long on tension and atmosphere. The viewers are spared blood and gore. The acting, across-the-board, is fantastic. I especially liked Christine Kellogg-Darrin, who brings heart to the role of Laura, a woman fighting to keep her marriage intact and bond with her resentful step-daughter. For people who appreciate intelligent horror films, "Dawning" is a must.

Takes place at a Northern Minnesota lake cabin where a brother and sister visit their father and step-mom. As the first night unfolds with uncomfortable small-talk and tension, tragedy strikes.

The film itself is not bad. The concept is quite strong -- a family, already tense, is put on edge by a stranger who may be a crazy killer or my be trying to save them from something even worse. The choice to not show the something even worse actually made the film stronger (was this for budget reasons or simply to allow for our imaginations to run wild?).

I have to give it some personal respect for being shot in Hayward, Wisconsin. Being a 30-year Wisconsin native, I always enjoy seeing our state get some film time. We have had our share of good films shot here, but there is always room for more. While this is not the greatest film, it is still welcome.

My problem with the film was the hackneyed dialogue. The acting was not bad, but the lines were cheesy. What really turned me off was the son telling the dad, "Yeah, walk away. You're really good at that." That line is so cheesy, so unrealistic and cliché. I just cannot see a son really saying that to his dad.

Beyond that, any real problems were budget issues. This same script given to a production company with a million or two to throw around and we would have a successful feature. I hate to knock a film for its budget, but in this case I have to. I have seen more done with less, but here the shortfalls were just too apparent.

You might still wish to give the film a chance. Maybe I was just feeling critical the day I watched it. Many others have loved it and the director, Gregg Holtgrewe, has received a fair amount of praise. And, personally, Gregg is a really nice guy, so I feel his work deserves a fair shake. Best horror film you see this year? No. But still decent -- something like "Evil Dead" meets "Feast", with an Ingmar Bergman influence.

It could have been an interesting concept. Unfortunately, the script is unrealistic and the acting is poor (especially the actress who plays the sister). The story is too slow-paced, as if the director didn't know himself in which direction he was going. From the first minute, it is hard to sit back and enjoy the film as the director doesn't have the capacity to make you forget you actually are watching a film. It is impossible to feel any fear or tension, or any kind of emotion at all, as the actors don't project anything (the script doesn't help them). The way the characters react is completely unnatural, even at the beginning. The end is disappointing, nothing makes any sense. Basically, a waste of time.

The movie starts like a typical horror movie then lost focus. Did not know if the topic was family problems or something evil outside the cabin. anyways it stayed that way till the end. Absolutely no plot of any kind. It was as if a family had gone into the woods for a vacation and then all of a sudden decided to make a movie during that time. Najarra Townsend acted well but the rest of the cast was awful. The attempt to induce horror through the killing of the dog failed to have any impact and in fact diluted whatever little suspense that was building up. It was all too familiar. loosely woven plot, awful acting, lack of direction left a bad taste.

There seems to be 2 favorable reviews of this film which I find very hard to believe. Rest assured that the 2 reviews were given by the same person. The movie tried very hard. The director really gave a go at an artsy type of horror film. Much in the way of films such as AntiChrist or evening The Shining. The problem was that the director didn't have any directions.(Imagine that). The only bonus to the film was I thought the girl in it was pretty hot and could possibly go somewhere with her acting I guess. The score was pretty much stolen from a hundred other movies which bothered me. To the director and writer. Yes it is fine to be vague with who or what your antagonist is. If done correctly you can add suspense to a film. But not so freaking vague that after the people watching and thinking, well that explained nothing and wasted my time.